17 Easy Online Business Ideas for Students

Students these days have many different skills, including being digitally literate and having a mind for business. The hunger to hustle to earn extra money is very evident in most students. 

The Pandemic paved the way for many online businesses during its course, and it also paved the way for young ones to earn money online without needing significant startup costs.

In this article, we’ll talk about 15 online business ideas for students like you and how these innovative startup business ideas can be a successful online business. The best business idea will vary depending on your personal interests, capabilities and budget. So let’s start now!

Social Media Influencer

Generation Z, people who are 11-26 years old, are most likely students who would engage in online business to earn money. Being a social media influencer is one of the hottest trends to earn money online with your own business.

To start as a social media influencer, you need to remember these tips:

• Establish Basic Business Needs: It is a crucial step to know your business idea. Build your followers by doing what you are passionate about, but make it relatable. Use or associate yourself with the brands that you want to work with. Create your map on brands you want to work with posts you would create, and create a price range for the brands if they engage with you to promote them.
  
• Choose Your Niche: Your niche can be classified based on what you want to market; you can choose a brand that would attract a specific demographic, etc. To find your niche, you need to reflect on your passion and think that you would be working to create quality content not just for profit but also to engage and influence.
  
• Know Your Audience: Market research is fundamental in identifying your audience. You need to align your niche with your audience to create a lasting connection between you and your audience.
  
• Create Your Brand: Create a comprehensive way to brand your niche or products or present them to your audience. It would not only gain your target market’s attention but also create an impression and recall to the people.
  
• Create An Online Presence: Use the trendy social media platforms and create a social media account to establish your online presence on every platform. Ensure you have your own name and it is uniformed on all platforms.

A social media influencer is a social media user who has established credibility in a specific niche market. College and high school students are increasingly using social media, so if you are an avid social media user, you should try being a social media influencer.

A starting influencer can earn up to $50 – $250 as a starting profit for a post, story, or reel.

Instagram Profile: mimiyuuuh TikTok Profile: kinglexiii

Virtual Assistant

Other students prefer to work rather than start their own online store business, and one of the best-fit jobs for their tight schedule is Virtual Assistance. 

With virtual assistants, students would not have to worry about their work schedule. It is a flexible job, and most of your clients are from another country, so there is an advantage in the time difference. It can also open many opportunities in your career path.

Some of the services a Virtual Assistant or VA does are:

• General admin work;
• Bookkeeping business;
• Tutoring business;
• Project management;
• Invoices/billing;
• Researching;
• Writing/blogging;
• Data entry;
• Customer/tech support support;
• Social media management;
• Digital marketing (e-mail, maintaining socials platforms, etc);
• Web management;
• Virtual event planning
• Transcription services, etc.

The average monthly salary of VAs in the US is $40,000 to $50,000 and unlike other online business ideas, this can lead to rapid personal and career growth, especially if you get affiliated with promising startup ideas or industry leaders.

Dropshipping Store  For New Business Owners

Products you could sell online could create a significant profit, especially if you are a student with an excellent deal for an ecommerce business. One of the great and potentially profitable business ideas out there is dropshipping.

With ecommerce dropshipping solutions, you would not need to own a warehouse or have significant start-up capital to buy and resell products. 

In a dropshipping business model, you promote and sell products and provide an online store for potential customers to visit and purchase the product. Luckily, SaaS solutions for creating a website without software development skills exist – some of which are very well optimized for the dropshipping business model.

When a customer places an order from your store, you are the one who will inform the dropshipper about the purchase as well as the details about the customer, such as address, order, etc. So, they will be the ones to process the order while you inform the customer that their order is on its way. 

Finding a good dropshipper and signing an agreement with them is significant. Then, always make sure to do social media marketing so that your own website and the products you promote will be visible to your target market.

In dropshipping, you can sell the products up to 10-20% of the wholesale price. In that way, you can have a good profit margin.

Online Course Creator

With the high demand for the online learning industry, one of the best online business ideas is selling online courses. College students are most likely to engage with this kind of profitable business.

Selling an online course business model does not require high start-up capital, and it is suitable for students because you could earn while also sharing your knowledge and helping fellow learners. It’s also surprisingly scalable and can help you transition into a consulting business.

You can start a course on graphic design, website development, web design, app development, etc. These courses earn a high profit. 

Here in the US, you can earn up to $1,000 to $10,000 on average monthly if you are a full-time online course creator. You can search online for how to create and sell courses. Also, you need to be mindful of choosing which platform to market your courses.

Affiliate Marketer

Another great profitable business idea or student business idea is affiliate marketing. This business model is trendy, especially with students who are into social media platforms.

Affiliate marketing programs work when you make an agreement with a product owner or a website and promote their product on your socials or website. If a customer clicks on that website and makes a purchase, you get a commission from the company you are promoting (usually in the form of online payments). 

The commission rate ranges from 1% to 20%, depending on the product you are promoting and the referral volume. This job fits younger students because it would use their social media accounts to earn money; you could also build your e-commerce business store and promote the products.

YouTube Content Creator

If you are into being a content creator, you can definitely try being a YouTube Content Creator. But, always keep in mind that this would take you some time to process and possibly months before you start earning because how much you will earn as a YouTuber varies depending on your content or your niche.

YouTube content creators can generate revenue from ads that are shown in their videos. But before ads can be shown in your content, you must pass YouTube’s threshold and eligibility.

