Are you a college student looking to make some money? It’s not always easy to get a regular job while also in college and trying to dive deep into studying. But today it’s definitely doable as there are so many ways to make money in college in your spare time!

Become a Tutor

This is probably the most obvious one but I still wanted to mention it as there are lots of tutoring jobs (both online and in-person) out there and you may also find people to tutor right at your college.

The best part of being a tutor is that you don’t have to worry about traveling or going to strangers’ homes because there are many online tutoring jobs available right now (if that’s your preference).

Where can you find tutoring jobs?

Tutor.com and Preply are great places to start for online tutoring.

Tutor.com’s service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and you can create a schedule that works best for you. You can tutor as few as 5 hours a week and as many as 29 hours a week, and you can change your scheduled hours as needed on a weekly basis. You can also pick up unscheduled sessions in your spare time.

Preply is another great website to find tutoring jobs. You can search job postings, set your own schedule, and set your own hourly pay rate.

For in-person tutoring look for job postings on campus or on your school’s website. You can also post flyers offering your services as well.

APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

One of the most overlooked and best ways to make money in college is to apply for scholarships each and every year of college!

Don’t stop applying once you get in. You want to keep applying all throughout college and get the most money possible.

While most people associate scholarships with paying tuition, that isn’t necessarily the only thing for which the funds can be used. Sure, some scholarships are restricted to tuition only, but many can be used for other school-related expenses.

Scholarships can not only cover classes but books, software, room & board, food, and so much more.

Some scholarship money is paid directly to the student so they can use it in any way that supports their education. Other money is sent to the school and the school will cut you a check for the unused portion in most cases or give you a credit for the next semester.

When I was in college I was cut a check each semester when money wasn’t used and I was able to use that money to pay for all of my miscellaneous college expenses.

And it’s this potential for flexibility that makes getting as much as you can in scholarship awards really worth the effort. It is probably the best ROI out of any of these in this list if done right and consistently.

If you have no clue about scholarships or how they work I highly recommend you check out The Scholarship System’s free webinar, “6 Steps to Quickly Secure Scholarships for College.”

Deliver Food

You’re probably already familiar with this way to make money but I wanted to make sure to add it to the list. I like the option to deliver food because of the fact that it’s super flexible and you can earn a good amount of money doing it in your extra time whenever you want.

So where do you find food delivery jobs? Below are a few of the more popular companies you can apply to become a driver for.

• UberEats
• DoorDash
• Grub Hub

Drive People Around

Do you have access to a reliable car and wouldn’t mind driving people around whenever you need extra money? Consider becoming a freelance rideshare driver.

Where do you find driving jobs? Companies to apply to be a driver for include:

• Lyft
• Uber

Make Money Shopping for Others

Like to shop? You can shop for others and get paid as a shopper on your own time as often as you like. This can be a fun one to do and it can be done on your own schedule.

There are many companies out there that you can sign up for but I will list the most popular below so that you can check them out.

Sign up to be a shopper with these companies:

• Instacart
• Shipt
• Postmates

Babysit

You did it when you were 14, why not try it again? Babysitting can be a great way to make money whenever you need it.

You can utilize sites like Care.com to find families who need sitters in your area or ask your friends and family if they need one.

Become a Caregiver

Similar to babysitting, caregiving can be a great rewarding way to earn money. Take care of seniors or other people in need of a caregiver and make some money on your own schedule.

This one is near and dear to my heart as I was a caregiver for years and highly recommend everyone do it for at least a short period of time. You will get so much out of it!

You can find these types of jobs on Care.com as well.

Walk or Sit for Pets

Love animals? Would you want to walk them? House sit for them? Check-in on them and get paid to do it?

You can do all of these and more as a way to make money. Find pet-related jobs on Care.com and Rover.com or ask around as you may have friends who need this service.

This is definitely a fun one for pet lovers!

Do Internet-Based Research & Evaluation

Ok, this may sound more complicated than it is but it’s actually quite simple.

Get paid to evaluate search engine results and more at APPEN.

I was an independent agent for Leapforce At Home (Now APPEN) about 5 years ago. As an independent agent, you will conduct in-depth internet-based research and provide information evaluation for leading companies from around the globe.

All you need to be an evaluator is high-speed internet access, a personal computer running Google’s free Chrome web browser, version 31 or higher and up to date anti-virus and anti-spyware software (subject to change).

Keep in mind there is a qualification process. Their basic requirements are that you have excellent web research skills and analytical abilities and excellent comprehension and written communication skills but to become an APPEN independent agent, you are required to take and pass a qualification exam.

They have other part-time flexible jobs as well that you can check out. If you’re interested in working for APPEN, you can check them out here.

