What should a 16-year-old do if they dislike how school teaches math?
I'd focus on profit right now, then allocate some hours to earning decent money. If I were you, I'd get a job doing something marginally related to what we discuss—like a sales-based role. When I was 16, I worked at the Hammer game at the Pacific National Exhibition carnival, sitting with a microphone, yelling at passersby to play my game, and making fun of them until they played. I learned sales skills there that now directly make me money. If I'd started a business at 16, I wouldn't have had nearly as much sales exposure. Doing this for 8 hours a day over three months gave me about 420 hours of directed sales experience, which you wouldn't get if you had to generate your own opportunities as a young business owner. So I'd take the job to earn while learn; earning is less important than the learning.
I would suggest getting a sales gig as soon as possible. Put yourself in situations where you constantly have to articulate problems. The more you practice selling and communicating, the faster you’ll develop the necessary skills.
A lot of kids are obsessed with making money but don’t understand the process or sacrifices required. They see only the upside. It’s like trying to draw an owl: everyone wants to skip to the finished drawing without learning the basics. My advice: pre‑commit to something for long enough to dive deep and see results. Pre‑committing is tough because we’re sold the idea of infinite opportunity, but in reality doors close constantly. Accepting that is part of becoming mature. You must trade off some opportunity for results—whether it’s committing to a partner, a business, a lead‑generation approach, or a discipline like 75 hard. This trade‑off is a fundamental equation for achieving greatness.
It's a combination of factors. Being young means you lack perceived authority and life experience, and you likely haven't had enough time to develop sales skills. Statistically, you haven't been on the planet long enough to be seen as qualified for the kinds of jobs clients want, and you're still new to sales. To overcome this, you could have someone older act as the face of the business while you handle fulfillment behind the scenes—using an Upwork profile or a family member, for example—and communicate via messenger instead of face‑to‑face calls. This is a pragmatic way to move forward, though you'll still face an uphill battle. Another option is to gain more sales experience first, perhaps by taking a phone‑sales job for a year or two before diving into agency work. I've found that as I've gotten older and more mature, earning trust has become easier; it's a mix of age, maturity, and skill. I'm not trying to discourage you—many people are willing to work with motivated, young, technically competent founders and would even take your calls and discuss a profit split. You already have a strong starting point.
Focus on your accounting SaaS, leverage your dad's contacts, grow it, and enjoy school—don't split focus; at 15, credibility is low, so prioritize one thing and have fun.