25 Best Self-Employed Business Ideas for Students (Low Budget)
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College is the safest place to start a business. You have low living costs (dorm/ramen), free wifi, and a huge network of potential customers (other students).
But you don’t have money.
That’s fine. The best businesses in 2025 are “Service Arbitrage” businesses. They cost $0 to start.
Here is the list, categorized by skill.
The “Tech Savvy” Bucket
- Notion Consultant: Build “Student Planner” templates and sell them on Gumroad.
- Website Fixer: Don’t build sites. Offer to fix broken sites for local cafes.
- App Tester: Use UserTesting.
- Tech Helper: Charge $50/hour to help professors figure out Zoom/PowerPoint.
- Discord Mod: Manage communities for NFT/Crypto projects (Paid in ETH/USDC).
The “Creative” Bucket
- Thumbnail Artist: Youtubers are desperate for good thumbnails. Charge $20/image.
- TikTok Editor: Edit long podcasts into 60s clips.
- Slide Deck Designer: Make boring presentations look Silicon Valley-tier.
- Voiceover Artist: You have a mic? Use Fiverr.
- Resume Writer: You are good at writing? Fix your classmates’ resumes.
The “Campus Life” Bucket
- Moving Helper: Help freshmen move their boxes.
- Cleaner: Clean dorm rooms after parties. (High demand!).
- Line Stander: Wait in line for food/tickets for rich students.
- Laundry Service: “I will wash and fold your laundry for $20”.
- Textbook Flipper: Buy low at end of semester, sell high at start.
The “Digital” Bucket (High Scale)
- Newsletters: Curate news for a specific major (e.g., “The Psychology Weekly”).
- Drop Servicing: Find a client needing a logo for $100. Hire a designer for $50. Keep $50.
- Print on Demand: Design sarcastic college t-shirts. Upload to Redbubble.
- Virtual Assistant: Manage email for a busy professor.
- Translation: Fluency in a second language is money.
How to Choose?
Don’t overthink it. Use the “Saturday Morning Test”. What do you do on Saturday morning for fun?
- Scrolling TikTok? -> TikTok Editor.
- Organizing your planner? -> Notion Consultant.
- Gaming? -> Discord Mod.
What You Need to Start
You do NOT need an LLC. You do NOT need business cards. You need:
- A way to accept money (Stripe/Venmo).
- A landing page (Carrd.co is free).
- A first customer.
If you aren’t sure which one fits your schedule, take our Income Finder Quiz. It checks your free hours and suggests the best fit.
Stop planning. Start selling.
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