College is such a unique time of life. For many, it’s a time of low stress, exploring potential career paths, and discovering what we’re truly passionate about.

Looking back on the years I spent at Chapman, I have nothing but fond memories, a past filled with great adventures, and
a whole lot of learning experiences.

ryans-istash-trade-show-in-las-vegas-all-chapman-grads-here


Launching my first product, the iStash, at a trade show in Las Vegas with the help of fellow Chapman alumni. (From left to right: Joey Arcidiacono ’12, Matthew Feldman ’12, me, Maxime Gheysens)

Chapman is also where I started learning exactly what it takes to start your own business. I invented a product called the iStash, while I was a sophomore studying at the Argyros School of Business. It was helped immensely in getting my business off the ground from professors like Niklas Myhr, the digital marketing master, and Clark Higgins, an experienced product developer.

Because I choose to start my first business while I was still in college, I got a much more accelerated learning experience under my belt. I was able to use my network of professors, friends, and advisors to make my first website, design my first product, learn how to source strategic product distribution channels, and accomplish so much more in such a short period of time.

Choosing the path of entrepreneurship is without a doubt riskier than being content with heading straight into the workforce after college, and requires
way more sacrifice. However, once you’re reaping the lifestyle benefits of being your own boss and skipping your time as an entry-level employee out in the real world, you’ll be glad you started learning what it takes to become a successful businessperson while you were in college.

When I catch up with fellow recent Chapman alumni or current students, the question I’m asked by far the most is,
“How do I know which business I should start?”

This makes perfect sense. With how many businesses already exist out in the world, it can be difficult to come up with the right idea you should be spending your time on.

With that question in mind, I put together this massive list to help give you some starting points on proven business ideas that can be executed on while you’re still in college.

 

    1. Graphic Design

 

While being in the midst of studying graphic design is absolutely going to be helpful, it’s also relatively easy to learn the
foundations of graphic design
on your own without much instructor assistance. An increasingly easy-to-use
Adobe Illustrator
and websites like
Canva
and
Visme
are making it so that just about anyone with two opposable thumbs, a bit of creativity, and motivation can get paid to create or alter images.

    1. Web Design

 

Web designers are incredibly valuable for technology companies. Web design is all about mastering the art of creating a beautiful, value-driven experience for the people using a website or app. There are always new websites popping up in need of professional web design, and companies like
Skillcrush
and
General Assembly
have proven online programs that’ll get up-to-speed quickly with this career path.

    1. Web Development

 

As a web developer, you’ll build incredibly valuable skills that are in extremely high demand. You can get up to speed on building websites in as little as a few months with inexpensive or free online education programs like
Treehouse
and
Codecademy
. Once you command a knowledge of HTML, Ruby, Python, Javascript, or CSS, you can start taking on
freelance projects
to build your portfolio while you’re still in college.

    1. Commission-Only Sales

 

If you have a knack for connecting with people and the willingness to take on some risk, a commission-based freelance sales role could be a great fit for you. Many startups seek part-time and commission-only salespeople, especially when they’re just getting started. Sell for nothing but commission and negotiate yourself a good chunk of equity, and you could profit big time if the startup succeeds. Check out
Angel List
and see if an opportunity aligns with your interests.

    1. Online Courses

 

If you’re an expert at something, there’s likely an audience of people online who would be willing to pay to become an expert in your field – just like you. Lewis Howes shares his strategy for creating and launching successful online courses in this post on his blog,
right here
.

    1. eBooks

 

Packaging your skills and knowledge into a downloadable eBook that delivers value to those seeking to learn a skill, advance in their careers, or start their own businesses, makes for a strong value proposition if you target the right audience. Check out Leslie Samuel’s great guide to
selling eBooks online
and start building your strategy.

    1. Instagram Marketing

 

Build up a following on your Instagram account and you could quickly be approached by major brands, gear companies, and other relevant businesses that sell products or services related to the type of content you share on Instagram. If you have hundreds of thousands of followers, you can easily charge anywhere between $500 to $5,000 per post or more. Check out
this young fashion Instagrammer
who makes a significant income from brand sponsorships.

    1. Podcasting

 

If you can create a regular audience for your podcast on a specific topic, this is a great way to get sponsors. At
CreativeLive
, I regularly pay $50 to $250 (or more depending on audience size) per episode for a 30 second advertisement on relevant podcasts like
The Tim Ferriss Show
, the #1 business podcast right now. Naturally, it helps if you already have an online audience you can tap for listening to your regular podcast, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of people from building successful businesses on the back of podcasting. Listen to this great episode of the Conscious Millionaire podcast for an interview with John Lee Dumas on
how to make money podcasting
.

    1. Amazon Reselling

 

Anyone can sell goods on
Amazon
, provided you have products to sell. If you’re the type to hit all the local garage sales each weekend, there’s all sorts of valuable things that can be resold online. If you want to step your Amazon selling game up, check out this detailed guide to
Amazon Clearance Arbitrage on SideHustleNation
featuring an interview from Travis Scott of
StuffParentsLike.com
.

