Want to make a little extra cash or simply turn a hobby into a successful business? Business ideas for Students, you could test your creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit while at university.
Research from Santander shows that one in 10 university students are currently running their own business alongside their studies, and almost one-fifth plan to continue with their business when they graduate.
Business ideas for students in university
Looking for inspiration? Here are 10 side business ideas you could start at university. If you’re hoping to make it your full-time venture after you graduate, it’s important to keep in mind your strengths, values, and what you’d enjoy doing most.
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Selling on eBay
You really can sell anything online, but it’s important to think about what’s going to give you the best profit margin. You could work with a wholesaler to bulk buy the products you want to sell, or you might sell vintage clothes or homemade items.
Think about what’s popular right now and you could even test out some of your products with a focus group of your student mates. For more tips, check out our guide to finding a product to sell online.
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Design craft products
If you’re artistic and looking for a creative business you can start from your university accommodation, why not try starting a craft business? Popular ideas include candle making, jewelry making, or selling your own framed art prints.
The great thing is this is something you can do from home, but you can also get out and about by running your craft stall at local markets. Your university is bound to have events for crafters, particularly around the festive season, so keep a look out for those on campus.
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Tutoring
20 percent of students are making money through tutoring. And why not? If you’re further along in your university career, you could support first-year students with their studies in your specialist subject or even support school-age kids with their GCSE maths and English.
The good news is you don’t need much to get set up, just your knowledge and any specific materials for the subject. And if the past year has shown us anything, you can offer this as an online service too.
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Social media influencer
Lots of students are making money without leaving their bedrooms by promoting brands on their social media accounts in return for cash. If you’ve got a strong following and an engaged audience, brands may be interested in working with you as an influencer.
You don’t necessarily need thousands of followers; you just need to find your niche and be willing to post a few times a week.
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Start a YouTube channel
Get yourself a camera, sound equipment, and a nice background and you could be the next big vlogger. Fashion vlogging, makeup tutorials, and travel vlogs are all popular trends on YouTube. You could even document the challenges, joys, and experiences of student life.
Making money on YouTube can take quite a bit of time and effort, but if you start seeing your viewing figures go up, you might be able to make money through advertising revenue or channel membership.
7. Become a freelancer
Freelancing is a great way to earn a little extra money on the side, but with a bit of hard work and networking, you could make it your full-time income. Copywriting is a popular service to offer as lots of businesses are looking for support with writing blogs and news articles, for example.
8. Food and drink business
If you have a passion for food, why not bring your culinary creations to the public by starting a food and drink business? You could start a cake and baking business from your kitchen and sell at market stalls on campus. Or you could deliver meals, offer cooking lessons, or even work towards having your own food truck business.
9. Student removals business
While starting a removals business may sound like an expensive option, it’s something you could start small to test the water. Hiring a van for a couple of hours or using a city car club is relatively inexpensive and can often be arranged last minute. This means you can book student movers before committing to any financial outlay.
10. Event and party planning
University life is known for being full of parties and nights out. If you love bringing people together and want to show off your creativity, you could start your event and party planning business, And Explore More New Business Ideas for Students.
