Nowadays, starting your own business has become an easy endeavor. With a lot of marketing tools now available for aspiring entrepreneurs, promoting brands and products is no longer as big of a challenge as it was in the earlier years. As more and more people are now learning the advantages of hiring professionals for different types of services, it will be a good idea for you to share your skills and earn money for it. If you are thinking about starting a business after college, here are ten ideas that you might want to invest in.
- Sell Handmade Gifts
Do you enjoy creating handmade trinkets? Maybe you enjoy knitting, sewing, or creating paper crafts and other unique products with eye-catching designs? Then you might want to start your own company of handmade gifts. Many online sellers who create their own products by hand sell their products on various ecommerce platforms, such as Etsy, Amazon and eBay. This kind of business is ideal if you prefer to invest in your handicraft skills.
- Graphic Design
If you have an eye for art and have great artistic skills for creating images using computer-based design tools, then you might want to try graphic design. With the availability of different graphic design software nowadays, you can easily create different images for various purposes, including logos, brochures, package designs, website banners, letterheads, and many more. Graphic designers can cater to various customers such as small businesses, ad agencies, magazines, and other companies that are looking for eye-catching images.
- App Creation
In 2018 alone, there are 194 billion total app downloads from all over the globe. If you have a knack for designing apps, then you might want to look into starting your own app design company. Application designers can work with different companies who are thinking about providing their customers with a mobile app as a platform to their business. At the same time, you can also create your own apps where you can earn money through adds or sales. With various mobile app design tools available in the market, creating your own app is much easier now.
- Social Media Marketing
Social media has evolved into more than just a communication and information sharing platform. Nowadays, many businesses are relying on social media to reach out to their target markets and grow their business. If you are social media savvy and understand how to market brands effectively through various social media platforms, then you might want to try your hands on social media marketing.
Sites like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn are some of the top choices for online marketing. If you want to take this on as a business opportunity, it’s important that you become acquainted with how each platform can be used for marketing different types of companies and brands.
- Translation
Happen to know more than one language? Perhaps you are good with translating from French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Japanese to English and vice versa. Nowadays, knowing more than one language is no longer just a helpful life skill, but can also be your key to starting a lucrative business. If you have friends or know people who you can work with, you can run your own translation business and get in touch with various companies that might need your services as translators.
- Local Deliveries
Do you have a car and is good at driving even through long distances within your locality? Then why not start your very own local delivery business? In fact, as the online shopping industry continues to grow, so does the courier and local delivery industry. More and more people are now enjoying the ease of ordering various things online, and the challenge that online stores now face is the capacity to get these orders delivered on time. By starting your own delivery business, you get to take advantage of the growing online market and earn by driving packages from one place to another.
- Blogging
Nowadays, almost all businesses, no matter what industry they are in, are maintaining their own blog. It is in fact a great way to get more visits towards your website, and blogging is very easy to do. To have your own blog, you won’t have to be a web design wiz, since a lot of blogging platforms are now available even for newbies. Earnings from blogging can vary, but it does pay. Depending on your platform, your niche and your method of writing and promotion, you can earn from around $19k to $79k a year.
- Software Design
For a large number of businesses, having a software specially designed for them is becoming a necessity. Many businesses are willing to pay a large sum of money just to have a program available to make their daily transactions easier to conduct. If you have the skills necessary for designing software, then this can be a lucrative business for you. Get in touch with various businesses first and understand what they will need from you in terms of the software that they’d like you to design. Software functions can range from time recording, sales tracking, accounting, inventory, customer support and more.
- Ecommerce
The growth of global ecommerce is definitely remarkable. From having reached $2.3 trillion worth of sales in 2017, it is expected to hit $4.5 trillion in 2021. As an online entrepreneur, you can sell just about anything through the internet. In fact, various stores on the internet support even the most basic needs of college students and young individuals, such as school supplies, fashion accessories, gadgets, online classes, music, college textbooks, and many more.
- Consulting
As a college student, your knowledge in your specific field of study can be very handy for some businesses. Whether your college studies revolve around writing, history, language, human resources, or even sales, consulting can be a great career for you to dive into. Share your expertise to help professionals and businesses understand what they need to do to improve their business. You can conduct studies, surveys and make use of various tools to help you be a very effective and knowledgeable consultant.
- Website Design
With almost all business now moving their marketing strategies online, the need for website designers are also growing. Nowadays, if you are a business owner, you should have your own website. And what better way is there for a college student to grab this opportunity than by offering professional web design services. Create consistent and presentable websites for small and medium enterprises and professionals and start earning decent money just by using your web design skills.
- Content Writing
Aside from blogging, you can also use your writing skills to help businesses promote their brand via content. Content writing can be a very lucrative business, especially if you have businesses and professionals who are looking into having articles written for their business website, blog, marketing campaigns, communications and other sorts of business tools. You can also tie up with other marketing businesses and offer your service as needed.
- Brand Design
For a certain brand to look presentable and trustworthy, it’s important that it be packaged well first. And that is where a brand designer comes in. If you are a marketing student who understand the importance of branding, it can be a great idea to start using your knowledge professionally and start building your own company to help companies design a brand that they can be proud of. This can also go hand in hand with other artistic skills that you might have, including writing graphic design and photography.
- Mobile Photography
Got skills in capturing beautiful photos via your mobile phone? Then why not earn some profit using your mobile photography skills. Sell your photos via stock photo websites, offer professional photography services for events, travel, or company needs. For the right people, your skill can be very useful and helpful. There are also some apps on mobile photography, such as Foap, Alamy, Twenty20, and Depositphotos where you can easily earn money from. Whether you are using an iPhone or an Android phone, you can now easily produce quality photos without the need for high powered cameras.
- Videography
If you are good with creating videos, you can earn some decent money by offering professional videography services. You can build your own company and work with families, individuals, professionals and companies who may be looking for videographers for personal or corporate events. You can also offer video editing services for YouTubers, online marketers and individuals who need help with improving or creating good video content. You can also offer your videos to websites that provide stock videos to users for a royalty.
No matter what type of business you decide to start, it’s essential that you understand the market you are getting into. Planning and preparing everything that you will need for your business operation is very important. As a young entrepreneur, it is important that you start a business that you can handle and be proud of.