College is a time to experiment, try new things, and find your passion.
While all of this sounds great, it's not always so easy when commuting to campus every morning and pulling an all-nighter for studying.
As a student, one needs an idea that’s
- Really interesting
- Don’t take up much time
- Need little to no capital
- Generates at least a few $1,000s every month
Students can take advantage of the internet for any type of side hustle ideas they can think of. Plus, times are changing rapidly with this whole no-code movement. With no-code, tech hustles are now within everyone's reach! [If you new to no-code, we recommend you read this in-depth guide to What Is No-Code]
Even with all this conducive ecosystem we know it can be hard to figure out the best-suited idea. So, here's our hand-curated list of 50 side hustle ideas; one (or more) of these could be your next big move. Check them all out:
50 Easy Side Hustles for Students
Productized Service Ideas
Productized services refer to packaging your services in form of a product with flat pricing. For eg, a marketing plan for $1000/month or a graphic design subscription for $500/month.
If you are working as a student freelancer, you can scale up and package your services in form of productized service business.
1. On-Demand Landing Page Design
Background:
Landing page design is an interesting way for students to make money.
Every online business needs a top-notch landing page to convert their eyers into buyers but they are not skilled at it.
A quality landing page costs $500 - $5000, which means you can earn pretty good money crafting a single landing page.
The Idea:
Design a landing page for a niche industry. If you find this fun, you can build your own website to let users book a plan.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $500 - $5000 per landing page
- Industry/Category: Design
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: DesignJoy, DesignPickle, Landingpageinaday
2. Content Repurposing for Content Creators
Background:
Being a content creator isn’t easy. They have to constantly dwell upon the ideas of content to post.
Content repurposing is an interesting way to fight content blocks but creators don’t have time to do it themselves.
According to a survey conducted by ReferralRock, 94% of surveyed marketers repurpose their content, and the remaining 6% are thinking about doing so in the future.
The Idea:
Start by repurposing existing content for individual creators. After serving several clients, turn it into a productized model.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Content
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: Content10x, YourCreativeContent, KatieHarp
3. Ghostwriting for Niche Industry
Background:
If you love writing, ghostwriting can be a lucrative way for you to generate enough dosh as a student.
Businesses, publishing houses, celebs, and even other students are too busy building their empire and don’t have much time for writing and publishing content on their own.
Many publishing houses have revealed that 70% of the books they published were written by a ghostwriter. Even crazier — 99% of books published by artists, celebrities, and politicians were done with the help of a ghostwriter.
The Idea:
Ghostwrite for the industry of your interest and expertise, even academic research and writing support for other students. If you find it interesting you can set up a productized service-based business.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $1500 - $8000 per project
- Industry/Category: Writing
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, One-off pricing
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: GhostWriting, ThesisGeek.com, OrangePublishers
4. Virtual Assistant for Solopreneurs
Background:
Research shows that more than 41 million American adults currently work as solopreneurs.
They don’t have a team, leading them to bear everything single-handedly.
Students have a good chance to work as virtual assistants for solopreneurs and earn enough cash.
The most in-demand virtual assistant services are social media management, email marketing, and project management.
The Idea:
Become a virtual assistant for solopreneurs helping them with minor tasks like uploading, scheduling, recording, etc. If you find it fun, you can build your website to let solopreneurs book slots with you and ultimately build an agency.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $2 - $20 per hour
- Industry/Category: VA
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: VirtualLatinos, SquaredAway
5. Transcription Service for YouTubers
Background:
Transcription is one of the easiest side hustles a student can start.
YouTube videos are broadcasted worldwide and creators don’t want their viewers to encounter any language or clarity barriers.
That is why they now prefer using subtitles for their videos to overcome this pain point.
You can easily charge around $1 per minute for transcribing the audio. If you transcribe 10, 1 hour long videos every month, that gives you $600 per month!
The Idea:
Start by providing transcription services to novice YouTubers.
