29+ Best Realistic Business Ideas for Students to Make Money

29+ Best Realistic Business Ideas for Students to Make Money

There are many profitable business ideas for students, but the best business ideas for students are easy to start and offer flexibility. Most of these business ideas are scalable. These business ideas below can earn you money as a student.

We intentionally avoided those business ideas that offer you peanuts for work done. Also, we left out business ideas like selling your used clothes or textbooks because these kinds of business ideas are not scalable. While you can make a little money from them, you may have to stay for months before repeating the process. 

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As a student, you can offer two or more of the services we cover below to ensure you always have some money to take care of yourself while making time to study.  

How to make money online for students #1 Social Media Blogging

       Starting a social media blog is a great idea you should consider. It is a low-cost business idea for students. It can be a great side hustle for students as they can easily manage their social media blogs alongside their studies.

There are many social media platforms to choose from. Getting started on these platforms is usually free. Depending on what part of the world you find yourself in, picking a social media platform that is popular among the audience you want to serve is vital. 

Having adequate knowledge about social media blogging before getting started is also crucial, especially if you want to treat it as a business rather than a regular hobby. Treating your social media blog as a business is a sure way to grow and monetize your social media blog.

How to make money online as a student #2 Sell on social media

    Do you have skills in social media marketing? Do you have or know of some profitable products that have a high demand in your area?

If yes, you should consider buying these products at wholesale prices and selling them on social media for a profit. Choosing the right products with high demand is a way to set your business up for success.

Creating engaging content and growing your social following will help your business gain popularity. Consider running ads to help your products reach a wider audience.

#3 Start a gift surprise service

     Starting a gift surprise service as a student is a creative business idea that can help college students have a side hustle they can combine with their studies. You can offer your services to students and those in your community.

People love creating beautiful memories, and there exist different events that will need to hire your services. Some events like birthdays, wedding engagements, wedding anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day are among the most popular.

What I love about this business is it requires a little start-up capital, is profitable, and can be scaled over time. 

Best Business Idea for Students #4 Start a tutoring service

     If you love teaching others what you know, starting a tutoring business as a student can be profitable. You can organize private classes where you tutor other students below your level, or you can teach some of your classmates lacking in their studies.

Tutoring is a great part-time business idea for students as they can offer tutoring services for just a few hours a day while still having time for their studies.

This business can be home-based, or you can promote your services online on social media or tutoring platforms like Italki, Preply, and Cambly and earn more.

#5 Start a blog

   Blogging is a great way to share your ideas with people around the world and make money. As a student, if you want to start a blog that you can easily monetize immediately with a low traffic volume, try to identify a pain point that many students in your school and neighbouring schools are finding difficult to understand and create a blog to address their worries.

This is a great way to learn more about different academic topics while helping others and making money in the process. 

While you can set up your blog to attract a wider audience, you should think like an entrepreneur. Here are some free suggestions you should consider. 

Firstly, I would like to mention that you must not only start an academically focused blog, but you can start a blog on any niche you have identified which is profitable.

 If you want to set up an academically focused blog, I will share with you some great ways you can easily monetize your work. We await your success story when you make your first $1 online. Kindly send us an email. 

#6 Start Freelancing

     Freelancing is a great online business idea for students as they can work remotely worldwide and get paid. Do you have on-demand skills which can be bought and sold online? If yes, becoming a freelancer can be a great idea.

As a student, you can easily choose the projects and clients to work with. It is important because you can work only on little projects that will not affect your study time. There are many freelancing marketplaces where you can find freelancing jobs. Some popular options are Fiverr and Upwork.

#7 Run errands

     Running errands can be a great part-time business idea for college students. Let’s face it – some students have the cash to spend, and they often come from wealthy families or have other sources of income. Such students always find it hard to handle their daily errands around town, like going to the supermarket to get groceries and picking up some stuff around town. 

You can offer your services to them to run their weekly errands and get paid. It is a great side hustle for students that can be carried out during their free time. You can also make yourself known in your community so that other people and households can hire you when they need your services. 

#8 Offer handyman services in your community

      If you are skilled at several repair works, you can start offering handyman services to those in your community and neighbouring areas. The start may be slow, but in a few months, as you get known in your area, you will start receiving a few calls for repair jobs you can do to earn some money.

Depending on the kind of repairs you offer, you can make great money in this sector as a student and still have time for your studies. This too, is a great side hustle for students.

#9 Model for brands

   Do you have that perfect body that is good for modelling? Modelling for local brands in your city can be a great side hustle business for students and a way to earn some extra money. You can contact local fashion designers and other local producers in your area to model for their brands.