    1. Local Business Consulting

 

There are countless local business owners that could use some help on reaching more customers within your demographic. Whether you’re studying marketing, business strategy, graphic design, or something else, there’s likely a local business owner who’s willing to pay you to help them solve an issue with their company. Start with this
18-step checklist
to becoming a local business consultant from Karyn Greenstreet.

    1. Affiliate Sales and Marketing.

 

If you already have a website that’s driving in targeted traffic, a great way to make passive income from the content you’re already creating, is through affiliate marketing.
Clickbank
,
Skimlinks
, and
Rakuten
are all great affiliate marketing tools and networks that can help you make money from the content you already produce.

    1. Virtual Assistant

 

Have a knack for staying organized? If you’re a jack of all trades, you should consider working as a virtual assistant. You can find great gigs on
Elance
,
Indeed
, or become a
Zirtual Assistant
. It can be an awesome way to rub shoulders with some very important people, build up your professional network, and you’ll be able to work from anywhere.

    1. Remote English Teacher/Tutor

 

Teaching and tutoring English as a second language is a great way to make a solid side income, not to mention opening doors for you to travel the world if you’d like. While full ESL (English as a Second Language)
accreditation
is recommended, as long as you’re a native speaker, there are people in countries such as Hong Kong or the UAE who are willing to pay upwards of $25/hr for you to teach them English via Skype.
Indeed
and
Learn4Good
often have remote english tutoring jobs posted, check back frequently.

    1. SAT Tutor

 

If you had a knack for standardized tests and had no trouble acing the SAT, ACT or other college exams, why not start tutoring high schoolers on the side? Parents of all economic backgrounds are more than willing to shell out upwards of $100 an hour to the right tutor, if it means their son or daughter will get admitted to the college or university of their choice. See this quick checklist for
starting an SAT tutoring business
from the Work At Home Mom. Whitney over at Rookiemoms also has a cool story to share about a
stay-at-home mom making $40 an hour
helping kids out with homework.

    1. Social Media Manager

 

We’re all guilty of spending too much time on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest sometimes, so why not get paid to put your expertise to work? Lots of companies, especially startups or those in retail or travel, have heavy social media presences and are constantly in need of people to help build their brands online. You can find these types of opportunities on sites like
Flexjobs
and
CareerBuilder
.

    1. Blogging

 

Think blogging is no longer a viable source of income? Think again. Tens of thousands of bloggers, creating content on topics as diverse as scrapbooking, home cooking, travel, film, lifestyle, and more are launching self-employed careers thanks to a combination of blog subscribers, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and other revenue streams. Start with my ultimate free Guide to Starting a Blog.
.

    1. Presentation Design Consultant

 

Yes, even the lowly PowerPoint requires outside consulting every now and then. By now, you should be well versed in creating create slide decks. I know I would happily outsource the visual layout of my presentation decks for work meetings, investor pitches, and lectures. Adam Noar from
Presentation Panda
is living proof that you can turn your passion for slideshow presentation design into a legit side business.

    1. Travel Consultant

 

If you love to travel and find yourself randomly searching for airfare sales or browsing
Lonely Planet
, why not carve out a niche for yourself as a private travel agent? Take my friend and fellow Chapman grad Mark Jackson’s lead with what he’s doing to build a
travel consulting business
. Start with word of mouth recommendations from friends who know they can count on you for the cheapest flights, and don’t forget to set up an account with
Plansify
to start getting paid for your travel expertise in your free time.

    1. Interior Design Consultant

 

Someone out there is remodeling their kitchen and needs to know which shade of granite will match best with mahogany flooring. That someone will often be happy to pay you for your advice, especially if you’re the kind of person that subscribes to websites like
Contemporist
.

    1. Housesitter

 

It’s not exactly a way to make consistent great money, but housesitting—exactly what it sounds like—is a fantastic way to live in exotic locales around the world without paying a dime in rent. Did I mention it’s a way to travel and live rent free? Here’s a list of
four great websites
from the legendary Nomadic Matt, to start your housesitting search.

    1. Babysitter

 

No, babysitting isn’t just for teenagers and college students. Quite on the contrary, if you call yourself an
Au Pair
instead, you can make some pretty good side money working nights and weekends.

    1. Etsy Selling

 

Have a talent for crafting or creating other handmade goods? From bracelets to phone cases, rings, furniture, and more,
Etsy
is one of the world’s largest independent marketplaces that’s perfect for anyone who is creative and willing to sell their handmade creations. Consider these
5 steps to starting an Etsy store
, from Handmadeology.

    1. Ebay Sales

 

Similar to selling on Amazon,
eBay
is a place to make money selling just about anything you can think of, with the added excitement of using the auction selling model to sometimes get way more than you expected for that antique baseball card you picked up at a local street fair.

