It's time for teens to open shop on Instagram! 🛍️

It is safe to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a mixed bag of pop-culture into everybody's lives, including GenZs. From frothy dalgona coffee, sleeping through online classes, late-night 'among us' sessions to continually existing in PJs, the whole experience hasn't been anything short of a roller-coaster ride. 🤷🏻‍♀️

FamPay, being engrossed in all-things-GenZ, has noted an exciting endeavor that the teen community is taking up with fervor, now that distance-learning and flexible hours have given them the opportunity to explore their interests and opportunities. As always, being the most tech-savvy, ambitious and experimental group, the GenZ are starting young to become business-owners on Instagram. 🤩

An iconic character once said, "If you are good at something, never do it for free". Although this piece of advice, coming from a legendary 'villain', should be taken with a pinch of salt, he's not entirely wrong.

It's 🔥 LIT 🔥that teens are discovering things that they enjoy doing, and monetizing their talents, while churning out drool-worthy products and services. 🤤

If you're a fellow teen who's looking for a know-how of your peers getting the 'bijnes class' experience on Instagram, you're at the right place!

What is on the virtual shelves of GenZ Instagram Shops? 🔍

Well, you can monetize almost anything that you are skilled in, and teens are proving just that! 🧙🏻‍♂️

There are so many categories to choose from! Want to know what the possibilities are? Leggo! 🏃🏻‍♀️

Accessories: Do you have an eye for intricate designs and the latest fashion trends? Well, owning an accessory business is the thing for you! Be it polymer clay jewelry, beaded necklaces, or even cute scrunchies, teens are doing it all! 🔥 Fam tip: Offer customized pieces to amp up customers' shopping experience.
Apparel: GenZs are the ones who wear absolutely fire fits, so...unsurprisingly, many teens are using their artistic talent to sell apparel! 👕 Be it tie-dying, embroidery, or using their customizing abilities to beautify clothes, Instagram businesses have it all! 🔥 Fam tip: With sustainable fashion in the limelight, opening an online thrift store is a great idea.
Food: Does your cooking leave your fam licking their fingers? Well, an Instagram business is the most exciting opportunity for a young aspiring chef or baker enhance your skills. Another treat? You get to roll the dough to roll in 'dough'! 😉 💸 From brownies and cakes to savory treats like pizzas, you can sell it all. 🔥 Fam tip: Don't forget to register your business with FSSAI.

Remember, if your interest doesn't fit in these categories, it's okay! There are so many niche products that would be adored on the IG market.

Why choose Instagram as your marketplace? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Now that you have a fair idea of what our young businesspersons are selling on Instagram, you might wonder why you should set up shop at Instagram. 👀

Well, long story short: Instagram is a gold mine of opportunities for a business. 🌟 We'll tell you why.

Ease of usage: If you're not a big IG fanatic, you don't have to worry about a steep learning curve. Setting up your business page on Instagram is easy, and makes your social media handling accessible! Business pages can link their accounts from other social platforms to Instagram, and publish content for all of them at the same time. 👌🏼
Great features: With Instagram, GenZs have been able to channel their creative abilities to create a beautiful catalog-like experience for customers. Use stories and highlights to shed light on great topics such as your business story, customer reviews, customization and teasers for new releases, and get on top of the your business game! 🤩
Analytics tools: Instagram Insights is a truly commendable feature. Decided to post something and can't gauge how fire your post is? Analytics will give you easy and cohesive stats to look at, which makes it so easy to understand which posts are pushing your business forward. 🔎
Creative Freedom: Instagram lets young business owners paint their business canvas however they like. There are pages with different themes, making them look intriguing and fun. If you're inclined towards a particular theme, you can incorporate a cohesive feed, definite color scheme and tone of your page! This is your chance to be unique and experimental: do what you enjoy and have fun doing it! 🌈

🔥 Fam tip: Instagram has been a big supporter of businesses during the pandemic, even showing solidarity and introducing a sticker called "Support Small Business". Instagram Users can share their favorite small brand, improving the brand's visibility!

Is there a blueprint you can follow? 📘

While we strongly believe in being unique and doing things your way, there are some baselines that will help you establish your Instagram Business smoothly. 📊 Let's throw light on the things that ensure a prepared entry of your business in the IG marketplace. 💪🏽

Find your niche: The most important step would be to find what you'd like to monetize. It can be products, services or a mix of both. Out of the box ideas are always great, but even if your product is simple, it can turn out to be simply amazing! ✨
Market Research: We know, heavy word alert! 😓 Don't worry, it's not as tricky as it sounds. Doing some basic market research would involve looking at other businesses that might sell similar products, noting their prices and customer demographic. 📝
Making samples: To launch your business, it would be a great idea to make some samples beforehand. This will give you an idea about the time, material, and cost involved in making your product. You can get even get feedback from family or squad and decide on the prices and range that you'd like to offer. 🤑
Shoot creatives: Channel your photography and editing skills to create online content around your products! If you have a theme in mind, follow it. If you're experiencing some creative block, draw inspiration from other pages and sync it with your uniqueness. 📸
Build a following: Once you've made your Instagram Business Account and posted some introductory posts, it's time to get a customers! Woohoo! Use that market research to follow relevant people, and engage with them. 🔥 Fam tip: What if we told you there's a community of 7K+ teens, waiting to hear about your business? Well, join FamPay's discord community: 'Friends of Fam', promote your business on the self-promotions channel, and see your followers grow! 📈
Manage your Money: Setting up a robust Payments System is essential for a business. As a business-owner, you'll not only receive money through sales, but also expend it on things like courier services, packaging and material. 💸🔄 Using your parent's account is a no-go, since you need 24x7 access to keep track of your finances, initiate refunds or check a customer's payment status. 🙅🏻‍♀️ Fret not, FamPay is here to help! You can set your own FamPay account and handle your finances smoothly, be it earning or spending. The best part? You don't need a bank account, and you get so many rewards for simply using the app. All this while being a business-owner? Now THAT'S the life! 😎

🔥 Fam Tip: You are the biggest asset to your business. Add a personal touch to the brand and packaging, share your story, customer feedback and BTS shenanigans! Don't forget to be proud of owning a business.

Who's thriving on the Instagram Marketplace? 🌱

To end things on an inspiring note, here are some wonderful Instagram based Small Businesses that will prove to you that the journey is going to be equal parts adventurous, informative and rewarding! 🤩

Smitten unicorn: instagram.com/smitten.unicorn/
Shahrlifestyle: instagram.com/shahrlifestyle/
The Minervy: instagram.com/theminervy/
Artsiify: instagram.com/artsiify/
Nish Hoops: instagram.com/nish.hoops/

Have further questions, suggestions or feedback? Write to me on arohi.kaushal@fampay.in! 🌈