TikTok Tactics & Instagram Gold: How Gen Z Is Monetising Faster Than Millennials Ever Did Why Today's Teens Are Building Businesses Before They Can Legally Toast to Them

A new breed of entrepreneurs are redefining how to make it in business and they are doing it better, quicker and cleverer than ever before. Gen Z does not wait when there are promotions or funding rounds. They are selling their lives, personalities and interests on the fly, in places such as TikTok and Instagram.

Although Millennials were the first ones to jump into the influencer economy, Gen Z has mastered it. Not to mention, now they are driving viral content into six-figure incomes, brand affiliate billings into equity, and online influence into entrepreneurial gild.

Scroll to Sale: Real Time Monetising

Social media has become a business model to Gen Z and not merely a highlight reel. They speak the language of virality and play well at aesthetics, and are unashamed of selling out. Contrastingly to Millennials who in most cases took brand-building and monetisation as two distinct options, Gen Z has merged the two since the initial post.

Whether displayed in the form of affiliate links on a GRWM video or behind a Patreon paywall or even disguised as a meme page that operates a drop-shipping business, monetisation is no longer a milestone, it is the baseline. Young artists as young as 16 years old are signing brand contracts, starting skincare products and selling virtual items without driving to a conference hall.

The Algorithm as a Business Partner

Gen Z does not want followers but rather the algorithm. They experiment with what does well and they copy, paste and frame until the recipe sticks. Their currency is the short-form video, strategy is storytelling, and an asset is attention.

Consider Tik Tok: a 30-second tutorial, haul, or video of a day in your life, is powering everything, including e-commerce surges and personal brands dynasties. The distance between Media and Money is closing, as TikTok Shop and Instagram affiliate tools are increasingly being window-shot, and Gen Z is making money.

Creator First, Entrepreneur Always

Whereas Millennials took years to create credibility in order to start a business, Gen Z does the opposite. They build the product after becoming influential with many of them. Consider a university student that develops an account with a million followers to review tech devices. By the time they come up with their own line of gadgets, they already have the following, authentication, and demand.

It is this creator to founder pipeline which is turbo-charging Gen Z. They do not even need to advertise in billboards because they are the billboard. They do not require focus groups because they read their comments. Nor do they require seed capital since their first drop can be financed by a single viral video.

Authenticity Over Aesthetics

If Millennials gave us curated feeds and polished perfection, Gen Z gave us realness. They'll post without makeup, film from messy bedrooms, and talk openly about burnout or breakups—all while monetising through it. And that's exactly why they convert.

Their authenticity builds trust. Their relatability drives engagement. And their followers don't just scroll—they buy.

Not Just Influence—Ownership

Gen Z isn't content being the face of someone else's brand. They want ownership. We're seeing them launch e-books, merch lines, podcasts, and even tech platforms to keep more control (and profit) over their ideas. The creator economy, once ruled by brand sponsorships, is now being overtaken by digital products, community platforms, and recurring revenue models like subscription newsletters or paid Discords.

They're also smarter about financial literacy. From crypto wallets to investing tutorials, they're sharing (and selling) knowledge at a pace Millennials never dared in their early 20s.

So, What Can We Learn?

At Entrepreneur UK, we see Gen Z not just as content creators—but as serious entrepreneurs. They're flipping the script on traditional business by monetising faster, scaling leaner, and owning more.

Their model? Build influence, monetise early, keep it real, and evolve fast.

In a world where attention is the new capital, Gen Z isn't waiting their turn. They're turning likes into livelihood—one reel, one trend, one swipe at a time.