After gaining experience, either build a tool for transcription or build a productized service business.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $1 - $5 per minute audio
- Industry/Category: Transcription
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: GoTranscript, Rev
6. Podcast Production
Background:
While many students are starting their podcasts, you can help podcasters with their production process.
There are numerous tasks that go behind the creation of one podcast episode.
Producing a podcast isn’t easy and creators are now hiring productions to take this pain for them.
According to Buzzsprout’s statistics, around 35% of podcasts publish an episode on their hosting platform every 3 to 7 days. You have a huge market to target.
The Idea:
Help podcast hosts with their production process. Once you gain enough clients, turn it into a productized service.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Content
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: LowerStreet, Castos
7. Editing & Proofreading for Bloggers
Background:
If you have an experience in writing, you can couple it with editing and proofreading to generate more money as a student.
54% bloggers have editors or have at least shown their work to someone else to review.
That is because they don’t have much time to edit and proofread every post. Help them out by developing one of the most sought-after skills.
The top 10% of highest-paid editors/proofreaders earn as much as $119,000 or more. That means you can at least earn half this amount with experience.
The Idea:
Gather and work with at least 5-8 bloggers, as their editor and proofreader. Once you build a successful service business, turn it into a productized service.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $5 - $20 per 1,000 words (proofreading) & $30 - $90 per 1,000 words (editing)
- Industry/Category: Content
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: Proofed, Wordvice, EditorNinja
8. Design Business Presentations
Background:
If you’re a good designer, here’s another option for you to make decent money as a student.
A business pitch or meeting is incomplete without a presentation.
But presentations can be really boring if they aren’t engaging or interesting.
45% of presenters find it challenging to design creative layouts for their presentations and 47% of presenters take more than 8 hours to design their presentations - Visme.
You can ease their task with your design skills.
The Idea:
Design business presentations or pitch decks for startups. Once you polish your designing skills, build an agency and package your services as a productized service.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $5 - $25 per slide
- Industry/Category: Design
- Possible Business Model/s: One-off pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: Biteable, Animaker, Powtoon
9. Convert Podcasts to Long-form Content
Background:
Content repurposing is a great way to generate endless content on various channels.
Converting a podcast into a long-form article for a blog (or vice-versa) is an intelligent way to never run out of content ideas.
As earlier said, 94% of marketers repurpose their content. If you too can do so for podcasters or bloggers, you can pocket decent money.
The Idea:
Work with podcasters and bloggers in churning their podcasts to long-form content or vice-versa. If you find it interesting, you can build a productized service-based business out of it.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Content
- Possible Business Model/s: Custom plan, Flat-pricing
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: PodReacher, Duplikit
10. Social Media Management for Niche Industry
Background:
If you’re a student, there’s a good chance that you’re active on social media and know its ins and outs.
There are a ton of business owners, big or small, who can’t pay the required attention to their social channels.
Polish your existing skills a little more, and help these businesses out.
The technology industry is the highest-paying for social media managers. So if you’re a tech student, it's an added bonus.
The Idea:
Manage social media platforms of a creator or brand. If you find it interesting, scale up and work with 2-3 clients at once.
You can also build an agency and productize your service.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $15 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Social Media
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: SociNova, Lyfe
11. Case Studies for B2B
Background:
Case studies demand good story writing skills. If you have developed it over time, you can mint some money.
Using case studies is a strong marketing strategy for B2B businesses, suited for bottom-of-the-funnel leads.
Research from Content Marketing Institute indicates that 73% of B2B marketers are creating and publishing case studies.
With this number, you have a huge scope to adjust yourself as a case study writer for B2B.
The Idea:
If you’re a good storyteller and writer, start by writing case studies for B2B brands and build your website, letting brands book slots with you.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $0.05 - $10 per word
- Industry/Category: Content
- Possible Business Model/s: One-off pricing, Flat-pricing
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: CaseStudyBuddy, Venngage
12. Video Editing for Niche Industry
Background:
Video editing can be a fun side hustle for students to make money.
