Kid Entrepreneur Spotlight: Zane Campbell, and the Move Most Teens Miss

Zane Campbell, founder of Zane's Lawn Care.

Meet Zane Campbell — a teenager who did what a lot of kids talk about and few actually pull off: he built a real business. Zane's Lawn Care isn't a lemonade stand; it's mowing, edging, and hustle, with a logo and paying customers. That takes guts and grit, and it deserves the spotlight it got.

But here is what really sets Zane apart: he didn't just earn the money — he put $500 to $700 a month of it into an investment account, building a fund to help pay for college. At an age when most people spend every dollar they make, that kind of discipline is the whole story.

But here's the move almost nobody tells a young entrepreneur about — and for money a teen is investing anyway, it may be the smartest home of all: a Roth IRA. It's built for the long game — decades of completely tax-free growth on your business income. And here's the part that makes it work even if a nearer goal like college is on your mind: the money you contribute can be pulled back out at any time, tax- and penalty-free (it's the earnings you leave alone to grow). You get the long-term upside without locking the money away. If you're a teen running a hustle like Zane, this one's for you.

Why your business income is a superpower

A Roth IRA — one of the best wealth-building accounts that exists — can only be funded from earned income. Most teens get there through a job with a paycheck. But self-employment income counts too — the money you make mowing lawns, shoveling snow, babysitting, or reselling is earned income just the same. So a teen with a lawn-care business has exactly what it takes to open one. (The full rundown of what qualifies is in earned income and the custodial Roth IRA.)

What that actually means for you

Say you clear a few thousand dollars over a summer of mowing. You can put up to that amount (up to the annual limit — the current figure is in custodial Roth IRA rules) into a Roth IRA, where it grows completely tax-free for the rest of your life. Because you're under 18, it's opened as a custodial Roth IRA with a parent, but the account is yours.

The number that will change your mind

Here's why starting now beats starting later by a mile. Money invested as a teenager has the longest runway of your life to compound. A few summers of business income, invested young and left alone, can grow into a genuinely life-changing sum by retirement — the kind of head start most adults never get. That's the real power of putting your business income to work early — like Zane already does — with a Roth on top for the money you won't need until much later. (See how far it can go: Coast FIRE for kids.)

Zane in our Kid Entrepreneur Spotlight.

If you're a teen with a hustle, here's your move

Not running a business yet? Here's how to make money as a teen. Ready to put it to work? Here's how to start investing as a teenager.

1. Keep records of what you earn. Note your income and expenses — you need to be able to show earned income to fund a Roth, and good records are just good business anyway.
2. Open a custodial Roth IRA with a parent. It takes about 15 minutes online; here's how to open one.
3. Invest a slice of every season. You don't have to put in all of it — even a portion of each summer's earnings, invested young, does enormous work.
4. Watch it grow. Connect it in MemoryBank so you can actually see your business turning into long-term wealth — that's the part that keeps you doing it.

Frequently asked questions

Does income from a teen's own business count for a Roth IRA?

Yes. Self-employment income — money a teen earns from a business like lawn care, babysitting, or reselling — is earned income, the same as wages from a job. That makes a teen entrepreneur eligible to fund a Roth IRA, up to the lesser of what they earned or the annual contribution limit.

Can a teenager with a lawn-care business open a Roth IRA?

Yes — as a custodial Roth IRA, opened with a parent as custodian because the teen is under 18. The account is in the teen's name and becomes fully theirs at the age of majority. The key requirement is that they have earned income, which running a business provides.

How much of my business income can I put in a Roth?

Up to the lesser of your total earned income for the year or the annual contribution limit. If you cleared $3,000 mowing lawns, $3,000 is your ceiling. You don't have to contribute all of it — even a portion, invested young, has decades to grow tax-free.

Do I need to keep records of my business income?

Yes — keep track of what you earn (and your expenses). You need to be able to show earned income to justify a Roth contribution, and record-keeping is a core habit of running any real business.

Why start investing as a teenager instead of waiting?

Time. Money invested as a teen has the longest possible runway to compound, so even small amounts started young can grow into a large sum by retirement — a head start most adults never get. Starting early beats contributing more later.

Zane's story is shared with permission. MemoryBank is an education and display tool, not a broker or a financial advisor — this explains how the accounts work, not what to invest in.