College Business Ideas

[steveo10vt]

Currently I am a student at Virginia Tech (an essentially all student town exists around the campus w/ approximately 35000 people)
I'm interesting in starting a business of sorts this year while at college. Any ideas which could be popular with the college crowd would be creatly appreciated. I have a decent amount of financial backing that can be put into the project.

I am thinking of attempting to orchestrate a website in which people can subscribe for x dollars a semester. By subscribing they are able to view videos of all class lectures over the semester allowing them to essentially skip classes if they are at inopportune times. Obviously I have to qc it with the dean and teachers, but do you think this could be a profitable industry. Any comments would be helpful regarding either statement.

[smbizgirl]

anything to do with beer and sex...maybe the two together somehow loll. Your idea seems great tho! When i was in school some professors would put their lecture notes online and it was great when you couldn't make it! There are profs out there tho that do not do it...and if you were offering to notes so they didn't have to get out of bed...youd make 1000s. lol

[Elsoft]

I dont think thats going to work out,my feeling though.Students pay fee to attend the class,Im not sure how many of them will pay again and that too for videos of the lecture.You can think of something like a project website may be,wherein industry/companies can post student projects and students apply to them through your website.You have better scope for monetization as well.Because students get exposure and helps them with their career and firms can build their image with students and in fact save costs as well.

[steveo10vt]

Thanks for your thoughts both of you.
Elsoft, thanks for the idea, something of that nature is definitely possible and I'm going to dedicate some hours to figuring out exactly how to potentially distinguish a website of that nature from the job fairs that visit Virginia tech. There is definitely some potential customers in the small scale engineering firms looking to upgrade to Tech graduates.
Thanks again/good luck to you on your entrepreneurial adventures.

[Elsoft]

You are welcome and I wish you the very best with your endeavours.Do keep us updated on your progress,we will be happy to know and may be someone else can draw inspiration to get started.

[Giveaways4rs]

That would work, but maybe, instead of having to subscribe, pay per lecture, or do that and have a subscription feature?

[benzz]

Alcohol delivery

[ksam]

I think the idea is sound but practically it would be very difficult to accomplish. Not many professors would allow you to videotape them when they're teaching. If you can find a way to get the videos this could be a good business.

[crowdlanced]

Your idea reminds me of an episode on either Dragon's Den or Shark Tank (the American version), where 2 college entrepreneurs just like you created a business to have students sign up and exchange or purchase quality notes from fellow students. They divided into Colleges, and then courses. The idea is study notes from top students are really useful, and college students skip classes a lot (you know it!) and they need a way to make it up.

I think the video idea might work. Many professors allow you to video tape it, just take a look at Yale University's open courses, video taped through the semester and made available to everyone

pro: niche market, there are quite some firms in the notes and assignment help arena, the video thing is refreshing
con: more difficult to get the materials, but materials will have higher quality, also its more complicated to host videos than buying notes

Hope that helps

[GeroCumbo]

Hello all, this is my first post and I find this topic very interesting. I am in college at this moment taking Business, and I get special permission to record my professor’s lectures. I am allowed to record voice only because let’s just say “I learn differently than other students”

Anyways I had to sign a confidentiality agreement with the school, and then the school gives me a note that I take to my Professors. I have had a professor say no I am not allowed to use the recorder in class, (I am not going to publish the outcome) let’s just say I didn’t tape the class.

So what I am trying to get at is that I don’t know how a college will allow a business to tape a lecture on their campus, and turn around and charge their students for the content. Because when it comes down to it you are a competitor. Furthermore I think that when students are not attending class, it is good for business because the students need to pass that mandatory class. So now the student pays double the tuition for that class in return double $$ for the college.

Also you’re competing with online education in a way. So maybe find professors and/or experts, and create courses with video lectures to go along with the course. This will give your business a unique selling point, because if video lectures are not in the market you will be the first. If you are first in with video, and start to take market share from and of the established online learning institutes; then I see them following your lead fast, so that could be a problem to plan for.

I hope you like my first post. I tried to give my honest opinion and even provided a possible alternative. Take care

[classifacts]

Your idea will probably work and would be profitable but counter check on the legality and the technicality of it. All the best to you

[BarbaraKParker]

The danger about this is that some students might skip classes entirely etc...

[MissedOps]

If you get the school's approval without them taking your idea, I think that could be a home run. Protect yourself before you go into great detail. You only have to prove you had the idea before they did.
There is a website I have used in the past that puts a time stamp on your idea and keeps it on file for a minimal fee...I don't have the web address but I'm sure you can google it.

[CharlieB]

Alcohol delivery

Would you need a license for this or if you just sell from your room or car would it be fine? Would you get a license if other bars on campus have got licenses?

[sheenwest012]

Do you have the license to create such a website like that? I know you really need it or else the dean and professors will be mad at you. But that was a really good idea. I hope for your success.

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Sheen @ business idea