There are numerous businesses and solopreneurs who wish to publish video content but don’t have adequate video editing skills.
Help them out by developing and polishing one of the most demanded skills in 2022.
Studies show that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support (Hubspot). With this trend, demand for video editors will only grow.
The Idea:
Learn video editing and start by serving novice video marketers. There are many free text to speech tools available online to help you with voiceover. Once you gain enough traction and experience, instead of charging on per hour basis, charge on per video basis.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Content
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: VideoHusky, TastyEdits, Replayed
13. Online Event Planner and Consultant
Background:
Event planning is an interesting industry and students who have a knack for planning can make the most out of it.
It’s a burdensome task for hosts to organize, manage and make sure everything goes right.
38% of marketers say they run into technical issues when hosting virtual events.
This problem can be eliminated with prior event planning.
The Idea:
Plan online events for creators or startups and once you gain knowledge, also start consultancy for event planning.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $100 - $500 per plan
- Industry/Category: Event Planning
- Possible Business Model/s: One-off pricing, Flat-pricing
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: Cannack
14. Thumbnail Design for YouTubers
Background:
If you have an interest in designing, as a student, you can start your journey by designing YouTube thumbnails.
People tend to click on a video with an interesting and provoking thumbnail.
YouTube video thumbnails play an important role in increasing CTR, but Youtubers don’t have much time and skill to craft the best thumbnail.
The Idea:
Start your design journey by designing YouTube thumbnails for creators. After gathering clients, package your service on a monthly thumbnail package basis.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $2 - $15 per thumbnail
- Industry/Category: Design
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: Thumbnail, Penji, ThumbnailDesigners
15. Create Prospect Lists for Businesses
Background:
Are you a research student or naturally have a knack for research? This can be your way to make some money.
Having a prospect list by their side makes it easier for businesses to target potential customers.
While curating a prospects’ list for business is a crucial step in increasing customer base, it can be a tough row to hoe.
Develop your research skills and dip your toe into this service.
The Idea:
Start by serving individual businesses by creating a prospect list. Once you get a huge prospects repository in a niche business, you can also build a platform selling that ready-made list.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $100 per hour
- Industry/Category: Lead Generation
- Possible Business Model/s: One-off pricing, Flat-pricing
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples:
16. Marketing Strategist for Niche Industry
Background:
Marketing is an interesting and enriching industry for students.
Marketing strategy helps businesses distribute their products or services with the best profit potential.
But it isn't everyone's cup of tea. It takes several hits and trials and experience to come up with the best strategy to succeed online as well as offline.
The global advertising and marketing market is projected to reach $786.2 billion by 2026.
The Idea:
Become a marketing strategist for a business or brand of your interest and expertise. Choose between offline or online marketing strategies based on your expertise.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $1000 - $5000 per project
- Industry/Category: Marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Retainer-pricing, Flat-pricing
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: CMOX
17. Bookkeeping for eCommerce
Background:
Bookkeeping has to be the most significant but complex task for any business. And hiring a full-time accountant can be pocket-draining.
The market size, measured by revenue, of the Payroll & Bookkeeping Services industry is $61.8bn in 2022.
If you’re a commerce or accounting student, it might be the best-suited job for you to make lots of money.
The Idea:
Start a bookkeeping service-based business if accounting interests you. You can take up 2-3 clients, once you gain success.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $30 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Accounting
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: BeanNinjas, Bench
18. Logo Design Agency
Background:
Logo designing is another niche industry for design fanatic students to make money.
A logo is a crucial element of a company's brand image as 75% of people recognize a brand by its logo, so they can't get it wrong at any cost.
But it’s difficult for businesses to come up with a decent logo in absence of a designer.
