Business at a College Campus

[SL2700]

I've been thinking of ideas for a business to run during the up coming school year. I'm not sure if I want to stick to a e-commerce or what. I've been looking around at the whole clothing/electronics selling on ebay from wholesalers and it looks like the market of that is saturated and risky. Then I looked at custom t-shirt business, which also looks very saturated in my area. So now I'm looking for some new ideas.. Couple opportunities, which might be an area to strike would be junk removal or grocery delivery services. But it might be tough to start up and get going. If anyone can help me with some direction that would be great.

[brianaaron]

i think you should consider ebay again, but not in the electronics area, too much large competition, consider another product

[JRayers]

Start a website about your passion and market that, post new content everyday and you can be making $1000 month from ads no trouble.

[Unreal030]

Why not use the opportunity of you being at college as your demographic? You will be surrounded by thousands of college students, they are all within a certain age range and so naturally, within reason, have similar tastes and preferences and mindsets. Lets not even go into the convenience of your home being your place of business, and it would also help you socially as you are thrusted into a new large group of people.

I too have been planning on starting a business at my college and exploiting my placement there. I was originally going to go with a dorm/apt supplies/grocery delivery business as I have caught word of it being sucessful and I can purchase software to streamline it. However I would have to look into that deeper with my entrepreneuship learning community leader once I arrive at college as the monthly expenses are somewhat high (reality being $800 startup and ...I believe $200 a month, which frankly I think I could cover without an issue through the way I plan on handling it, but I want to make sure I could cover the expenses and make a profit before doing so, and also draw up a business plan, maybe get a very small startup loan to easy the transition in and to the point of getting a steady stream of income, better safe then sorry after all, if I do pursue that particular idea and not another, I will most likely start my Sophomore year when I have better adjusted to college life.

If you would like to brainstorm ideas with me via instant messaging or through pm's or what have you, you are welcome to PM me on these boards. We would not be competing with each other and we both have the same conflict here.

Best of luck if you decide not to contact me.

[syia]

start at your college.. there is so many opportunities there.. trust me .. college students just love spending money.. but make sure your giving them a good reason to spend so

[DBeavers]

instead of focusing on the screen printed T-shirts is to look at the entire promotional advertising industry. T-shirts are just one category of a wide range of products that can carry a business or club name/logo/message. Instead of limiting yourself to T-shirts, consider USB memory sticks, back packs, can and zippered bottle insulators, mouse pads, cell phone cases, umbrellas (if you are in one of the wetter markets), laptop carrier sleeves or laptop backpacks, antenna toppers, and other unique products to carry a logo.

The promotional advertising field is the one media that has shown consistent growth over the past decade, approaching the $20 Billion landmark for annual sales. And instead of selling 1 T-shirt at a time, you could be selling 200 to 2000 ink pens, flyers (Frisbees aren't available with imprints), or can holders at a time.

The latest product count lists over 800K different products that can be logo'ed for advertising or identity purposes.

If your university isn't covered by CLC licensing, you can sell to the various student organizations, as well as the book store and university itself. Add in all the businesses around the campus looking to reach students, and you have a ready market within a concentrated area. If your university has contracted with CLC or their competitor to handle all licensing of their school name, mascot, and logo, you'll be restricted from using them on off-campus promotions. But, that is only a small niche market within your city.

If your degree is in one of the business fields, anything you do in the way of sales and marketing will add credibility to your diploma. And the business experience you gain will also help complete your education.

Dennis Bevers
BASSCO, Inc.

P.S. I sold advertising for the student newspaper during my 3 years in college. The education I received while learning on-the-job have benefited me well in the years since. You might check into your campus newspaper and see if they have a sales position open.

[eaglefly11]

I see what you mean about the saturation of certain compaines. However have you ever thought about a business that only cost you $9.00(the price of a burger and fries) and is affordable to all students at college? The explanation is simple. Some one signs up for $9.00 you make $7.00 and you keep going. This is something you can get a lot of college students interested in.
Here is the site to go to:
http://www.helpyourfuture.com

[youngmoneyblog]

I just did a post about this on my blog a couple of months ago. check it out:

http://www.promoneyblog.com/entrepre...eneur-projects

DBeavers is correct in saying that the promo industry is HUGE. You can make CRAZY money from it. I talk about it a bit in my blog post. Shoot me a comment/PM if you have questions

[Unreal030]

I see what you mean about the saturation of certain compaines. However have you ever thought about a business that only cost you $9.00(the price of a burger and fries) and is affordable to all students at college? The explanation is simple. Some one signs up for $9.00 you make $7.00 and you keep going. This is something you can get a lot of college students interested in.
Here is the site to go to:
http://www.helpyourfuture.com

He wants to have a real job, and you should find one too while your at it.

[webbie]

Have you figured out what type of business you're going to start?

I've thought about starting a business for a long time, and though it's not much, I just started one with an advertising revenue based model. I think the point is to just start somewhere, so a year from now, you won't believe how far you've come.

As for what TYPE of business to start, there are so many opportunities it can be overwhelming. You should think of five, deliberate the pros and cons, and pick the best one.

Personally, I'm capitalizing on the "college cuties" market. Hot or not.com makes almost 2 million a year in advertising revenue. I hope to some day capture just a small segment of the "hottie contest" market.

[eaglefly11]

He wants to have a real job, and you should find one too while your at it.

For your information I have a "REAL JOB" and am working my way to retiring with this home based business. If you could see you would join me at this site.

[Unreal030]

Then with all due respect I would suggest redesigning your main page. It looks like those other million sites that are little referral things or the like. Don't mean to jump the gun, I just am getting annoyed with the spam on this site. Please except my apology.

[jayk]

Start a website about your passion and market that, post new content everyday and you can be making $1000 month from ads no trouble.

this the best way to go and although many people are doing it, you can still find a niche!

[Hovey]

This might depend on how your college is set up. If people drive a lot or walk long distances to go to parties, you can try a taxi-like service that will bring them home safely from parties or bars and avoid them from driving drunk. Get some friends to employ and you can get a bunch of shuttles going from parties to bars and back to school safely. Just a thought..plus drunk kids will probably pay you more than they would if they were sober..

[bopa media]

i actually just started a thread about a business for college students check it out, it's basically a franchise that any businessminded colelge student should be able to run and make some good money