Starting a business for busy college students can be a tall order. As they have to juggle a number of college responsibilities, assignments, and essays, it is challenging to start and build a business that will meet demand and be competitive. Nevertheless, studies have found that 72% of high school students want to start their own business someday.
If you are one of them, we have some good news for you. If you are considering a new business activity, you won’t have to reinvent the wheel. There’s a lot of experience shared by other students and summarized by business experts for you to heed. Take a look at our tips on how to make the most of the best advice out there.
- Carve out your niche
This is an important consideration for any business of any scale. As you contemplate entering a market, think hard about what your niche will be in that market.
Think of these and similar questions. Do you have a product that is different from its equivalents? Are you focusing on the speed of your service? Is the quality of your product your trump card?
- Identify and fill knowledge gaps
There will be lots of things you won’t know. Be honest about your knowledge gaps. Expect your learning curve to be steep. Take online courses, talk to other students, and make adjustments as you go.
Don’t hesitate to seek help when you need it. This is like looking for the websites that write essays for you when you do not feel confident you can write them well. If in doubt, it’s always better to ask professionals for assistance.
- Market research
You need to do some kind of a market survey to understand the type and range of similar products or services. Based on your research and the analysis of its findings, you can determine how competitive you can be. It will also help decide on your price range.
Analyze risks and ways of their mitigation. There’s no such thing as a risk-free business. Think of a worst-case scenario and assess your capacity to manage it.
- Be organized and disciplined
When you want to start business as a student, you need to make a firm commitment. No matter how busy you are with your studies, you need to set aside several hours a day to attend to your business. Don’t allow any slip-ups or procrastination. You can’t expect your business to flourish if you are not disciplined and organized about its management.
- Build your network and choose partners
You need a broad range of contacts to be successful. Not all data and information is available online. More often than not, you need first-hand views and assessments and face-to-face contact to be successful. Therefore, build both your virtual and physical networks.
Choose your business partners carefully. Trust matters in business. While you should give people the benefit of the doubt, trust those with your money who have already proven they can walk the talk.
Bottom Line
With almost 61% percent of high school students planning to start a business right out of college, you might as well be one of them. Make sure you base your decision on facts and figures. Be clear on your goals and the difference you will be making with your product or service on the market to make your undertaking successful.
*****Joanne Elliot has been consulting student start-ups for over a decade. As a business consultant and professional writer working with Top Writers Review, she has been providing online reviews of the top business opportunities for students. Joanne’s followers particularly value her business acumen and unconventional approach to building successful companies.
