You've enrolled in post-secondary education.

Brava and congratulations.

College students know very well that education comes with a price tag.

Rising tuition fees-textbooks-living expenses-the list of costs associated with college is never-ending.

Add to the mix the realization that you are going to be saddled with ludicrous student loans and your cortisol levels may go into overdrive.

Only the promise of landing your dream job that pays six figures a year keeps your financial fears at bay.

But what if there was a way for you to minimize your financial strain now?

What if you could utilize a business concept and earn money while you study?

Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates pulled it off so why not you?

We have compiled a list of small business ideas for college students that not only allow you to continue with your studies but offer financial security while you complete your degree.

Business ideas sure to procure monetary compensation and minimize financial pressures.

Before we get going let me give you the low down on my story.

If you influence any social media platform, you have something small business owners want.

An audience.

Companies are willing to cough up serious coin to access that audience.

Some of the hot trends being promoted on social media in 2021 are:

This article lists successful brands and a more detailed description of how and why they are profitable.

By promoting a businesses products or events, you are essentially doing what you do every day.

Posting on social media.

The only difference now is that you have a marketing strategy and an expectation to get eyes on goods and services you are promoting.

If this small business idea for college students interests you and fits your personality and lifestyle, you stand to earn a hefty compensation for your efforts.

Check out this article on how to leverage and make money with social media like Instagram and YouTube.

Determine what you want to sell and set it up so that your system runs by itself-creating a passive income stream.

With so many alternatives, consider top trending virtual and digital products for 2021 like:

Figure out where your strengths lie and how much time you're willing to invest without compromising your studies.

If you're a writer-think e-books, courses, manuals, etc.

Fitness geek-consider online subscriptions, live streaming, etc.

Master coder-get in on the app development scene.

This article offers some great tips  and sellable strategies to help you create a virtual business and start making money.

Web design is the 'artsy' bit of building an online presence.

Think content-graphic design-user friendly sites that are functional and look pretty.

Web development is a little more complicated.

We're talking about the back end of sites in addition to the good-looking pages.

Coding skills, an understanding of SEO and the tricks of the trade required to leverage Google and rank sites at the top of the search engines.

If you can master that you are looking at an extremely profitable business venture.

No matter what angle you choose, there is money in website design and development.

The key is niche specialization.

Offer something the competition doesn't.

Coaching sports is one of the best small business ideas for college students that are athletically inclined and enjoy giving back to their community.

College athletes are a stone's throw away from being a professional, and parents can appreciate the talent, time, and effort of a great coach.

You can charge by the child-hour-or session to secure substantial pay-outs with little time taken from your studies.

Parents are looking for a coach that has a few distinct qualities, including:

Or you could ref sports as per this post.

Provide 1:1 instruction, online/virtual training options, or a combination of any of the above to fully capitalize on this advantageous business idea.

Valued at over $97 million globally, the tutoring market is predicted to be worth an estimated $177,621 million by 2026 as per this publication.

Again-the key is niche-specific.

Whether you opt to focus on SAT prep, core elementary subjects, or secondary education options, there is money-and competition-with this small business idea for college students.

Determine your ideal target market-get your name out there and build your brand and client base as per this article.

Adding to the mix is a new player on the scene.

Online tutoring was already gaining momentum, but with the whole COVID-19 situation, the demand for online tutors has vaulted to astronomical levels.

Currently worth $6333.3 million and growing at a CAGR of 6.2% in 2021, virtual classrooms have become the new normal.

There are benefits to both options such as:

When the product is sold, the company manufacturing the item is notified and ships it directly to the consumer.

Simple and extremely lucrative, this post is a case study showing how I made some serious money with dropshipping from just one product.

But we all know that anything that makes money requires effort-at least upfront.

You need to build and leverage your website so people interested in purchasing the products you sell can find you.

Check out this article I posted recently, breaking down step-by-step how to be successful with dropshipping.

The challenges with generating consistent profits through dropshipping include:

It's no secret that I made a ton of money with dropshipping.

Get your process ironed out there's no limit to your profitability.

But for me-I got annoyed relying on distributors that weren't always consistent.

The run-around and customer service issues began to tax my patience.

These facts made me doubly glad that I had discovered this program online back in 2014.

I had never seen anything so comprehensive.

Training so straightforward and easy to follow.

Six simple steps and a bit of hustle and you're on your way to financial freedom.

Lead generation has consistently achieved earnings for me far exceeding my profits with dropshipping.

Offering an opportunity to go into over 400 niches anywhere in the world and create websites that I ranked leveraging Google.

With the strategies outlined in this program I catapulted my annual gross profit margins to heights I had never been able to achieve with dropshipping.

This article I wrote offers a more extensive explanation of the difference between lead generation and dropshipping and why I am now all in with the lead gen business model.

A decidedly competitive market, the photography industry is worth an estimated $11 billion.

The demand for freelance photographers is driven by higher per capita disposable income and corporate advertisement spending, and there's room for some fresh talent.

Decide what you like to photograph and make that your specialty.

Top contenders in the photography niche for 2021 include:

This post offers different style trends for 2021 that may be of interest to you.

If you would prefer to have more flexibility, consider selling your photos to stock imagery sites like Envato, Adobe Stock, or Shutterstock.

You could also opt for weekend and evening online tutorials, workshops, lessons, etc. to maximize profitability or as an alternative to this small business idea for college students.

This publication offers some suggestions on how to start a freelance photography business you may find helpful.

Hourly rates are sitting at $45+ or by-word options equaling .75-$1.00/word as per this post.

You wouldn't need to take much time away from your studies to generate a steady income with this business idea for students.

You don't even need to go to the trouble of creating a website-unless you want to of course.

