I started a business at 16 to make money. Now I'm building generational wealth.

Scout Turner helped her mom open a pottery painting business Courtesy of Scout Turner 2026-04-02T12:37:01.259Z Share Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Scout Turner helped her mom run a pottery painting business and opened her own at 14. Today, she owns multiple painting and wellness franchises. She says small business is a way to build generational wealth. AI-generated summary Summaries are generated by an AI model trained on Business Insider's articles. AI may make mistakes or provide inaccurate/incomplete information. We're unable to load that answer right now. Please try again. What inspired Scout to open her business? What challenges do teen entrepreneurs face? What role do mentors play in business? How can small businesses build wealth? How did Scout balance work and school? This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Scout Turner, owner of CertaPro Painters of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. It has been edited for length and clarity. Loading audio narration... My mom always told me that I was going to need a job when I was 16. Working hard was nothing new — my mom had purchased a pottery business when I was in elementary school, and I often went to work with her. As my 16th birthday approached, I realized that the jobs I was interested in — mostly in customer service and retail — weren't open to teens. One day, I noticed an open space in the town near my school, and thought it would make a perfect pottery studio. I called the real estate agent, and put on my customer service voice so he wouldn't know how old I was. Then, I toured the space and put together a rudimentary business plan. Scout Turner learned it's OK to be motivated by money. Courtesy of Scout Turner When I was ready, I invited my mom to meet me for lunch during the school day. I presented her with my business plan and told her the real estate agent was available to show us both the space after we ate. I didn't even have my license, but my mom helped me open that location, which I ran for about two years, until I went to college. I was in a different financial situation than many friends at my private schoolMy mom busted her butt to send me to a fancy private high school. My peers' parents were surgeons, but I always knew we didn't have the same kind of money they did. My mom bought her first business on a credit card, and while it grew into something successful, it was all because of the sweat equity we put in. My mom talked with me about how things were different financially for me, like needing to get a job as a teen. Scout Turner helped her mom run a pottery painting business at 14. Courtesy of Scout Turner Once I opened the pottery studio, my friends supported me as customers. Still, there were times when they were headed to the mall or the movies, but my dad was dropping me off to work a shift. For the most part, though, I didn't mind. I never felt resentful.I'm OK with being money-motivatedI got a college scholarship to study entrepreneurship, but I dreamed of climbing the corporate ladder. My mom supported me in that — she had done a stint in corporate America too. I loved traveling, and being able to buy something off the shelf at stores like Gucci was thrilling. I've always been very money-motivated. That's not a bad thing: it doesn't mean I'm willing to lie or do something unethical to get more money. However, I'm very driven to build wealth for my family's comfort. In the future, I never want to feel I have to work to survive — I want to be able to do what I wish.Ultimately, that's part of what drew me back to small business. The ability to provide for your family with something you've built with your own two hands is an incredible blessing and can also help build generational wealth. I own multiple franchises, and still turn to my mom for adviceToday, my husband and I own multiple CertaPro Painters franchises. We also own two massage franchises and an Amazing Lash studio. We're both 31 and working very hard right now, but we're on track to have a more flexible future. Scout Turner and her husband own multiple franchises. Courtesy of Scout Turner As our businesses have grown, my mom has continued to be my mentor. She will always be honest with me, and tells me if I'm making a decision she wouldn't make. She might have some regrets about how she raised me — like asking me to work at the studios without realizing I should be studying for finals — but I'm grateful for all of it. It's shaped who I am today.