Students nowadays struggle with unemployment just as their seniors (graduates). The numbers are record high and increasing without a hint of slowing down. While the price of school tuition is climbing almost 75% in the last ten years, many of these students suffer through the semester and struggle to get the requisite grades they so wish. These ideas will make your stay on campus enjoyable.
To help lessen the hardships, some students are opting to do some kind of business while still in school. This reduces their financial burden and also provide a much needed practical experience in the business sector, all while taking advantage of marketing opportunities that come with living on a college campus.
We have meticulously selected five super business ideas for students looking to make ends meet.
- Tutoring
The savvy entrepreneur knows that the business you launch should reflect your unique skill set. As a college student, you may want to consider tutoring other students in your area(s) of expertise.
While many school unions and associations offer free tutoring, these services are often available on a limited schedule and crowded. By starting a private tutoring business, you can offer sessions in the evenings and late at night when college students are often cramming. These can be on one-on-one or in group basis. I started this while in school although I got low patronage but i believe with social media now at our fingertips you will do better than me.
Of course, once your tutoring business takes off, you can target a wider market. If you live in a college town, consider posting posters in campus market shops, campus social media page and WhatsApp groups; many parents would love to find a current college student who can help their secondary school child with application essays and assignments. You can also simply solicit referrals from people around campus. And because tutoring businesses have little to no overhead, almost all your income will be profit.
- Business Center/Internet Cafe
This is a lucrative business for both students and wanna be entrepreneurs. On average, a college student will spend N10,000 on semester registration, handouts, assignments, and other related services every semester. If you have just 100 repeat customers that will keep you afloat throughout the semester.
Another major service is the typing of final year projects. Most students do not have laptops and so write their projects on paper for people like you to type. Some will even let you pick the topic for them, perform the research and just hand them the finished work (not recommended).
For project materials, project writing tips and data analysis check out Project Guru.
The startup capital is a bit high but if you have a laptop and a modem or a smartphone; you can start small and eventually expanding your business to a shop. I personally did this in college and its very helpful.
- Web Design and Development
Tech majors, take note: college students can earn serious income by starting a web design and development business. From simple projects like logo designs, to complete website revamps, various opportunities exist for the web designer who is skilled in HTML and other site-building platforms. And if you already have the computer and necessary software, startup costs tend to be minimal.
For the truly ambitious, you might want to team up with other students to launch your own site or application. This will require a significant commitment in terms of hours, startup costs and overhead, but as the college-aged founders of Facebook, Google and Apple will tell you, a chance at success in the tech industry is definitely worth it. And even for those non-tech-savvy students, simply having an idea and a buddy with development skills can translate to tech success.
If you’re just starting off as a freelance designer or developer, start by advertising to your professors and fellow students who may have parents or other relatives in need of website help. After you’ve earned a few great testimonials, you can expand your reach to the larger community. As an added bonus, you can do the majority of the design work from the comfort of your own dorm room.
- Digital Marketing
Like tech students, marketing, advertising and even creative majors can get their careers started early by offering services to local shops and businesses. Even savvy writers and art majors can offer design or copy services to create marketing materials for locals.
You may want to start by creating a webpage and social media profiles that highlight your skills. Then, you can reach out to local businesses to offer services ranging from social media management, to blog writing, to logo design, to AdWords management and more.
Students may also want to consider affiliate marketing, in which businesses offer commissions for word-of-mouth and online leads or sales. Affiliate programs can be found online through sites like Amazon Associates, Commission Junction, LinkShare and ShareASale. You can check our post on affiliate marketing here
- Blogging
Writing is an integral part of students’ life, when you look around you there are a lot of questions unanswered. For you to excel as a blogger you have to write about things you like, things you are passionate about; So ask yourself this, what am I passionate about?
If your answer is Wildlife; you can be a wildlife blogger writing about animals and stuff. If you are passionate about makeup, you can write about bridal showers, marriages and provide makeup tips and you can do that from anywhere as long as there is internet connectivity. The beauty of blogging is that no matter how rare your passion is the internet is large enough and you will get audience that share the same passion with you.
With a little creativity you can create a niche blog and start making money right away by showing paid adverts on the site. This can be don via services like Google AdSense, PropellerAds, PopAds or Infolinks. Before you apply for this service you have to create a viewership on your site as well as follow the services ads policy.
You can read our step by step guide to blogging here
With tuition rates skyrocketing, many college students are struggling to make ends meet while earning their degrees. Instead of begging your relatives for money and mooching off your friends, consider starting one of the above businesses to help support yourself during college. Not only will you finish school with less debt and extra cash, but you can also add this experience to your resume for an invaluable leg-up on the competition come graduation.