The Idea:
Design logos for brands of a specific industry. If you find it interesting, scale up and build an agency of logo designers.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $25 - $500+ per logo
- Industry/Category: Design
- Possible Business Model/s: One-off pricing
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: Webguru
19. Shopify Consultant
Background:
Shopify accounts for nearly 11% of the total e-commerce market share (Statista) and this number is only increasing.
But most store owners aren’t tech-savvy so they face the challenge of optimizing their stores to rank and increase their sales.
Develop the knowledge and skills for one of the most used e-commerce stores.
The Idea:
Learn and develop skills in Shopify. Once you become experienced, consult Shopify store owners regarding various aspects of a Shopify store.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $15 - $30 per hour
- Industry/Category: Consultancy
- Possible Business Model/s: One-off pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: Whole, KaiDavis
20. Video Marketing
Background:
Marketing, especially video marketing is an interesting niche for students to start a side hustle.
86% of marketers say video has helped them generate leads.
It’s clear that video plays a role in lead generation but ideating, planning, and releasing the best video content is a back-breaking task.
The Idea:
Become a video marketer and work with various brands. Once you get enough clients and traction, turn it into a productized service-based business.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $60 per hour
- Industry/Category: Marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Retainer-pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: Burner, SeeResponse
21. On-Demand Project Management
Background:
If you’re good at planning, organizing, and handling various tasks, project management might be a good start for your side hustle journey as a student.
Managing a project effectively and efficiently plays an important role in its success but it's a tough task for businesses to handle soooo many elements of a project single-handedly.
Polish your project management skills to generate good money.
The Idea:
Manage projects for creators or solopreneurs. After developing skills, build an on-demand project management platform.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $2000 - $8000 per project
- Industry/Category: Project Management
- Possible Business Model/s: One-off pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples:
22. Shopify Developer
Background:
Shopify store development can be fun if you’re a developer student.
Everyone isn't adept at setting up a Shopify store. The process comes with its own set of challenges.
One needs to be an avid coder to build a high-performing Shopify store.
The Idea:
Develop sophisticated stores for Shopify store owners. Build a platform allowing Shopify store owners to hire you for developing and optimizing their stores.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $30 - $100 per hour
- Industry/Category: Developer
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, One-off pricing
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: HeyCarson, Uplers
23. Optimize Airbnb Listings
Background:
Airbnb has 5.6 million active listings worldwide. With this fierce competition, getting Airbnb listing optimization right is crucial to attracting buyers.
But just like google SEO optimization isn't everybody's cup of tea, people need dedicated experts to optimize Airbnb listings as well.
The Idea:
Start by optimizing Airbnb listings for your acquaintances. If you find it fun, work with multiple clients.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $10 - $30 per hour
- Industry/Category: Video Creation
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: Optimizemyairbnb, Rankbreeze
24. Podcast Marketing Strategist
Background:
If you’re interested in marketing or are a marketing student, we’ve got another interesting option for you.
The number of podcast listeners has steadily increased during the past eight years.
With this increasing trend and competition, hosts wanna get their marketing strategy right to reach a large set audience.
There are over 2 million podcasts worldwide. That means you have a huge market to cater to and money-making potential.
The Idea:
Become a marketing strategist for podcasts. Work with podcast hosts in developing their marketing tactics. If you find it interesting, scale up and start running an agency.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $18 - $25 CPM
- Industry/Category: Marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Retainer-pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: CallforContent, Advertise, Quill
25. Live Chat Services
Background:
Though there exist several automated chat softwares, AI cannot replace the power of human interaction.
Businesses still prefer using a live chat system instead of automated chat to serve their users the best experience and support.
The Idea:
Give brands a demo of your live chat service and turn them into paying clients.
If you find it lucrative, build an agency to assist businesses in live chatting with users on their websites.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $10 - $20 per hour
- Industry/Category: Chat
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Custom plan
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: HelpFlow, Chekkee
26. Run Email Campaigns for Influencers or Businesses
Background:
Creators and entrepreneurs are increasingly using email campaigns to promote their products and be in touch with their audience.
