Table of Contents
1. Selling Online
Selling products online one of the most popular ways to make money on the side. Students need to do some admin work may need to be done during the week. They need to responding to buyer enquiries, but buying, photographing, listing and posting items can all be done at the weekends and free times.
Most sellers opt to use online websites like eBay, but other options are available, such as Gumtree and Preloved. At starting period of starting business students must be aware of private seller allowances, particularly with eBay. You will be certified as a business seller and liable for additional fees and taxes.
2. Design Craft Products
If you are a good artistic and have great crafting skills and looking for a creative business you can start from your university accommodation, craft business is best for your knowledge. Some of the popular ideas include candle making, jewellery making, or selling your own framed art prints.
You can do this business from home, but you can also get out and about by running your own craft stall at local markets and selling areas. Your college university is bound to have events for crafters, particularly around the festive season and university celebrations, so keep a look out for those on campus.
3. Event Planner
College life is being full of parties and nights out. If you love bringing people together, celebrating events and want to show off your creativity, you could start your own event and party planning business.
As an event and party planner you are responsible for organising a venue, food, drink, music, and decoration. You will need to be a good communicator and build relationships between peoples with a network of suppliers. It’s also a good idea to gain experience about planning of events before you go it alone, but there’s plenty of opportunity to develop these skills as a student. You could join the Students’ reunion and get involved in organising event, student nights and on-campus events.
4. Dog Walking
Starting Pet walking business between the ages of 16-34 is best idea, according to a survey conducted by the Pet Food Manufacturers Association. This was all well and good during lockdowns and after corona, but as restrictions ease and lockdown becomes a thing of the past, the majority of four-legged friends are struggling to get the attention and they deserve as things return to normality and students return to workplaces.
Although this can be seen as a real shame for human beings best friend, for budding entrepreneurs it is the perfect business opportunity. Offering your services to look after people’s dogs, whether that be by walking them, staying with them overnight or during the day to keep them company, or even taking them to the vet hospital, is a great way to earn easy money while you are studing. You are helping out their owners and you are also getting paid to provide comfort and companionship to pets all over the country.
The entry requirements for this business is minimal. It mainly requires a love of animals, experience handling them and watching them carefully. Dogs can also need a love of walking, as you will be doing a lot of it. Your investment for this business are going to be insurance and either some printed flyers or social media advertising. This doesn’t cost you more than a few hundred quid. Considering you can charge up to £20 an hour, there’s good money to be made as a student. You’ll need to be aware of a few rules and regulations on this business, including the legal requirement for dogs and your obligation to pick up their mess.
5. Food And Drink Business
If you are good at cooking then bring your culinary creations to the public by starting a food and drink business. You could start a cake and baking business or fast food from your kitchen and sell at market stalls on campus. Or you could deliver meals, prepare ordered food, offer cooking lessons, or even work towards having your own food truck business.
There are some laws and regulations around selling food to the public though, including providing allergen information. Make sure you check guidance from the Food Standards Agency and also you need to register your business with your local authority within 28 days.
6. Customer Service Work
At weekends the United Kingdoms Restaurants, hotels, pubs and clubs all receive a higher footfall and there is a demand for labour is higher then other days. The type of roles available range from waiting and bar staff to front of house and security in hotels. You need only excellent customer service skills and can often be a demanding environment to work in, so this is best suited to outgoing, patient and friendly individuals.
A good level of health is generally required. You will often be expected to work unsociable hours and late nights. While some roles like security guard may require you to hold a specific licence, most can be taken on little to no experience but many of as does and are available to everyone with the right personality and work.
7. Upcycling
You have great skills at DIY, upcycling is another option for making money at the weekend as a student. You could collect unwanted items and things from friends and family that was provided they don’t mind you selling them on for a profit or buy second-hand goods from car boot sales and online auctions. This business requires an investment up-front for goods and materials, plus an allowance for time spent on the project, so be sure to factor these into your pricing and to confirm you don’t operate at a loss.
Once completed your collections you can sell your upcycled items via one of the many online selling sites or through social media. There’s no guarantee of income from upcycling because it depends upon your collections, but it can provide an enjoyable and creative alternative to more traditional weekend jobs.
8. Tutor
If you think you have valuable skills and knowledge about some subjects to share, tutoring can be one of the most useful jobs for extra money. There are several options available but most of them do not require a formal teaching qualification, though you will need to prove suitable knowledge of your chosen subject and your specialized subject which you are going to teach.
There are some online tutoring networks like Superprof. That allow you to register as a private tutor and set your rates and choose face-to-face or online tuition. You could make tutorial videos and upload them to a digital learning community like Skillshare and also you can teach them on going their own places. You could also find private tutoring opportunities on online as well as public by advertising your services in the local community, on social media or by joining a private tuition agency. Be aware that the latter will usually involve working with children and will require you to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
9. Sell Books
If you have a creative idea for a writing novel or expert knowledge in a subject, then writing a book can be a brilliant and cheap business idea to do as a student. You don’t have to pay for each word you write on a Google DocJust you need is an idea that serves a particular market which you are going to sell your books.
The cheapest model to follow when you first begin selling your book is print-on-demand and so you aren’t having to pay huge amounts for physical copies that may not even sell. Blurb is a great provider for selling books. You can also sell your book via third-party providers and also online shopping websites like Amazon or via your own online store. You need to save on the costs of physically printing your book, you can also sell it digitally. If you really want to guarantee sales before pushing on, you could always arrange a pre-sale and give offer or start a crowdfunding campaign to drum up interest in your ingenious book idea.
10. Cleaning
The COVID and after lockdown has made everyone very conscious about hygiene, whether that’s in their own homes or their office spaces. You take advantage of this trend and set up a successful cleaning business with minimal expenditure. The most recent British Cleaning Council report back in 2021 revealed some interesting insights into the cleaning industry such as it contributes over £55 billion to the UK economy every year. Cleaning companies are on the rise after lockdown, which is a healthy sign for those looking to start a business in 2020 alone. To start this business you merely need to grab a few basic essentials and you’ll be ready to fight grime. A cleaning business is a very lean start-up business model that requires few complicated skills and not much equipment.