YouTube pays per 1000 views at a rate of $0.09 – $0.27 per view. Google does take a cut from the earnings, so realistically, you can earn up to $2.50 – $4.50 per thousand views, depending on your niche and target audience. You also need many followers to be seen more on users’ algorithms.

If you choose this option, make sure you put your efforts into YouTube SEO to improve visibility and reach. 

Podcast Host

The podcast is also a great idea these days. It is also suitable for small businesses for students because this would guarantee you profit and boost your career in the media world, especially if you want that career.

To monetize your podcast, you need sponsors, like media sponsors or many listeners; this is a long way ahead if you are looking for a job with an instant income, but it is still worth it as it can open numerous other business opportunities. You can earn up to $15 – $21 per 1000 podcast downloads.

Freelance Photographer

For students who want to provide creative solutions, a freelance photography business is one of the best small business ideas there. You don’t need any start-up capital; you will need your camera, skills, a good portfolio and social media account, and your own site for customers to contact you.

Student part-time freelance photographers in the US can earn up to $2000 / month, depending on the local events’ size or the job.

Pet Sitting

Pet sitting is one of the physical jobs you can do that require a minimal workforce and flexible time. Many pet parents hire pet sitters through social media, word of mouth or job-seeking platforms. This type of job does not require a diploma; most requirements are just valid IDs or proof, which are perfect for students. With pet sitting, you can earn $15 – $20 hourly. 

While this practice might not scale into big business ventures, it’s a great way to support a student’s life. And besides, what other business ideas let you pet dogs for money?

Print-on-demand Seller

For aspiring entrepreneurs, the Print-On-Demand business model is also profitable for students like you. Print-on-demand is an e-commerce business model where your very own products are sold through an e-commerce platform or conduit platform.

The best thing about this business (unlike other businesses) is that you would only print products when an order is placed and that you are not the one who is printing the products but a different print provider with whom you will partner. They are also the ones who would provide the products such as shirts, tumblers, mugs, etc. 

To create your own company, you must set up an e-commerce store or online store, upload your designs, and select a print provider to partner with. Once an order is placed through your store, you can now redirect the order to your partner, and they will be the ones to print and provide a delivery service, so basically, you are paid through your design for sales traffic.

E-book Author

If you are passionate about writing fiction stories, try to be an E-book author. E-books are very popular with millennials and Gen Z-born people. The majority of the market is girls and women.

You can write on platforms where you will get paid once you pass their thresholds, but you can also do e-book writing services in job-seeking platforms and place your rates. E-book authors typically earn a royalty of 7% – 15% of the retail price of their books, but it still depends.

Online Tutor

Online Tutoring is also one of the easiest gigs you can do as a student to earn decent money. This type of work makes you your boss because you will decide what to tutor and the schedule plan.

Such businesses do not require many documents because, most of the time, student online tutors in the US market themselves only through social media platforms, with no technicalities. 

You can visit other job-seeking sites like Upwork, where you can put your rates as an online tutor. However, social media platforms work faster than job-seeking platforms for students like you. As a student online tutor, you can earn up to $750 per week, depending on the course/subject you are teaching.

Content Writer / Copywriter Writer

During the pandemic, many students took the chance to find part-time jobs while they were safe in their homes, and one of their jobs was freelance writing. Content marketing and copywriting jobs are trendy these days.

It suits fellow students who need flexible time for part-time employment or online business. You can earn up to $2,000 as a part-time content writer. You can work 4-6 hours daily and have a maximum of 3-4 articles per week.

For starters, you can approach local businesses and try to help them by writing website content, copy, ads, and even flyers. Since you might not have previous experience, you may start out with a low rate, gain experience, and prove your value to your clients. With time you’ll start gaining authority as a writer which will open up more and more opportunities.

SEO Writer

The same goes for content writing and copywriting. Search engine optimization (SEO) writers are in demand these days. You can search websites and other platforms for this kind of job posting online.

As an SEO writer, you are responsible for producing content and the traffic and keyword volume for the content. You can earn up to $2,500 – $3,000 monthly as a part-time SEO writer, 4 hours daily. You can also mix this with translation services to start making some serious money.

Homemade Personalized Cakes and Pastries

Personalized cakes are trendy these days. People nowadays prefer availing cakes with their request of style or decor rather than buying pre-made ones from pastry or cake stores.

It is a suitable, profitable job for student entrepreneurs, especially if you excel in baking. With a starting capital of $50-$60, you can make 2-4 cakes priced at about $25 – $40 each, depending on the design and size.

You can market your service and products on a online marketplace, but the best route is through social media platforms or food delivery apps. 

Cleaning Services

Cleanliness is an evergreen need. Many families prefer to pay someone to clean their house so they can spend time with their families on their day off. On a bigger scale, businesses usually employ third-party companies to take care of their office spaces. You might even find consistent work partnering with an event planning service.

There are plenty of angles from which to tackle this market. On top of that, you don’t need much to get started – only some essential cleaning equipment and a knack for tidiness.

Subscription Box Service

Subscription boxes can be weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly boxes you send out to clients with contents that may or may not be different each time. The novelty aspect of it being a surprise often attracts people to continue their membership.

This can be a fun business idea that allows for consistent revenue. It’s also a great way to share a niche interest of yours with other people who value it. A subscription box usually costs between $15 and $35 and requires you to invest a little bit extra time to prepare your orders at the end of each month. The cost of production is also usually a few bucks each.