Being a student is great. You finally get to deal with your life yourself, you change the setting, you make tons of new friends with keen interests, but best of all – you are free! The only drawback is all the stress. Not only do you need to struggle through your studies while still cutting some time for yourself – to go out with your friends, engage in your hobbies, etc., but for most of us – financial implications arise from time to time. Some students are lucky enough to get a good scholarship, others have to look for part-time jobs to scrape some buck to pay the rent and/or tuition. Either way, it will eventually not be enough to cover all your wants.
Among other things, being an adult is about taking responsibilities. Well, maybe it is the high time to take responsibility for your earnings and become the boss of yourself by starting a business of your own.
It does not necessarily mean all the formalities such as writing the business plan, hiring a secretary and an accountant, securing an office, and stuff like that. It is a good idea to start with something smaller and take one step at a time. So, if you are ready to go that lane, but are not sure what exactly you want to do, we have collected some startup ideas for you.
1. Start a blog
While starting your own blog does require some specific webmaster skills, don’t let it take you aback. Simply look at how many bloggers there are out there. Tons of people on the net have blogged about everything there is to write about and make their living out of it. This means that there is nothing impossible about such an undertaking, even though some technical tasks may seem a little bit testing at first glance.
You can write about anything that you find interesting, but it has to be engaging enough to keep your enthusiasm until the point where you begin to get a different kind of motivation – the revenue.
2. Post videos on YouTube
Not everybody has a knack for writing. And neither should everyone have. If you lack writing skills, you shouldn’t let it stop you from sharing some insightful ideas that you surely have. You just have to choose another medium than written text. Have you ever paid attention to how much time you or your friends spend watching videos on YouTube? Have you noticed any ads there? Have you ever wondered how the ads are connected to likes, subscribers, and comments? You should be thinking in the right direction right now: the owner of a YouTube channel gets revenue from ads in the video. The amount of revenue depends on the view count, likes, etc.
3. Sell the textbooks
Regardless of what you are studying, you will inevitably encounter a situation when you desperately need a certain textbook, but it is nowhere to be found. You’ve checked out all the stores – online and offline, you have been to all the libraries, – all with no success. What do you do then? Most of us shrug and seek an alternative which is often not as good. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a storage of such necessary textbooks where you could just go and pick the one you need?
Well, guess what. You are not the only one with such issues. Almost every student runs into such problems every now and then. Well, you could solve it for your campus by procuring those textbooks from older students who no longer need them, and sell them to the younger ones. This way, you will not only get an extra buck, but also a superhero cape to that.
4. Rent out your place for summer
What do you usually do in summer? Do you stay in the same town where your college is located to remain in that job that you have? Assuming that you are looking to start your own business, you probably don’t. In summer students often go home to their parents or go traveling with friends. It is not the best idea to abandon your apartment because this way you will have to spend extra time and effort looking for a new one next year. So, you keep paying for it. Economically speaking, it is a wasted investment. Why not rent it out for summer?
Check out sites like Airbnb where people are looking for places to stay short-term.
5. Start a delivery service
Surely there have been cases when you stayed up late – studying, for example – and you were desperate for another cup of coffee, but you had run out of it. The nearest stores within the walking distance are all closed, and you are in no condition to drive. What do you do? Probably, do without that coffee after all. If only someone could get you a coffee… Just imagine, how many people out there are as desperate as you are. It would be great if there were someone to save all those unfortunate ones. Well, it could be you! For a fee, of course.
You could go and get people happy meals, coffee, beer calories, train tickets, etc. You could even store in advance things that are in high demand.
6. Teach English
Maybe you haven’t been particularly good at your English classes in high school. Well, if you are a native speaker, you do have some language skills to share. You’ll be surprised to know how many foreigners are ready to pay for casual conversations in English to boost their language fluency. With technologies like Skype, it is quite easy and requires no money investments from you.
7. Organize the social life
Regardless of whether your school is located in a small college town or in a big city, studentship is always the kind of crowd that is hungry for excitement and new experiences. A trip to an out-of-town event or a simple retreat is always welcome. Students are often reluctant to organize such things themselves. So, why not have it done for them – with a commission, of course.
Sure, this list can go on – after all, it all depends on your skills and personal tastes. So, use your imagination and, most importantly, stay patient!
Richard Nolan
Richard Nolan is a writer and a private tutor, sharing his experience in spheres of writing, blogging, entrepreneurship and psychology. Richard writes for numerous blogs and gives useful tips for bloggers and students. Follow him on Twitter.