But conducting a successful email campaign takes a lot of ideation and planning and strong execution.
For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42. That means you can earn quite well while running email campaigns.
The Idea:
Start developing, planning, and running email campaigns for creators or startups. Once you get good at it, build a productized service around it.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Email
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, One-off pricing
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples:
27. A/B Testing Services
Background:
Better UX design resulting from testing could increase conversion by 400%.
With this improved rate, businesses are increasingly using split testing to determine which UX is most effective.
The Idea:
Run A/B testing campaigns for online brands. If you find it lucrative, scale up your service-based business.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $60 per hour
- Industry/Category: Analytics
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: TeamCroco, VWO, ABTasty
28. Facebook Ads Campaign Services
Background:
If you’re a student, most likely you might have used Facebook at least once.
Facebook stated that 10 million active advertisers were using the social networking platform to promote their products and services in the third quarter of 2022.
With this huge competition, it's challenging to stand out in the crowd with an average ad.
The Idea:
Create and run Facebook Ads for brands. If you find it interesting, scale up and build an agency offering a productized service.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $30 - $300 per hour
- Industry/Category: Advertising, Social Media
- Possible Business Model/s: One-off pricing, Flat-pricing
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: GrowthNinja, Skille, BrighterClick
Education / Info-product Ideas
Info-product refers to a digital product that aims to instruct, educate or guide the audience. Some examples include courses, newsletters, e-books, etc.
These prove to be a great side hustle for students.
29. Online Language Tutoring
Background:
While you’re in a foreign country, knowing a second language helps you cope with the differences.
But there's a huge population who wants to jump into the river of learning a foreign language but finds it difficult to locate good tutors offline.
Help them out and contribute to increasing their competency, as people with more than one language earn anywhere from 2% to 15% more.
The online language learning market is worth about 12.49 billion USD and growing. This number is set to grow to 25 billion USD by the year 2025.
The Idea:
Teach English or any other foreign language. You can either teach on an existing platform or go on building your own.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $10 - $25 per hour
- Industry/Category: E-learning
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Transactional
- MVP Build Time: 6-8 weeks
- Successful Examples: Cambly, Preply
30. Online Fitness Training
Background:
Fitness training is an excellent way to channel your interest in making money.
People find it hectic to go to the gym and want to enjoy training from the comfort of their homes.
With the world shifting to computers, home fitness was one of the fastest-growing fitness trends of 2021.
There’s an increased demand for personalized and niche-specific fitness training, due to which the live streaming fitness market is expected to grow 35% per year till 2026.
The Idea:
Design and publish an online fitness training course focusing on a niche user base. You can either publish on an existing platform or build your own.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential:
- Industry/Category: Fitness
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 6-8 weeks
- Successful Examples: FlexIt, Cult, GRNDHOUSE
31. Consulting in Area of Expertise
Background:
Consulting requires deep knowledge and expertise in the area you wish to kickstart your journey. But with expertise, you can mint lots of money.
Small businesses and solopreneurs find it difficult to manage sensitive areas of their business and seek expert advice.
The consulting market is growing even faster after the pandemic as businesses recover from it.
The Idea:
Set up a website, allowing businesses and startups to book consultancy services with you. Focus on your area of expertise.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $25 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Consulting
- Possible Business Model/s: Transactional
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: JamesSchramko, SubscriptionCoach
32. Notion Templates
Background:
Notion is an amazingly diverse tool but beginners find it difficult to make the most out of it.
If you’re using Notion for quite some time now, you might be aware of its various use cases and learn to create templates.
Notion templates can be sold for as high as $99, that’s a lot of money!