Become a Mystery Shopper

Yes, they’re real, and I’ve been on and off mystery shopping for years now.

Mystery shopping usually involves doing things you’re already going to do like going shopping and going out to eat etc.

A mystery shopper is a person who visits an establishment (typically a retail store, bank, restaurant, or other such places where the public does business) for the purpose of observing and measuring customer service, product quality,, and the environment of the establishment in general.

Shoppers serve as the eyes and ears for those clients as part of their efforts to enhance the quality of the customer experience.

If you want to find out more about my experience as a mystery shopper, you can read my article here. The article helps you choose legit companies to work for and I also mention how to avoid scams such as check cashing scams etc. One tip is to make sure the company is legit by searching for them on MSPA .

You may also want to check out this highly rated book on Amazon that gives you all the insider tips on mystery shopping.

I do want to mention however that in most cases you won’t earn a lot of money with mystery shopping but you will get some nice dinners and items out of it.

Become a Virtual Assistant

This is another great way for students in college to make money. Many entrepreneurs use virtual assistants to do tasks for them. It can be anything from handling their emails, monitoring their Facebook groups, scheduling meetings, and much more.

Being a virtual assistant is a great way to earn some extra cash. If you’re not sure what services to offer check out this free list of 150 VA Services. You are sure to find services that fit your experience.

You can also check out this course on becoming a virtual assistant called 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success.

If the idea of being a virtual assistant seems a bit overwhelming as to what areas to focus on then why not try specializing in one area?

Love Podcasts? How about assisting podcasters with their businesses? Check out this FREE WORKBOOK from Podcast Assist for what you can offer!

Love Pinterest? Why not assist business owners with their Pinterest accounts? You can learn all about it in this free workshop.

BECOME A FREELANCE WRITER

If you like to write and writing comes easily to you then this is a great way to make money! I know a ton of bloggers who hire freelance writers to help them out with their content so they are in high demand.

Not sure what to write about? Check out this FREE list of 200+ niches (and sub-niches) to choose from to help you decide.

OR you can just freelance on multiple topics and look for jobs on sites like Upwork and Freelancer.com.

Questions? Comments? Leave them below!

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This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here

HOW TO START AN ONLINE Boutique

Thinking about starting an online boutique? If so you’re in the right place! I reached out to Raquel from Start a Boutique From Zero to Launch to see if I could pick her brain on this topic and she said yes!

She was gracious enough to answer all my questions and share some great tips and she is also offering a free workshop for those of us who want to learn even more about starting a boutique.

Let’s get right into the interview with Raquel!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a boutique owner?

I’m Raquel and I first became interested in owning my own boutique business as a foreign exchange student in Mexico. A friend’s mom owned two boutiques there and would take me on buying trips to Mexico City with her where I fell in love with the whole process of owning a boutique.

After I returned to the U.S., I attended fashion school in Los Angeles to become a Technical Designer and is how I saved up money to start my very first online boutique in 2006 at the age of 23.

My online boutique quickly expanded to a brick and mortar location 6 months later in my hometown in Wisconsin and another location a year after that.

For the last 8 years, I have been coaching and consulting other new and current boutique owners on how to start and scale their own thriving boutique business.

For us newbies, what is a boutique?

By definition, a boutique is “a small store selling fashionable clothes or accessories”. Boutique is also the French word for “shop”.

How much does it cost to start an online boutique?

This is such a great question, but also a very relative question that really depends on a few factors. 1) What items you will be selling. 2) Your budget. And 3) If you plan to use paid advertising as your marketing plan.

That being said, I still like to give people an idea of how much it can cost to get started. Say for example you want to start a dropshipping boutique where you don’t handle any inventory. Since you’re not investing in inventory, your start-up costs could be as low as $500 including advertising costs to get started.

If you plan to start an inventory-based online boutique, expect to invest a few thousand dollars (of course this again depends on your product – if you were only selling costume jewelry that costs $1.00/piece wholesale, that’s a huge difference to clothing where the price can be $15+/piece.)

I’ve also seen my clients do a mixture of these two online boutique models to maximize their budget as well.

How much can I make with an online boutique?

Really the opportunities are endless for an online boutique with a solid strategy and plan. It’s amazing to see some of the success from my students and clients.

One of my students, Shayna, came to me really wanting to increase her sales by trying some FB ad strategies. She went from making a few sales every few months to closing out this past month at almost $16,000!

How do I get inventory for my online boutique and how much should I start with?

The best place to go to source inventory as a first-time online boutique owner is to attend a tradeshow or market which is free for buyers.

These happen every few months in larger cities around the U.S. (and internationally). That way you are able to see the product first hand and really identify the brands that you want to carry in your online boutique.