    1. Fiverr Gigs

 

Fiverr
is a great place for first-time freelancers who might not have tons of experience and want to build up a portfolio of their work. You’ll be able to complete simple tasks ranging from logo design, to creating animations, or even
drawing a company logo on your forehead
.

    1. Portrait Photographer

 

If you own a camera, starting a freelance portrait photography business could be a very natural way to make a side income. Start with doing free shoots for friends and family to build up a strong online portfolio, then you’ll be able to get paid for photographing professional head shots and celebratory family moments. Check out this
men’s portrait photography class
on CreativeLive.

    1. Wedding Photographer

 

Wedding photographers command premium rates – after all, you are capturing one of a couple’s most important life moments. Many professional wedding photographers charge between $2,500 to $10,000 (
or more
) to shoot a wedding. The
Complete Wedding Photography Experience
will give you everything you need to launch your wedding photography business.

    1. Online Dating Consultant

 

Believe it or not, some people have such a difficult time at dating, that they can’t even handle the online component of it. If you’re a smooth talker, why not leverage that skill into a paid match maker?
People are paying
.

    1. Writing Greeting Cards

 

Fancy yourself a poet? You can
earn $300
for every poem you write that this greeting card company publishes.

    1. Develop an App

 

Sometimes it seems like there’s an app for everything. Yet somehow, new ones keep popping up and selling for lots of money, all the time. If you spot a niche that hasn’t been filled to its potential just yet, and you can
learn the coding skills
(or know someone who already has them), you could be on to something. Just make sure you
validate your app idea
before jumping too far in.

    1. Freelance Proofreading and Editing

 

As long as there is still the written word, there will always be editors. Freelance editing and proofreading not only pays a decent hourly wage, it also gives you the chance to read about potentially interesting topics too. You can find lots of postings from companies in need of these services on
Upwork
.

    1. Buy Used Electronics and Refurbish Them

 

Many people give up on their faulty laptops, mobile phones, or cameras without even looking into the cause of their malfunctions. If you have the skills to fix them, consider starting a side business refurbishing and reselling used electronics.

    1. Copywriting for Websites

 

Every website owner (including myself) hires copywriters to write content for things like about pages, FAQ’s, or blog posts. Hourly wages for novice copywriters are not very high, but with experience and a great portfolio, you can start charging more than you make at your normal job. Pick up this free guide to
launching a freelance writing career
.

    1. Fill Out Online Surveys

 

It’s not very engaging, or mentally stimulating, but online surveys
do pay out
, believe it or not.

    1. Personal Fitness Trainer

 

If you’re a fitness buff and have the right combination of charisma and business sense, working as a part-time personal trainer can be both physically and financially rewarding. Once you build up a reputation and client base for yourself, it could easily turn into a full-time endeavor for you. Check out
these tips to a successful personal training business
by the American Fitness Professionals.

    1. Yoga or Meditation Instructor

 

Yoga is getting ever more popular, which means yoga instructors are more in demand than ever. Pursue emotional and physical balance with others, during your free time while helping your bank balance, too.

    1. Start a YouTube Channel

 

If you can create value-driven, entertaining video content and grow your subscriber base to a few thousand subscribers, your videos can start generating pretty substantial income from all the ads being displayed on your videos. Many YouTube users make
well into the millions
each year.

    1. Translator

 

If your mastery of another language is good enough to have the grammar and spelling down, translating is a great side business to set up for yourself and can be done remotely.
Flexjobs
has literally hundreds of freelance, remote translator jobs available right now.

    1. Tour Guide

 

Live in a destination where travelers frequently visit? If you love meeting new people from around the world and also love the city you live in, starting your own local tour business will give you both of those perks. Take a unique spin on your local tour business like
Erik from Vantigo
. He was starting his
VW van tour business
in San Francisco while he was still working a full-time job, and grew it to being a sustainable source of full-time income before quitting – now he’s running a multiple van tour business for himself.

    1. Music Instructor

 

Do you play a musical instrument well enough to teach it to others? Private music instructors charge upwards of $20 to 100 an hour, and you don’t necessarily have to do them in person, either.

    1. Stock Photographer

 

If you have a fondness for taking pictures of smiling families or laughing children blowing bubbles, consider selling your images to a stock photo company like
ShutterStock
and
iStockPhoto
. You’ll get royalties every time someone licenses an image you’ve submitted.

    1. Ghostwriter

 

Ghostwriting pays pretty well, and if you’re talented at researching and creating great content within a certain subject domain, you can quickly build a roster of high-paying clientele. Writers like
Jeff Haden
have created very lucrative careers for themselves by writing for business executives and CEOs.

    1. DJ-ing

 

Take the time to develop your skills at either making your own music, or becoming a pro at mixing, and your side business of dj-ing local events could turn into a
much bigger business
.

What Did I Miss?

Share in the comments if I’m missing any great business ideas that you can start while you’re still in college! Bonus points if you’ve already gotten started on it; make sure to share the link to your website.

If you’ve got your business idea and you’re ready to get started, you can check out my online course designed for young professionals,
Starting a Business While Working Full-Time
.