The Idea:
Design Notion templates for various use cases that people can use right away and customize based on their needs. You can upload the templates on Notion’s template gallery itself.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $10 - $200 per template
- Industry/Category: Notion Consulting
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Transactional
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: Notion Template Gallery, Redgregory
33. No-Code App Templates
Background:
The no-code industry is booming fast and stepping a toe into it can make a student crazy money.
However, building no-code apps come with a learning curve but businesses don’t have time for it.
No-code app templates are a great way for brands to skip this added task.
On average, one template can make you $149 per purchase.
The Idea:
Design ready-to-use, no-code app templates for a specific industry or business that users can customize based on their needs.
You can list the templates on various platforms or build a repository of your own.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $500 per template
- Industry/Category: Design, No-Code App Development
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Transactional
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: Zeroqode, Jotform, NocodeHQ
34. Tutorials to Teach a Software
Background:
If you’re a software junkie, this industry has a huge potential for students to make loads of money.
There are numerous softwares that make life or work easier but high functionality software comes with a steep learning curve.
Help people learn all the ins and outs of some actively used softwares.
In 2021, the global software market reached $565 billion which means you can reap a good amount of money working in this industry.
The Idea:
Record and publish tutorials, teaching any software of your expertise and interest. You can publish those on an existing platform or build your own software teaching platform.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $50 - $100 per plan
- Industry/Category: E-learning
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 6-8 weeks
- Successful Examples: Udemy, Coursera
35. Start a Premium Newsletter
Background:
Newsletters are a fun way for students to share their knowledge with the world.
People aren’t short of knowledge resources in this tech world but definitely lack first-hand wisdom.
Newsletters are a great way to educate people with your first-hand experience & learnings and make decent money by monetizing them.
The average price of a paid newsletter is $11 a month. If you bring in as low as 100 subscribers, you can easily earn $1100 every month.
The Idea:
Gather a list of subscribers and start publishing a premium/paid newsletter in the field of your expertise. Make sure to provide top-notch education as it’s a paid newsletter. Here's a list of best paid newsletter platforms to help you get started.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $5 - $25 per month per subscriber
- Industry/Category: Info-product
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 2-4 weeks
- Successful Examples: Trends.vc, CategoryPirates
36. LinkedIn Lead Generation Course
Background:
LinkedIn is more than just an online resume now. Students are getting internships and people are making business deals out of it.
However, it’s always been a task for solopreneurs and freelancers to generate leads through LinkedIn.
A study from Hubspot shows that LinkedIn is 277% more effective for lead generation than other social media networks.
The Idea:
Design and publish a LinkedIn lead generation course to help solopreneurs, start-ups, or businesses to generate leads.
You can list the course on an existing platform or go on to build your own website.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $50 - $300 per user
- Industry/Category: E-learning, Lead Generation
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Transactional
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: Cleverly, LinkedInLearning
37. Course for Beginner Content Writers
Background:
Writing can be a lucrative industry for students due to an increased need for online content.
While some of them are experts, beginners struggle to make their way to the top.
If you’re one of those experts, help starters to get going with content writing.
66% of marketers expect their 2022 content marketing budget to increase more than their 2021 budget. This clearly suggests the upward trend in the content industry.
The Idea:
Design a course to help beginner content writers with different elements and how-tos of writing. If you find this interesting, you can set up your own website and publish it.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $50 - $150 per user
- Industry/Category: E-learning, Writing
- Possible Business Model/s: Flat-pricing, Transactional
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: Udemy, Coursera
App / Software Development Ideas
App or software development refers to designing and building software applications to serve a particular purpose.
If you’re a tech student or have a knack for development, this might prove to be a great side hustle for you.
38. Employee Directory App
Background:
Businesses find it hard to manage and keep track of employee information on papers physically.
With many parts of a business shifting online, keeping a directory of employees using software makes the most sense.
