As a student, you may feel interested in having a side project that could bring a healthy amount of learning, experience, and cash flow to the table. But, at the same time, you may be worried about not being able to perform well enough on either, if you take on both things at the same time. This is understandable, however, you can actually overcome the dilemma if you start a business that synergizes with your academic efforts as you build it.
There are two main aspects to consider when thinking about being an entrepreneur while at college:
- Motivation: As a student, you already have plenty on your hands, so if you are going to invest yourself in a business, make sure you have a good reason to do so. Don’t risk jeopardizing your academic success without fully understanding why.
- Finding the right thing to do: Look around, you are in college, and there is demand everywhere. Depending on your skill set, people could literally be asking you things like: “Hey could you do my homework assignment for cash?” Think about how many people may be looking for tutoring that you are doing particularly well. Keep your eyes open and use your academic performance as a value proposition.
Let’s take a closer look to both aspects now.
Why should you start a business while still being a college student?
With the independence of the services that you plan to offer, it will take self-confidence, commitment, and objectivity to establish an authentic value proposition for your business. Polishing up your leadership skills will give you many great benefits down the road and companies will value your background as an entrepreneur.
Self-marketing is also an ability that will help you capitalize on your hard earned degree when you get out of college and venture into the corporate world. This is an ability that you will naturally acquire if you decide to start a business and you can bet it will come handy sooner or later in life.
Businesses you could start as a college student
After having decided that you want to go ahead with being an entrepreneur while still in college, the next task on the list is deciding exactly what kind of business you want to get into. Here are a few options that are likely to integrate well into your college life, regardless of your degree of choice.
Freelance writer
Being a student, you are already immersed in a community with a high demand for talented writers. The best essay writing service reviews are always talking about reliability, quality and great customer service. It is almost certain that others have been doing this before you at your university. Keep an eye out for the most renowned providers and learn what you can from them.
Virtual Assistant
Working as a VA is all about remote collaboration. It’s a job that inherently gets along well with the college student’s typical way of life, as these are work-at-home positions that usually allow for flexible scheduling. Try looking for a VA position in an industry that relates to your studies. Don’t be afraid to add your undergraduate status to your self-marketing arsenal.
Influencer
Create a blog about something you know well and monetize it. It will help you develop authority as a subject matter expert and it can be great for your confidence, knowledge, and marketing skills.
Tutoring service
If you are doing really well in a particular academic subject. You could start charging for tutoring others who may be struggling with it. Teaching is a great way to learn something, and being a tutor is the perfect example.
