It's 1:00 p.m. and I race to the mailbox, still in my pajamas and slippers. I'm careful to check around and make sure there aren't any cars coming; more importantly no hot high school guys.

As soon as the mailman sees me waiting, clad in my regular attire, he gives me a quick wink and hands me the mail.

A couple of my customers have sent in their payments (yay!), a wholesale order that I placed for my cosmetics and gift business has finally arrived, and a sweepstakes entry (hey, I've won $1,000,000!).

Normal mail day for an adult, but I'm 16 years old. Teens: you can tear down the cruel Gen X label, build skills, and earn cash by starting your own business. It's achievable, believe me! You'll need an idea, motivation, and of course, the links below.

Teens are takin' care of business

Starting out can sometimes be rough. So first, you're going to need some motivation and a "Go get em" attitude. Catch the spirit with this article from Detroit News. Lemme ask you, when students get together and start their own music store business, what happens?

Be Your Own Boss

Felt good to read that, huh? How about a second dose of encouragement with Girl Zone's Get Bossy section where you can read about entrepreneurs who are doing business their way?

The Teenager's Guide to the Real World Online

Now that you know other teens can do it, can you? Of course! But you're going to need an idea. The Teenager s Guide to the Real World did a nice job of composing hundreds of small business ideas that you can start.

With a general idea of where you're going, you can check out some sites that have done an awesome job of dedicating themselves to helping young entrepreneurs.

Independent Means

Independent Means empowers girls who want to or have started their own business. Their excellent resources include news, competitions, a business directory, and other links.

Canadian Youth Business Foundation On-line

Canadian Youth Business Foundation- you don't have to be native to Canada to get involved with CYBF. They have a section where you can "meet" other young entrepreneurs on-line.

Junior Achievement

Junior Achievement is one of the greatest programs to develop business and entrepreneurship skills. I may be biased since I participated in this program last year, but you'll learn so much! Find out how to get involved.

K-K Gregory... Inventor of the Wristie

And finally, see a mega success in action. With tens of thousands of Writsies sold, it's no wonder why the 15-year-old owner, KK Gregory, has been featured on Oprah and in Young Entrepreneur Magazine. Click here for her success timeline.

Good luck to you!

Tara Farmer is a homeschooler in Idaho. She runs her own newsletter for business-minded teens called Pinnacle. She also runs The Zap, a weekly sales flyer that sells brand name cosmetic items at low prices.