Potential clients can be found in places like:

College campuses are full of desperate and determined souls who need a hand landing the best grade possible. 

This post provides some excellent strategies for starting and generating substantial profits with a proofreading and editing service.

Don't sell yourself short 'just because you're a college student.'

If you possess strength in a particular field and can help people achieve their goals, you have the foundation necessary to act as a consultant.

Consider things like:

Focus on your strengths.

What you excel in and have a proven level of expertise.

Determine your niche.

Connect with your ideal target market through social media platforms, a website, and current client reviews.

Like any industry-a few bad apples have left a sour taste in the mouths of people burned by consultants historically.

Transparency, fair pricing, and an ability to prove you're worth your salt will go a long way with this business idea for college students.

If you know your stuff, there are a plethora of opportunities to make a substantial profit with consulting.

Check out this post on how to start a consulting firm for more information and practical suggestions.

You and your friends can create and mass produce merchandise or hook up with wholesale distributors or affiliate partners like invisibledefenders.com-for example-who specialize in PPE equipment.

Determine your target market and what they are looking to buy.

You have a massive conglomerate of potential buyers at your fingertips.

Figure out what your fellow students will pay for and supply it hassle-free.

A few of the top trending ideas for college students in 2021 as per this post are:

You can incorporate pop-up shops into the mix for even greater outreach.

Decide your selling style.

Determine your product and do the work at the front end to establish a well-oiled wheel that will generate impressive ROIs.

This post offers examples of varying styles and additional information on how to sell products for profit.

The cleaning industry is one of the most lucrative small business ideas for college students available.

Sweeping in revenues in the USA of $5,725 million, you may want to seriously consider a suggestion that only requires a mop, pail, and a bit of muscle.

Startup costs are next to nothing-especially if you request that customers supply all cleaning products for their dorm room or rental pad.

Get the word out about your service on places like:

You will need a vendor's license and DBA (Doing Business As) registration at a minimum, which you can learn more about here.

But if you can build a client base, you can outsource cleaning gigs to other students looking to make some cash and skim a percentage of their earnings as a finders fee.

This article gives the low-down on how to start a cleaning service.

Sure there are the usual suspects like GrubHub and UberEats.

But think outside the box.

You could offer delivery services for things like:

You could even offer to deliver items from one student dorm to others across campus, saving students time and aggro.

All you need is a bike or vehicle, a way to carry items, and a customer base.

Post your services on campus social media platforms, put up flyers in dorms and other high-traffic areas, online, etc. to generate a buzz and build your business.

This post offers suggestions on how to start a delivery service.

If you offer fair pricing and delivery services for articles not serviced on campus, it won't take long to generate substantial profits with this small business idea for college students.

Check out this article for inspiration to get the entrepreneurial juices flowing.

Sure some parents will help or hire professional movers.

But what if you and a couple of your friends were to offer an on-campus moving crew?

The moving industry is worth an estimated $18 billion in the United States and has seen a consistent CAGR of 3% since-like forever.

This small business idea for college students wouldn't take a lot of money to get going.

All you really need is a truck and some muscle.

Even if you opted to rent a truck or U-Haul for days that students are looking to move, you could add that into your cost breakdown and still generate profits.

Promote your services and focus on the benefits of hiring movers as outlined in this article which includes:

Depending on the number of moves you and your crew can facilitate in a day will determine your profit margins.

Check out this publication for additional suggestions on how to start a moving company.

Check out this post on how to build a rental marketplace to generate some serious coin.

Students may not want to sell used textbooks and sports equipment, but they may be inclined to rent gear they're not currently using to make a little extra cash.

Students can post anything and everything, but some of the rental categories might include things like:

You need to be detail-oriented and able to work under tight deadlines.

But if you have the talent and the time, you could create a website in addition to leveraging social media platforms to sell your services.

Some suggestions for your ideal client include:

This article offers concrete steps on how to start a transcription service.

Alternatively, while you are building your client base, you could land some gigs on sites like speakwrite, transcribeme, and 1888typeitup.

Digital marketing is wielding the internet, social media platforms, and additional channels to influence potential customers to purchase a business' goods or services.

Advertising in the digital market alone is worth an estimated $136,000 million in the USA.

If you can provide evidence to support that your systems work, your services will be in high demand in this increasingly competitive industry.

Enlist friends to do the stuff that you don't excel at so you can offer even more services to potential clients.

You can find possible clients on platforms like:

Figure out your niche and where your strengths lie.

Pitch your strategies and build a reputation for over-delivering.

This post offers some excellent advice on how to start a digital marketing business.

Part of me is a tad jelly of your age and ability to start something this massive so early on in your entrepreneurial quest.

I had graduated and was working full time when I found this course in 2014.

Not that it matters really.

I just got after it.

I mean really doubled down and devoured the comprehensive online training.

Training so detailed that it was simple to follow and apply what I learned.

This program showed me exactly how to produce websites and leverage Google until those sites were sitting at the top of the search engines.

This tree site was one of my first attempts at lead generation and is still making me over $2000/month six years later.

You can go into any industry, in any city, anywhere in the world and build websites that generate leads for small business owners.

This course teaches you how to rank your sites so that the leads come in consistently.

Giving you tangible evidence to use as a negotiation strategy when you start selling those leads to business owners.

You own the websites.

You own the leads.

You sell those leads in any style you want.

Pay-per lead-flat fee-commission-rev-share-arbitrage-up to you.

Iron out the details with your business owner and watch the money come in month after month like clockwork.

Your college years are some of the best of your life.

Enjoy every minute.

Study hard and do well.

For those with an entrepreneurial spirit, I hope that one of these small business ideas for college students resonates with your talents and lifestyle.

Wishing you all the very best.

Hats off to you and good luck.