5 Business Ventures Young Entrepreneurs Can Do In College

photography business
Image by Nupur Das Gupta / Flickr
Finding a job that is flexible enough to balance both work and school is sometimes easier said than done. While there are some employers that will let their workers take off a day or two to study for finals, not all are as forgiving and understanding. That’s why becoming your own boss is a more lucrative choice. Because you won’t always make the same amount of steady income, pursuing an entrepreneurial endeavor as a student is typically smarter to do when you’re just trying to make a few extra dollars to help support yourself in school””not pay for your entire tuition. That said, below are a few start-up entrepreneurial ideas you can do quite easily on campus.

Cleaning Services

One of the major downsides of throwing a house or frat party is that if you invite too many people, your apartment or frat house can end up getting tossed upside down. While some don’t mind spending the entire next day to clean, others (who are mainly hung over) don’t want any part of it. Thus, why not capitalize on this niche and create your own house cleaning service? The University of Texas made headlines a few years ago when a few students created a much “sexier” version of this””women dressed up in provocative French maid outfits when cleaning. While you don’t have to degrade yourself to this, simply cleaning student apartment and homes for the fraction of the price a “professional service” would charge can get you a lot of business if you market well enough.

DJ

DJ’s help bring parties and events to life but they’re often really expensive to hire. You can help broke college students find a “reasonably” priced DJ by becoming one yourself. You may have to put in some money to purchase the proper equipment and build up your iTunes library, but DJ’ing on the occasional weekend for a few hours can really be a fun and fairly easy way to make some quick cash. You can start of at parties and school-related events then perhaps even venture off the weddings and company-sponsored events if you want.

Door-to-Door Makeup/Hairstylist

If you’re extremely talented in doing hair and makeup (or maybe even manicures and pedicures), then another great business idea you can accomplish in the dorm room is providing makeup and hairstyle services. There are several college women who would love to get all dolled up for a very special date or other occasion, but they’re aren’t as crafty with a tube of mascara and can’t afford the cosmetic counter and salon prices. You could be their savior. You can either set up a station in your home, or make the business “mobile” and go to your client’s homes.

Photographer

If you are studying photography, then what better way to help build your portfolio and get some valid experience then by acting as a freelance photographer on the weekends? Many of my photographer friends in school made a good amount of money shooting weddings and helping aspiring models help create their look books.

Web/ Graphic Designer

Last but not least, if you’re studying graphic or web design (or just have natural gift for it) you can also consider making cheap web pages for various students (they need them to help find careers) as well as businesses (they need they to help launch their products and services).

Of course these are only a few suggestions, does anyone have any more they like to share?

About the Author: A born writer, Angelita Williams loves to write short stories. Her second passion is education, a topic that she covers incessantly as a freelance blogger. Angelita can be found at angelita.williams7@gmail.com.