Teen Bo$$: a magazine advising tweens on how to get rich by being "social media brands"

Bauer Media’s Teen Boss is a new quarterly magazine, launched last summer for “Gen-Z entrepreneurs” aged 8-15 who want to pursue careers as “influencers.”

Bauer Media Teen Group editorial director Brittany Galla said that she was inspired to launch the magazine after focus groups showed her that teen girls wanted to “establish a brand — or make themselves into a brand,” having shifted away from her own cohort, who aspired to be “teachers or veterinarians.”

“I arranged focus groups with teens anywhere and everywhere — from meeting with local Girl Scout troops to meeting a dance class at an ice skating rink — to pick their brains. I also spend a lot of time on Instagram looking at what tweens are posting and talking about,” said Galla. “More and more, I noticed these girls marketing themselves and what they were trying to sell (like jewelry or slime), and I was amazed by their hustle, even providing their Paypal links to be paid!”

“Shark Tank” was a huge point of inspiration for Teen Boss, and that started in the classroom; Galla explained that in a number of focus groups she conducted, she heard young women talking about a “‘Shark Tank’ Hour” they had at school in which they pitch their business ideas to their classmates.

“When I was growing up, it seemed like everyone wanted to be a teacher, or a veterinarian,” said Galla. “Now, I heard ‘app creator,’ ‘chef on YouTube’ or ‘CEO.’ These girls want to establish a brand — or make themselves into a brand — with their social media channels, and I was just blown away by their ideas.”

Meet ‘Teen Boss,’ a New Magazine for Entrepreneurs Under the Age of 15 [Maura Brannigan/Fashonista]