It may not be easy at the start since you need to take time to identify these businesses, sort out those you are interested in working with and start doing your outreach to convince them you are a good fit for their brands. 

#10 Affiliate Marketing

         With affiliate marketing, you promote products and services of other businesses to your audience, and when a purchase is made, you receive a commission. Affiliate marketing allows you to work with different brands.

You can promote any number of products, and there is no limit to the amount of money you can make. Your earnings are determined by the amount of sales you make per product and the commission offered.

 If you already have an active online audience, getting started with affiliate marketing can be easy. If not, consider starting a blog or social media account where you can grow your traffic and promote your affiliate products to them.

#11 Copywriting

    Copywriters write clear, concise and persuasive copy for varieties of marketing materials. They write website copy, blog posts, email campaigns, and social media posts. As a student who has acquired copywriting skills, you can start a small copywriting business and offer your services to several online businesses worldwide. Copywriting is a flexible online business idea for students to consider, and it can also be quite profitable. 

#12 Digital Marketer

    For students studying digital marketing, with the knowledge you have acquired, you can start offering your services to local businesses in your area who need the services of digital marketers to grow their businesses online.

As you build your portfolio and network, you can attract foreign clients who may be willing to pay you even more for your services.   

#13 Social Media Influencer

        With the growth in popularity of social media, becoming a social media influencer can be a great side hustle for college students. Most students are familiar with social media and different social media platforms.

 Do you have what it takes to become a social media influencer? If yes, you can build your online brand to attract brands to sign business deals with your brand. Use the time you spend daily on social media to start building a business that can be profitable in a few months.

As your popularity grows online, even if you do not begin getting brand deals immediately, you may have individuals coming to you to advertise their products, events, services and lots more to your followers. 

#14 Become a personal chef

        Are you a student who loves to cook and is good at cooking? You should consider becoming a personal chef to households in your community. It is a creative business idea for students who are passionate about cooking.

If your area is well developed, it is possible to find many households that need a personal chef. Some do not want a full-time chef due to the cost, but they are willing to pay for a chef who can cook a variety of meals for them, maybe on weekends and store it in their refrigerators for consumption within the week.

#15 Start a Baking business

         For students who are good at baking, consider starting a small baking business from home and start baking for small retail stores in your community and also for events like birthdays and anniversaries. This business has a low start-up cost, and it is a great side hustle for students to consider.

You can also organize paid baking classes at different intervals within the year to share your skills with those interested in learning how to bake. 

#16 Cleaning services

      If you love keeping places tidy, why not take a step further and offer your services to households and businesses who need their homes and business premises cleaned daily or weekly?

As a student, you can add this to your list of small businesses for students, and it can fetch you some good money, especially as you grow your client base. If you start having many clients you can not manage, it is time to set up a small team of cleaners.

They may even be your friends or students who need extra money to survive in school. 

#17 Landscaping Services

       Students with knowledge in horticulture, ecology, and design can use their knowledge to start a landscaping business. Landscapers design, create and maintain outdoor spaces such as lawns, gardens, and parks. Landscapers get hired to work on commercial or residential properties for a one-time project or ongoing maintenance. 

#18 Become a Writer for Blogs and other Publications

        For students who have a passion for writing, writing for blogs and other publications like magazines is another great online business idea for college students. Many blogs need writers to constantly write new blog articles for them to share with their readers.

So, no matter where you find yourself in the world, these jobs are available, and if you have the right skills, you can apply to blogs that need writers and show them your portfolio.

If you are still starting, getting your first job may take some time, but once you get it and you can deliver, your network starts expanding, and you get to learn more about the business and what you can do to attract high-value clients and get hired regularly for such jobs. 

#19 Organize student trips

   If you are creative and love adventure, you can plan leisure trips for college students. It may include some fun activities and some beautiful places to visit. If you can put together a good plan for a fun trip with lots of fun activities, all you need to do is put together a small team (they may even be your friends) to join you in marketing your trip to as many students as possible.

Put a small registration fee for students who are interested in going on such a trip. Timing is an important factor to consider when planning such a leisure trip. Take into account the season of the year and also the timetable of the students you are targeting for your trip.

Do not organize a leisure trip when exams are approaching, as your trip may end up being a failure as very few students will attend. 

#20 Write and publish an e-book

        Writing and publishing your e-book is a great form of passive income idea for students. Do you have an idea for a novel or any book you can write at your current level? Consider doing proper research and writing a book which can be published online in marketplaces like Amazon where you can market and sell your book to the world and make some money.     