The Idea:
Build an employee directory app to keep all employee info in one place, for one company then keep on scaling. Once you receive good feedback and are sure of the idea, convert it into a SaaS model.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $1000 to $3000 per app developed
- Industry/Category: SaaS
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 6-8 weeks
- Successful Examples: Friday, Pingboard
39. Podcaster and Guest Match Platform
Background:
There’s a massive surge in the number of podcast listeners as well as hosts.
Over one-third (104 million) of Americans listen to podcasts regularly. And this number is set to increase in the coming years.
However, it’s a head-scratching task for podcasters to look out for guests to invite for an interview.
The Idea:
Help podcast hosts match them with guests from various industries. Once you have enough clients and traction, build a platform listing podcast hosts and guests.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $5 - $50 per match
- Industry/Category: Web App
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: Podmatch, MatchMaker.fm
40. Pre-Loved Books Marketplace
Background:
If people set out to buy new books, their pockets would be emptied. Yes, books are costly.
Second-hand books cut down the price to almost half, making them affordable for everyone.
However, there isn’t a proper online marketplace dedicated to just second-hand books, be they fictional or educational.
The Idea:
You can start by building a community of buyers and sellers of second-hand books. Once you gain enough users, build a second-hand books marketplace platform where people can buy or sell pre-loved books of various genres.
Factsheet:
- Industry/Category: E-commerce
- Possible Business Model/s: Transactional
- MVP Build Time: 6-8 weeks
- Successful Examples: AbeBooks, BookFlow, BetterworldBooks
41. Same-Day Parcel Delivery Platform
Background:
There are instances when people want a parcel delivered to them on the same day or within a few hours but there are quite less options available.
80% of shoppers surveyed want same-day shipping, while 61% want their packages even faster — within 1-3 hours of placing an order.
Same-day parcel delivery platforms are gaining popularity as people want urgent deliveries.
The Idea:
You can manually provide this service for your local area or make a chain of service providers. Then scale up and build a same-day parcel delivery platform allowing users to book slots.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $7 - $15 per order
- Industry/Category: Delivery
- Possible Business Model/s: Transactional, Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: Borzo, NeedItNow, RDSdelivery
42. Home-Baked Items Website
Background:
Bakeries produce items in huge batches, leading in declining of quality.
More and more home bakers are setting up their own bakeries to deliver homemade confectionery items.
In this tech-savvy world, taking people’s home bakery online is a good choice for students to make some extra income.
The Idea:
You can either start your own home bakery and set up a website or help existing owners to take their business online.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $1000 - $5000 per project
- Industry/Category: Website/Web App Development
- Possible Business Model/s: Transactional
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: HomeBakers, SusieCakes, Gayle’s
43. YouTube Analytics Report Web App
Background:
While starting a YouTube channel is the trend among students, you can also build something around this industry to aid the existing users.
YouTubers upload about 720,000 hours of fresh video content per day.
They shed sweat in creating videos however, they find it difficult to draw conclusions from YouTube analytics.
The Idea:
Start by providing YouTube analytics services to individual YouTubers.
Once you gain enough clients and traction, either turn it into a productized service or build a web app providing detailed insights and reports on YouTube analytics.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Analytics
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 8-10 weeks
- Successful Examples: Quintly, HypeAuditor, Tubular
44. Creator Marketing Platform
Background:
The creator economy is now a multibillion-dollar industry, building the careers of some of the biggest celebrities.
And businesses are taking advantage of creator marketing during this boom.
But they find it difficult to launch a campaign without detailed insights about the creators and influencers.
The Idea:
Start by providing marketing services to creators.
Once you gain hands-on experience, build a creator marketing platform to help businesses launch a successful creator marketing campaign.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $20 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 8-10 weeks
- Successful Examples: GRIN, NeoReach, #paid
45. Influencer Discovery Platform for Niche Industry
Background:
In 2021, influencer marketing soared to $13.8 billion, indicating steady growth.
As the influencer marketing industry has grown, so has the number of service providers that support the industry.
And one of them might be a platform for influencer discovery, cause it’s tough for marketers to choose the right influencer fit for their campaigns.