When knowing how much to buy, I have my students and clients work backward from their sales and profit goals while also incorporating their budget using my Inventory Roadmap.

What products should I sell in my boutique?

Choose products that you’re passionate about. Owning a business isn’t always easy, so I’ve found that during these times is when the passion and love for my boutique really keep me going.

For example, don’t start a dog leash boutique if you have no passion for dogs. My most successful students and clients are passionate about what they’re selling in their boutiques and have a strong “why” for their boutique business.

What is the best way to build or get a website for my boutique?

I only teach and recommend Shopify to future online boutique owners. I’ve spent many years building many websites myself and Shopify really knocks it out of the park when talking about e-commerce web design and platforms.

Is there a license or permit required to start a boutique?

Yes, you will need to have a business license and seller’s permit to get started. Both of these can be applied for online and you will usually receive your license and permit within a few weeks.

Do you have some tips on how I can run a successful Boutique? Any tips or tricks of the trade?

My main piece of advice is to have a solid marketing plan. You can have the prettiest website with the most amazing products, but what good is that if your customers aren’t seeing it. I recommend having an organic traffic plan (for example – a blog on your website, Pinterest, etc.) and a paid marketing plan (for example FB and Instagram ads) both of which I teach inside my signature online course – Start a Boutique From Zero to Launch.

I also love cross-posting my products on different platforms like creating a FB group for my customers, Poshmark, etc. where my products can get more visibility.

Where can I find out more about starting an online boutique?

The best place to start is by watching my free instant access workshop, ‘5 First Steps to Start Your Online Boutique’. You will discover which type of online boutique is right for you, how to stock your online boutique, the #1 thing that causes new boutiques to fail in the first year and how to avoid it, and so much more! (You’ll also get a sneak peek of my online course, Start a Boutique From Zero to Launch!)

Thank you again Raquel for the awesome interview!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE FREE BUSINESS RESOURCES:

• The Small Business Roadmap
• The Small Business Start-Up Cost Guide

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here

Wondering how to make money without getting a job? There are so many ways to make money right now and you’re sure to find one that fits your circumstances.

I’ve personally tried a bunch of these and still do some now along with blogging to earn an income.

Sell Your Stuff (It’s Easier Than You Think)

There are so many ways to make money now online or off by selling your stuff. Many of us just have way too much and for what reason? Do you have clothes in your closet or in storage that you don’t wear? Do you have things you bought and never used?

A few years ago I started decluttering my home and have found that it’s not only freeing to get rid of stuff just taking up space but I’m making money doing it as well!

I’m currently selling my clothes on Poshmark (you can check out my experience here). I love it because they do everything for you including creating the shipping label and customer service. I walk you through the process of Selling on Poshmark.

Below are just some of the items I was able to sell on Poshmark.

Another great way to sell even more things is on eBay! If you’re intimidated by eBay (like I was), go ahead and grab the Free Beginners Guide to eBay created by my friends over at FleaMarketFlippers.

You can pretty much sell anything on eBay and reach a wide audience.

Flip Items for Profit

If you love to shop flea markets, thrift shops, or even online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp then this could be a great income earner for you.

I was able to interview a family who has made a full-time business out of buying and selling items (aka flipping).

No clue where to start or what flipping even means? Check out this Free 1 Hour Flipping Webinar.to learn how to flip items for profit! Sign up here.

Become an Amazon Seller

Ok, I swear this list isn’t all about selling but it’s a great way to get money fast so I’m going to mention one more way to sell things and make money.

Sell on Amazon! Amazon, as you know, is a trusted well-known marketplace where millions of people shop. You can become a seller on Amazon and sell products through their FBA program and make some extra money or even a full-time income like the family I interviewed here.

Check out the interview I did with Jessica from The Selling Family who teaches people how to make money selling on Amazon.

Do you want to learn how to open your Amazon account and start finding profitable inventory to sell? Check out this Free Amazon FBA Course to see if its something you would be interested in doing. Sign up here.

Rent Your Stuff

Did you know you can rent your spaces or even things out for money? Yup! You’ve probably heard of Airbnb for renting out your home or rooms in your home but there are so many more things you can rent out.

• Have a Motor Home, Pop-Up Camper, or Travel Trailer? Rent it out with RVshare and earn a good chunk of change while you’re not using them.
• Not using your car for periods of time? Rent out your car with services such as Turo.
• Extra space? Rent out your garage, shed, storage area, or extra space and make money using Neighbor.com.
• Anything else? Check out Fat Llama where you can rent out almost anything! I’ve seen people renting out everything from Playstations to Canoes.

Deliver Food

You’re probably already familiar with these but I wanted to make sure to add them to the list because they’re quick and easy ways to make money in your spare time without getting a job in the traditional sense.

