I had this friend in school who had a knack for doing business. He knew how to sew clothes and made clothes for many students. For him, making money came relatively easy. He once had a contract to make printed T-shirts for some student bodies. Suffice to say, he made a nice traditional attire for me once.
You may be asking ‘but I don’t have a passion for sales, I can’t do business in school’. Thing is, there are many other options to making money as a student. A laptop and internet alone is enough to set you on your way to some level of financial comfort in school.
Plus, there are students whose campus businesses have blossomed into future companies. While others made just about enough money to pay their school fees. Reminds me of an Architect I met during NYSC who self-sponsored his education with drawing building plans clients.
Without further ado, here are top 7 side-businesses students can engage in in 2017 and beyond.
1. Sales
Sales is a very broad subject. This is because there are numerous things to sell. It may be as small as phones/gadgets, to shirts, gift items to even instant noodles. To do sales, you have to work on your salesman skills. You can also have a network of willing salespeople who help you sell your product in return for commission. Here are some of the major items you can sell
- Clothes
- Shoes
- Fairly-used phones/laptops
- Jewellery
- Consumables
- Books/stationary
You can also take your business up a notch by selling on Jumia, Konga. In essence, you import goods and flip them for a profit on marketplaces.
Helpful resources:
How to sell your goods on Konga
How to become a Jumia Sales consultant
2. Freelancing
The freelancing world has come to stay. And I kid-you-not when I say people are cashing in massively as freelancers. A freelancer is someone who is self-employed and hired to work for different companies on particular assignments. There are marketplaces for freelancers to advertise their skills, bid on projects and receive payment for finished work. Examples of such are
Here are a few skills you can do as a freelancer:
- Writing (articles, blog, research/academic, copywriting)
- Graphics design
- Transcription
- App development
- Web development
- SEO services
Helpful resources:
Elance.com, Upwork.com And Other Freelancing Site: How To Succeed Guide
20 Websites You Can’t Miss If You Want To Make Money As A Freelancer
How To Make Regular Income Offering HOT Digital Marketing Services On Fiverr
3. Phone/computer repairs
If you have this skill, then there is no way you can’t make money in school. Except you’re not interested. Even if you’re not interested, students will naturally bring stuff to you to fix once they sniff you’re good at it.
You should monetize it.
You may not charge overboard like the repairer on the street, but place some value on your time and expertise – charge a fee.
If you don’t have the skill, you can learn from a pro. You can also go self-taught and harness the power of the internet. Go to YouTube, watch videos on the subject, practice, read books online, more practice, rinse and repeat till you be a pro.
Helpful resources:
Business Idea: Starting a mobile phone repair business
Mobile Phone Repair Course (YouTube)
4. Logo design/ related art services
You may have seen ads in schools for artists who charge at least ₦5k for portrait sketches. That’s their hustle and it pays. I have a young friend who does this cartoonify stuff. He makes a cartoon-like replica of a picture of you. He also prints it on a T-shirt and chrages about ₦7-8k for each T-shirts.
Logo design is something that you can learn if you have a flair for design.
5. Hair stylist
I can’t mention this entry without talking about my good friend in school. Let’s call her Vee. You see, Vee is an industrious woman. She has business ideas of which some have yielded money. Vee is also a hair-stylist. Any weekend she needs money urgently (like for a sumptuous pot of soup), she agrees to make the hair of some other female students.
You too can be like Vee.
For the guys, if you can barb like a ninja, then you may be on your way to making some soft dough in school. What you need are the tools, then you can set up shop in front of your room.
Helpful resources:
What You Need To Start A Barbing Salon In Nigeria
6. Photography
We all know that Nigerian student that is a photographer. They won’t be doing it if there’s no money in it.
And my all-time favourite…drum roll please
7. Business centre
Business centre should be like the oldest student business on the block since computers came along. Typical services rendered are: typing, photocopy, online registrations, scanning, assignment research etc.
What you need are: a laptop, printer/photocopier. Depending on your power situation and pocket, you can add a small generator. This service never gets old as there wil always be clients.
Helpful resources:
How To Start A Business Centre In Nigeria
Tried any of the above business or need more info? hit me in the comments below.