College students are notorious for being cash-strapped and for having to live on a budget, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. In fact, anyone can be an entrepreneur in this day and age, and while getting a traditional part-time job is one option, another is to start your own business.
It might sound daunting, but if other people can do it then so can you. And if you’ve got the motivation but you’re struggling to think of business ideas for college students, you’re in luck. Here are the seven best small business ideas for college students.
7 Business Ideas for College Students
- Sell on Etsy
If you’re good at making things then Etsy is the site for you. It’s a bit like eBay but for hand-made goods, and people make good money on there selling everything from prints of their artwork to hand made soaps and bath bombs. It might start out as a secondary income stream, but you’d be surprised by how quickly that can turn into a full business.
- Go freelance
We’re living in the middle of the rise of the gig economy in which more and more people are going freelance and more and more companies are hiring them to fulfill one-off jobs (“gigs”). If you’re a writer, a graphic designer, a web developer or some other creative worker then going freelance is one of the best business ideas there is.
- Become a content creator
As business ideas for students go, this is one of the most competitive routes and the one in which there’s the most competition. Still, if you launch a blog or a YouTube channel and become successful enough, you can start to monetize it through advertisements, sponsored posts, Patreon, and merchandise. Just make sure that you start out for the love and not the money, otherwise, you’ll never make it the distance.
- Write essays
Writing essays for companies like essayontime for you can be a great way to boost your own essay writing skills whilst simultaneously making a little bit of money. Get started by browsing essay writing websites or heading to https://www.aresearchguide.com/term-paper-writing-service.html.
- Join affiliate programs
Some brands and websites allow people to become affiliates, earning money through them. For example, Quora affiliates can earn money from any ads that are displayed next to the questions they ask on the network. Like becoming a content creator, this is one of those business ideas for college students that takes a certain amount of time and dedication before it starts to pay dividends.
- Start flipping
When it comes to college business ideas, flipping is one of the oldest. The general idea is to go out and to buy and sell things, buying low and selling high. Back in the day, this might have meant trawling flea markets and selling any finds to collectors and antique dealers. These days, you can flip products from your room, buying and selling online and thriving on the profit margin that each flip delivers.
- Take photography
Most stock photography websites allow budding photographers to create accounts and to start selling their imagery on the platform. If you’ve got a decent enough camera and a knack for photography, it’s possible to make a full-time living from stock photography alone. Some people even travel the world on the income they receive, taking photographs along the way to further boost their portfolio.
Conclusion
Creating a successful business as a college student doesn’t have to be difficult. In today’s day and age, there are so many different ways to make money that the real challenge is to find something that you love and to learn how to monetize it.
In the meantime, we hope that this list has given you something to think about and that you’ve had a few ideas about what kind of business you’d like to create. The next step is for you to go ahead and get started. Don’t be afraid to jump in at the deep end because everyone has to start somewhere, and remember that even if you make a mistake, it’s an opportunity to learn something. Good luck.
Author Bio
John Landrum founded his first business while he was at college and hasn’t looked back ever since. He runs workshops helping to develop small business ideas for college students. He’s also an advocate for shopping locally and buying from independent businesses.
