Being broke in college has long been a part of the experience. For most, this is your first time away from home. While being broke in college has long been treated as a part of the experience, it does not have to be your path. It is now easier than ever to have a productive side hustle while making good grades and maintaining a social life. Let’s look at three side hustles that can make you money that can radically elevate your time in college and give you a leg up afterwards.

Building Influence

If you are in your last couple years of college, this side hustle is perfect. You don’t have to be a glowing model or on scholarship for D1 athletics to build an influencer account. In fact, you don’t have to have a giant social life to build your own brand. The beauty of this side hustle is that you get to be yourself and build a brand around your current interests.

For example, say you are a fashion major and believe that vintage clothing beats out any current trends available. Take out your phone and film yourself finding epic thrift items and teach people how to pair them with other items they may already own. If you are a political science major, give people your view on the latest issue.

The key to succeeding here is simple- do not fake who you are for more followers or the possibility of a brand deal. This side hustle can take some time to truly build out and make money. Do not stress out if you are working on this hustle for a while and the earnings aren’t flowing. This path of income is highly competitive and it could take a minute to stand out among the masses. The beauty of this hustle is that if you do it right, you can make money with it for the rest of your life!

Digital Marketing

If you have an ounce of creative capabilities, this hustle is by far the easiest. All you need is a bit of time and the willingness to learn. Digital marketing encapsulates a vast expanse of difference avenues. The easiest one to start with is social media. Brands at all levels need someone to help promote their business. If a business does not have social media, chances are that most people have never heard of them or have trust issues when it comes to their product. This is where you come in.

The easiest way to get started is going to your favorite social media platform and look at all of the local businesses in your area. Look at what type of posts the company has or does not have (both are very telling) and the frequency in which they are posting. Once you have a list of companies, check to see if they have any other followings on your next two favorite apps. Armed with this information, you can now develop a plan for what to offer them. The key to winning is playing the long game. Don’t be astronomical in your pricing up front. You could possibly even do the work for free as a trial run to see how you like working with the brand and as proof that you can take the brand forward. Even if the brand does not want to work further with you, you now have proof to take to other places and showcase what you are capable of accomplishing for them.

Affiliate Marketing

This is one of the EASIEST hustles to START. If you have $100 bucks, you can change your life with this endeavor. We all have something we are experts in. From the sports we played in high school to the music we know every word to, we have something we know more about than the next person. Take that knowledge and make some money with it!

Here’s what you can do to start your affiliate adventure at a low cost to you. Think of a name for your blog and check if the URL is available. From there, start a Shopify site by clicking the link below. Once you purchase your URL, set up your site around your niche and start writing! To make money google your niche followed by the words affiliate program. Find ones that align with what you are trying to accomplish. Once you’re approved the brands will give you instructions on how to plug their product in your posts so that you can get paid. It’s a few step to get started but super simple to keep running. With this plan you have the ability to make money at scale even while you sleep.

Conclusion

No one made it to the top of their game by chance. Every single one of these side hustles requires som level of effort. However, there is not a single one that takes a lot of money to get started. Whether you want to be an influencer or build an affiliate empire, there will be quite a bit of upfront work to get started. To elevate your experience to the clouds, you must be willing to get your hands in the dirt and build your stairs to get there. We’ll see you at the top.

Disclaimer

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