Businesses You Can Start in College

Everyone just assumes that all college students are broke. But that generalization does not account for the millions of students who have college funds brimming with resources just waiting for them to enroll. There are any number of well to do families who have no problem sending their kids to the college of their choice.

There are another group of students who find creative ways to make money while at university. They get a job on or near campus. They tutor. They get involved with all types of side-hustles. Their savvy, hard work, and limited need for sleep insures that they will always have pizza money when they need it.

But some students take it a bit further. As a college student, you don’t have to settle for pizza money from a part-time job. You can take the opportunity to jumpstart your career. There are a number of entrepreneurial opportunities for the enterprising student. Here are a few:

Start a Refreshment Service

A refreshment service can be anything from a few vending machines to supplying office break rooms. The kind of office coffee service Chicago, or businesses in other large cities boast, serves as a template for enterprising students all over the country looking to break into the refreshment services business.

Coffee services are particularly appropriate in cold weather climates. But hot weather climates call for soda, energy drinks, and water machines. You don’t have to invest in a lot of expensive equipment to get started. The major brands will often lease you the machines for cheap or free as long as you buy your product from them.

The real work of this type of business is finding suitable locations. You don’t have to service a lot of machines. Two or three quality locations can make for a very manageable and profitable rout. This is a type of business that can take you through school and beyond.

Start an Online Affiliate Business

Amazon has one of the most visible affiliate programs around. Those YouTube videos with the product reviews you like so much are quite often the beneficiaries of Amazon’s affiliate program. If he video offers an Amazon link where you can purchase the product, you can be pretty sure the producer makes a little money when you buy the product from that link.

The same thing happens with books, music, clothing, and just about everything else that can be bought and sold. And it is not just Amazon. There is a good chance that most of your favorite products and brands have some type of affiliate program that can help you kickstart your career in online retail.

If you want to go beyond simple affiliate programs, you can move up to complete, turnkey businesses. Your biggest responsibility with this type of business is advertising and marketing. You don’t need a warehouse full of merchandise. You just need a computer, some time, and a bit of online marketing savvy. It is a perfect career starter for those studying online marketing.

Start a Blog

Whatever career you are planning for yourself, it will benefit from a blog. There is no need for you to wait until you are employed before starting that blog. If you are studying computer programing, you can start a programming blog. If you plan to be an opera singer, you can start a classical entertainment blog.

The best part about starting a blog is that they are easy to monetize. You can use an ad model. But if your insight and information is truly useful, you can go with a donation or subscription model. Build your audience while you are in school and you can turn that into a successful business that follows you for the rest of your life.

Start a refreshment service. Start an online business. Or start a for-profit blog. There are many legitimate careers you can start while you are in college. You don’t have to settle for being a starving student.