Become a delivery driver and deliver food to people through the following sites:

• UberEats
• DoorDash
• Grub Hub

Drive People Around

Have a reliable car and wouldn’t mind driving people around whenever you need extra money? Consider becoming a freelance Rideshare driver.

Companies to apply to be a driver for:

• Lyft
• Uber

Shop for Others

I did a whole article on how to get paid to shop but I wanted to mention it here as well. You can shop for others and get paid as a shopper on your own time.

Sign up to be a shopper with these companies:

• Instacart
• Shipt ,
• Postmates

Babysit

You did it when you were 14, why not try it again? Babysitting can be a great way to make money whenever you need it. You can utilize sites like Care.com to find families who need sitters in your area.

Become a Caregiver

Similar to babysitting, caregiving can be a great rewarding way to earn money. Take care of seniors or other people in need of a caregiver and make some money on your own schedule.

You can find these types of jobs on Care.com as well.

Walk or Sit for Pets

Love animals? Would you want to walk them? House sit for them? Check-in on them and get paid to do it?

You can do all of these and more as a way to make money. Find pet-related jobs on Care.com and Rover.com.

Do Tasks for Other People

Like to help others out? You can do tasks for others and get paid for it! It could be simple tasks or more specialized work, there are so many possibilities.

Some Tasks You Could Do:

• Yard Work
• Running Errands
• Hanging Pictures
• Mounting a TV
• Painting
• House Cleaning
• Junk Removal
• Handyman Work
• and Much More!

How do you find people to do tasks for?

Check out sites like Handy.com, Thumbtack, and TaskRabbit and sign up as a tasker or pro to get access to a bunch of customers.

Become a Freelance Writer

Do you love writing? Get paid as a freelance writer and write for others. It’s a super flexible way to earn some extra money while working on your own schedule.

I personally do not love writing (why do I blog?) but I love helping others so I write on my blog to do just that. BUT if you love to write and are good at it, you can make some really great money in your spare time or as a full-time business.

If you’re interested in finding out how to become a freelance writer, check out 7 Steps to Become a Paid Freelance Writer for all the details.

Do Virtual Assistant Work

A virtual assistant basically means that you’re helping someone out from home (or anywhere) remotely. You have a service to offer (writing, scheduling, making phone calls, etc.), they are in need of your service and you make a deal to trade time (or task) for pay.

There are TONS of services that can fall under the VA or virtual assistant umbrella – services like social media, email or blog management, graphic creation, accounting… the list goes on.

Virtual Assistants are in demand!

If you want to learn more about being a virtual assistant and what types of services you could offer then grab this free resource called 4 Quick Steps to Jumpstart Your Virtual Assistant Business.

Become a Bookkeeper

You may think of this as a “job” but its something you can actually do as often as you like when you need to make money.

If you think this is something you want to learn more about you can check out this free bookkeeper training.

Teach English Online

Like teaching kids? How about teaching English? You can get paid for teaching English to kids online with VIPKID.

VIPKID offers world-class English language instruction online, helping students develop not only their English language ability but also their critical thinking and creativity.

To become a teacher at VIPKID you do need a Bachelors’s degree but it can be on any subject. It’s a great way to earn some extra money and help others. You can find out more here.

Become a Party Planner

Like planning parties? How about decorating for them?

You can start offering services to friends and family and earn some extra cash. I did this for a while and wrote an article about starting a party planning business on a budget if you’re interested.

Edit Court Transcripts as a Scopist

What on earth is a Scopist? I first learned about Scoping from Work At Home School.  Because I hadn’t heard about it, I knew many of my readers probably haven’t either.

A Scopist edits transcripts for court reporters. Court reporters write or “take down” proceedings using steno writers. They import their steno notes into computer-aided transcription software that translates the steno into English.

Court reporters then hire scopists to help them save time in the editing process so that they can make more money themselves.

This can be a great part-time gig and can be done from the comfort of your own home.

Want to learn more about scoping? Internet Scoping School offers a free mini-course to get started! Check out the Free Scoping School Mini-Course.

You can also check out my full article on scoping here.

Do Voice Over Work

Have you been told you have a great voice? Maybe you love narrating books? If you’ve ever heard a commercial or listened to an audiobook and thought “I could do that” then this income-earning opportunity might be for you!

Learn how you can get started with this free voice over training. This free training is taught by Julie Eickhoff who is a professional Voice Artist.

I had the chance to interview her on the blog here, where I ask her all about being a voice-over artist and how to get started.

Check out the interview here or go right to the free training here to see if being a voice artist is for you.

So how did you like this list? Anything peak your interest? Want more ideas? Be sure to check out my Make Money Page!

Questions? Comments? Leave them in the comments :).

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This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here