Teen Tech Repair

Tracy Powell

For most teens, a summer job means mowing lawns, flipping burgers, or lifeguarding at the local pool. But 16-year-old Grayson Shaw of Washington, D.C., has a different kind of summer gig: For the past five years, he has owned and operated his own iPhone repair business in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where his family spends summers. Grayson taught himself how to repair the high-tech devices by watching YouTube videos, and he now knows how to replace virtually any part of an iPhone, inside or out. Charging between $50 and $180 for repairs, he took in $24,000 in revenue last year, much of which he invested in Apple stock; this year he’s on track to hit $30,000, repairing about 40 phones a week. Grayson’s business savvy has inspired his friends, who often ask his advice about starting their own businesses, from fixing phones to selling T-shirts. He’s not sure whether he wants to build a career from his tech expertise, but he does know one thing: “I definitely want to be an entrepreneur.”

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