Aside from the obvious monetary benefits of running a business during college, there are other great reasons to test business ideas for college students.
The values you learn and the connections you create while pursuing entrepreneurship in college will be beneficial for your future career even if you fail the business.
Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook while in college. It is great to start young while your ideas are still wild and fresh and your energy is at its peak. Who knows? You might be the next Mark Zuckerberg of your generation.
All great businesses start with a single idea. If you already have an idea on what business to pursue, then go for it.
But if you still have no idea where to start, consider the following suggestions for business ideas for college students.
Top Business Ideas for College Students
1. Start a blog.
Blogs can be profitable if done the right way. It is a great idea for students since it has no or low startup cost.
Do it during your free time so it won’t interrupt your studies.
You can create a blog about life as a student or something you are passionate about. Just make sure the contents you provide will be useful to your readers.
Blogging can also serve as a great outlet for stress. It provides grounds for you to learn more about yourself and those around you. It widens your horizon, perspective, and expertise.
All it takes is to create a site and start blogging to build an audience and monetize it. If you’re interested in starting your own blog, I created a quick tutorial showing you the right steps. Check out How to Start a Profitable Blog.
As long as you set up your site soon (takes less than 20 minutes), you’ll be able to start creating content and monetizing it.
2. Start an essay writing service.
This side hustle idea for college students is great if you are good at writing.
Students have plenty of written requirements and not all are good at doing them. You may provide minimal assistance, guide them in generating ideas or edit their work, or write the whole thing for those who want to buy custom research paper.
Continue honing your writing skills so that clients will continually go back.
Write every essay as well as you can. If they see that your work is great, they will refer you to their acquaintances.
3. Start online English tutoring lessons for students around the world.
There are plenty of students who would like to learn English in different parts of the world. You just need a Skype account and a stable internet connection.
Promote your services on social media and other advertising sites. As your students start to grow in number, recruit your friends and deal with how you will share the earnings.
This one of the best business ideas for college students is best for those who are aspiring to be teachers. Teaching students from different backgrounds will test your patience and challenge your creativity as a teacher.
4. Create a software or mobile app.
I would recommend this for those who are taking up computer and technology courses. You can make a great profit if you successfully develop software like these students who made a video game.
It won’t be easy as flipping pancakes but the results will all be worth it if you try hard enough.
This one of the business ideas for college students involves filling a gap in the market.
What software will students like you need but is still not available? Are there better games to play? Do you know an exciting way to twist the existing apps and games in the market?
5. Sell crafts on Etsy.
If you know how to make jewelry, gift items or decorations, start selling them on Etsy.
There are plenty of options you can do especially now that yuletide season is just around the corner.
You can create cards, Christmas decorations, and giveaways.
6. Give graphic arts designing services.
Are you a creative artist? Start offering your drawings for profit.
Offer illustration services to students and instructors. You may also provide designs for parties and school events. You can do actual drawings and virtual graphics. Search for part-time job offers for graphic artists on different freelancing sites.
Read also: How Nancy Started a Digital Marketing Business While in College
7. Be a freelance make-up artist.
If you are passionate about make-up, turn your passion into dollars.
Provide make-up services for special events like proms and homecomings. You can also offer make-up for Halloween. Starting can be difficult so begin by offering free services to your friends. Tell them to promote it when they love the outcome.
While testing this one of the profitable business ideas for college students, you can also sell make-up products.
8. Be a freelance photographer.
During holidays and weekends, you can work as a photographer.
Build your online portfolio and personal brand so people can see your work. You can also take pictures during special events in school then sell with corresponding charges. Or sell pictures to websites which buy pictures of different objects.
9. Sell personalized gift items like flower bouquets, cards, and cupcakes.
With all the resources across the web, almost any skill can be learned online.
Sharpen skills like flower arrangement, card making and baking so that you can venture into it. Start offering your services to your roommates and classmates.
Post the pictures of your finished products on different social media sites to gain more clients.
10. Be a social media manager.
Are you spending plenty of time on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram?
Use your time on social media productively by being a social media manager. These are the skills you need to learn if you want to be one.
College fees are expensive and career competition is tighter than ever. Starting up a business does not only help with your college expenses but it also provides the experience that will give you edge in this very competitive world.
It would be best to choose a business related to the course you are taking. This way, you can apply the principles you learn in school, vice versa.
We hope that the business ideas for college students listed above will help you get started.
About The Author
This is a guest post by Alice Clarke, an educator and a passionate writer at Top Aussie Writers. She loves hitchhiking and exploring new places for writing catching pieces.