The Idea:
You can look out for businesses seeking to launch an influencer campaign and help them with finding the best match.
After gaining success stories, go on building an influencer discovery platform, listing influencers in various niches.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $50 - $500 per deal
- Industry/Category: Influencer Marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 6-8 weeks
- Successful Examples: HypeAuditor, Modash, Traackr
46. Product Packaging Design Tool
Background:
A design tool creation can be fun for design freak students.
72% of Americans say that product packaging design influences their purchase decisions. But without a proper design team, many businesses can get it wrong.
Help these businesses in getting their design right and their product going.
The Idea:
You can start by offering product package design services to individual clients. Then either set up a productized service or build a tool to assist businesses in designing packaging for their products.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $50 - $500 per design
- Industry/Category: Design
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based, Transactional
- MVP Build Time: 6-8 weeks
- Successful Examples: Boxshot, ic3D, Visily
47. Email Marketing Tool for Creators
Background:
Many students have turned into part-time creators or influencers. The rest of them can build something on top of it.
With a rising creator economy, creators and influencers don’t want to lose their chance of building a good reputation among their followers.
They are increasingly using email marketing to educate and build trust with their followers.
The Idea:
Start by delivering email marketing services to creators of a specific industry.
After learning about all the ins and outs, build an email marketing SaaS specially designed for creators, making it simple for them to personalize and schedule emails.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $25 - $50 per hour
- Industry/Category: Email Marketing
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 6-8 weeks
- Successful Examples: ConvertKit, Sendinblue, Moosend
48. E-commerce Product Mockups Web App
Background:
Showcasing products in various styles and use cases makes it simple for customers to understand the usage and makes it compelling for the eyes.
However, not everyone can shoot so many pictures of the products. That’s where product mockups come into play.
The Idea:
Design product mockups for the E-commerce industry. If it interests you, go on building a web app allowing users to select from a range of product mockups for their stores.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $50 - $100 per unit design
- Industry/Category: Mockup Design
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 6-8 weeks
- Successful Examples: Placeit, SmartMockups, Renderforest
49. Membership Management Software for Sports Clubs
Background:
As people are getting more interested in playing sports, they join sports clubs to be regular.
But it’s quite a task for sports club managers to manually keep into account the info of all the club members.
A software development student can help sports club managers with just that.
The Idea:
Start a membership management service for sports clubs, recording their members’ info. Once you get familiar with all the details, convert it into a SaaS model.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $2000 - $5000 per club
- Industry/Category: SaaS, Sports
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 8-10 weeks
- Successful Examples: Omnify, SportMember, Springly
50. Digital Sports Magazine
Background:
Print media is declining worldwide year by year, as people are introduced to smartphones.
Especially students, don’t read newspaper every day or page by page. They just look out for their favorite news.
With this trend, curating industry-specific news and directly shipping it to users through a niche-specific magazine is a game changer.
The Idea:
Build and ship a digital magazine for sports fanatics, racking up their favorite news of a niche sport.
Factsheet:
- Earning Potential: $5 - $25 per unit
- Industry/Category: Books, Info-product
- Possible Business Model/s: Subscription-based
- MVP Build Time: 4-6 weeks
- Successful Examples: SportsIllustrated, Slam
Winding Up
These days, no-code tools are smashing the high cost (of starting up) entry barrier. You don't need hefty bank accounts or expensive startups.
But you shouldn't confuse side hustles for easy jobs or some quick money making schemes.
You have to sneak in some time from your schedule to dedicate to your side hustle, be disciplined, show up daily, and only then you can expect good returns.
If you've got the drive and determination, it's entirely possible to make at a few extra thousand bucks per month as a student, through side hustling alone.
You may also check out this list of most successful small business ideas if you’re looking for more low investment high profit small business ideas.
Can’t wait to see you getting started with your business!
Happy hustling :)
