Free. Honest. On your side.
Start the Bag is a free side-hustle and money site for teenagers. Here's who runs it, how we keep it honest, and what we promise you.
Six things we will always do
You can hold us to these. If we ever break one, tell us at hello@startthebag.com.
01Free forever
Every page, tool, calculator and template is free. No paid tier, no "premium" version, no course at the end.
02No ads, no affiliate links
Nobody pays to be on this site. We earn nothing when you click a link or sign up for an app, so our only reason to recommend something is that it helps you.
03No sign-up, no data
You never create an account. We don't collect your name, email or location, and the site uses no cookies, analytics or trackers.
04Honest ratings
Every hustle is rated on the same scale, and we show the downsides as clearly as the upsides. Ratings are never for sale.
05No get-rich-quick
We'll never promise easy money. Real earnings come from skills, effort and time, and we say so.
06Safety first
We point out age limits, laws and scams for your country, and tell you when to bring in a parent or guardian.
A Morgado Frankel Foundation initiative
Start the Bag was created by Cris Morgado as the first initiative of the Morgado Frankel Foundation. Its mission is to help the next generation become financially independent, starting with the skills most people only learn as adults: earning, pricing, saving and staying safe.
The foundation is new and is not yet a registered charity. Until it is, Start the Bag is run by Cris Morgado on its behalf, from the United Kingdom.
We don't sell anything and we don't take money from the companies we mention. Running costs are covered privately.
The same yardstick for all 131
Each hustle in the Hustle Finder is scored on these, using typical rates for teens and official sources for age rules.
| What we score | What it means |
|---|---|
| Earnings | Typical pay for a teenager doing it well, shown as a range in your currency. Real results vary by area, skill and effort. |
| Startup cost | What you need to spend before your first sale, assuming you borrow what you can. |
| Speed to cash | Roughly how long from deciding to start to holding your first payment. |
| Difficulty | Skill and effort needed to do it well. |
| Scalability | How it can grow: repeat customers, subscriptions, hiring friends or a product. |
| Overall rating | Our judgment of how good a first hustle it is for a teen, including safety and legal hassle. |
Spotted a mistake?
Laws, tax limits and app age rules change. We check official sources (gov.uk, irs.gov, canada.ca, ato.gov.au and others), but we can get things wrong or fall behind. When we're not sure, we say so and link to the official source.
If something is wrong or out of date, email hello@startthebag.com with the page and what needs fixing. We aim to correct confirmed errors within a few days.
Content last reviewed: 23 October 2026
Built to be safe for young people
- No accounts, chat, comments or messaging, so nobody can contact you through this site.
- No user uploads or public profiles.
- Every hustle that involves meeting people or handling money comes with safety notes.
- Our Stay Safe page lists helplines and reporting services for your country.
If you are worried about your safety or someone else's, contact a helpline from the Stay Safe page or the emergency services. To raise a concern about this site, email hello@startthebag.com.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections, ideas or a school that wants to use the site: hello@startthebag.com
Teachers, youth workers and parents are welcome to use and share everything here for free.
Read our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and Accessibility statement.