#21 Graphic Design Service

             For students who love creating designs and are skilled at what they do, starting a graphic design business can be a great small business idea that can help them monetize their design skills in their free time. It is a great and affordable side hustle for students, and if you have a laptop or phone, it requires very little or no startup capital to get started. 

Creating and showcasing your designs to your friends and on social media is a great way to draw attention to your works and bring you clients. 

#22 Web designing/development services

       As the world shifts towards digital ways of doing things, individuals and businesses are adapting to this shift. This has led to a rise in the demand for website designers and developers to build and maintain websites for individuals and businesses.

Offering these services to local and international businesses can help you start a business in website development that can later be scaled after you complete college.

#23 Application developer 

Application developers are in high demand by individuals and businesses to build mobile applications for their projects and businesses. If you are skilled at application development, you can start a business on mobile application development to help bring these projects to life.

You can offer your services as a freelancer and serve clients from across the world. You can find freelancing jobs in mobile application development on sites like Fiverr and Upwork. 

#24 Event Host

         As a master of ceremony(MC), you play a crucial role in the success of any event. You act as the official host of the event and facilitate its smooth running to ensure the planned outcome of the organizers is achieved. So, if you are comfortable with handling the microphone, and you have the necessary skills for this job, then it is time you start treating it as a business and start making some money. 

#25 Mobile Part-time DJ

     Do you love music? Are you familiar with any music software used to play, cut, mix/blend recorded music? If yes, then you can become a DJ and offer your services during weekends to varieties of events that need these services.

Such events may last just for a few hours, so you can easily blend it with your studies by working as a part-time DJ. This is a great side hustle for college students to consider.

Once you struggle to have your first few clients, most of the jobs you will start getting will be based on recommendations and also from people you meet at such events. So always have your business card ready to share at such events.  

#26 Sew/mend dresses at home

      If you are skilled at sewing and you have a sewing machine at home, then you can use this to make some money. This is a great home-based business idea for college students. If you can sew some simple designs, start by wearing what you produce.

It is a great way to attract friends, students and other people in your community to hire your services. You can also mend clothes from home and earn some money. Once you get noticed and you can deliver, it is just a matter of time, before you will become popular for what you do. 

#27 Provide manicure and pedicure services

        College students skilled in manicures and pedicure can offer their services to other students and those around their community. This small business idea for students requires little startup capital, and as a student, you can offer your services in your free hours and earn some money. 

#28 Offer professional facial makeup services

      Offering facial makeup services is a great female business idea for college students. If your friends usually come to you whenever they need a professional makeup artist, you should consider starting a makeup business. You can offer your services to students and those in your community.

If you are extremely good at it, you can market your service extensively and offer your services to events like weddings, birthdays and other important events. 

#29 Mobile Barber

     If you are a student who can offer professional barbing services, consider adding this to your small business ideas for students. As a mobile barber, you offer your services to clients in the comfort of their homes, offices, hotels, or anywhere else your client chooses, provided it is convenient for both of you. 

#30 Make and sell soaps (home-based hand made soap making business)

  Do you have the required knowledge to produce soaps? You can start manufacturing handmade soaps in small quantities and selling them to students and other people in your community. It is a great side hustle for a student with knowledge of soap making.

Firstly, you will not have to buy bathing and washing soaps anymore, and you can use a little capital to produce more, use some and sell the rest for some profits. Business may not be booming if you do not have many clients, but you will not make a loss either since soaps can last for a very long time. 

Wrapping Things Up

The world of small business ideas is like a vast treasure waiting to be uncovered. You have the potentential to embark on a thrilling entrepreneurial journey right now.

Whether you’re looking to earn some extra cash, gain valuable experience, or explore your passion, there’s a path for you.

Remember the key to success is often hidden in plain sight. Don’t underestimate the power of your unique skills, talents, and the knowledge you’ve gained as a student. You can turn your hobbies, interests, and expertise into a lucrative venture.

Embrace your creativity and start small. Learn from your mistakes, adapt, and keep moving forward. Your journey won’t always be smooth, but each setback is a stepping stone to your ultimate goal.

Now I want to leave you with this question: What small business idea resonates with you? What’s the first step you can take today to bring that idea to life? Your future as a successful student entrepreneur begins with that answer.

Go out there, be bold, stay motivated, and transform your student days into a time of not just learning but earning. Your entrepreneurial adventure awaits. Ready to seize it? Go get it.