It is a wonderful feeling to be young and be your own boss. Nowadays, young people don’t wait to finish their university studies, marry, and settle down before thinking of starting a business. This generation is an era where young people focus on starting their own business even while in college. Any person who courageously decides to take that step and make such decision needs to be applauded and given the proper support and guidance. As gleeful as it is to become a young entrepreneur even while in college, if not handled carefully and properly, it may turn out as a problem for you. There are certain things you should do and things you should not do when starting your business while in college. I would be listing 6 tips for starting a business while in college.
- Planning
Planning is everything in business. Before you start your business, plan it adequately. What you will sell, how you would go about the sale, how you would be able to cope with your business and education in a way that there would be no interference with either, how you will achieve your business goals and so on. Planning adequately before starting a business will help you run your business smoothly and avoid setbacks in future. You can as well formally write your business plan which will serve as a guide for you when you finally start your business.
- Prioritize
There is great need to prioritize your activities daily when you are a student and also a business person at the same time. Both aspects needs your attention (that’s your education and your business), so in order not to lack behind in any, you need to prioritize. You know the time you would be less busy in school like during holidays, breaks, or after a test and exam, in those times you can seriously pursue your business and focus on making sales and profit. However, in times when you’re preparing for a test, exam, or project, you need to focus on it and pay little attention to the other. In this way, you are not abandoning the other but you are giving your attention to what is in great need of it at that time. Prioritizing will help you focus on what needs to be focused on and accomplish what needs to be accomplished at the given time, thus helping you become successful in both your academics and business.
- Socialize
The university is a great place to start your business and make a lot of customers because the target market there is wide and easy to reach out to. However, not all people are successful in their business even in the university; one of the major cause of their business failure is their inability to socialize. Socializing means being open minded, free around people, friendly, outspoken, jovial, connected, and so on. This attributes will let you reach out to your fellow course mates and your lecturers in the university who are within your business’ target market. On the other hand, if you are afraid to socialize with people, you would remain unknown and likewise your business and you would not be able to attract customers to yourself. A socialite will always attract people to himself or herself and this is good for business.
- Grab opportunities
In the university, it is likely that you would meet different classes and types of people and you would be opportune to come across different opportunities that would be good for your career and business. Learn to grab these opportunities as they come. They have the potential to skyrocket you to a higher phase in the business world. Take opportunity to meet with people, to attend events, to participate in events, and to make acquaintances. Even if the person in question can’t help you, he or she may know someone who would be able to help you in your business field, so grab opportunities as they come to you.
- Start small
You are a student and would have so many needs to meet up with. You should consider starting your business in a small way and as time goes on when you start having customers, making sales, and getting opportunities, you can expand it little by little until you get to the point you want in your business. It is not wise to start your business in a grand way when you are still in school; there are a lot of problems that can associate with this, ranging from financial setbacks, lack of concentration in your education, envy from other students, and lots more. I give this advice to every young person that wants to start a business while in college- dream big, then start small and build that dream you saw for yourself and your business.
- Never give up
Another important advice you need as a student starting your business in the university is that you need to cultivate the ability to persevere and never give up. In all businesses, even for those entrepreneur that start their business outside school, it normally takes time for a business to grow and start yielding what it should. Don’t expect your business to grow overnight and start feeling pessimistic when you don’t see these expectations materializing in a short time. Cultivate the habit of patiently waiting, nurturing, and growing your business. Definitely with time everything would be fine. So cheer up, look forward and never give up as you start your business in this tender phase of your life.
In Summary
You have made a wonderful decision to start your business at this early stage in your life, and if you do the right things, there is a huge chance that you would excel in your education and business. Remember the tips to starting your business while in college- plan, prioritize, socialize, grab opportunities, start small, and never give up. If you follow these ideas and remain positive, you will definitely achieve this goal you have set for yourself. I hope this article has been helpful. Thanks for reading!
