TrueStar Staff 
As broke college students, we all know the struggle of eating ramen noodles and calling up our parents like “Mom, can I just borrow another $30?” After reading this you’ll be on your way to making money on your own. How you ask? By creating your own side hustle. Here are just a few suggestions to get you started.
*Get A Mentor. A mentor can be anyone: a grandma, parents, or a teacher. Having one is beneficial if you are new to being an entrepreneur. They can help you figure out important deals like how much to charge for your services, give guidance on the process, and just be there to answer any questions you have.
*Create Space. It’s time to assemble all of your materials and make a space for yourself. This could be in your basement, at your desk at home or even your kitchen. Create a space that makes you feel comfortable and inspired. If you live in a dorm this may be a little harder, but you can always go to an unoccupied classroom after regular school hours, your dorm lounge, or make times where you will have your dorm room by yourself for peace and quiet if you need it. These spaces all depend on exactly what your hustle is. If you want to do hair, you need a space big enough for a chair and a place to put your hair products. Ultimately, your work space depends completely on you.
Time Management. The best way to manage your time is to buy a planner and allot time for you to practice your new skills. Your hustle may work best if you schedule to do it at the same time every day or week to get into the rhythm of things. Let’s go back to the hair example. If you can schedule appointments before class or open up time slots during the days you’ll be available you are on your way to managing your time. Remember being your own boss means you decide how many hours you want to work.
Promote. When you get your business up and running, promote your projects on social media and get friends to repost your posts to get more exposure. Offer student discounts for referring other people and discounted prices for frequent customers.
Have fun! Another important aspect of having a side hustle is doing something you enjoy. What have you always had a passion to do? What things are you naturally good at? Consider all the YouTube tutorials you watch, you could be offering the same services you’re watching someone else do! When you make time to do something that you actually love it becomes less of a hustle and more of a fun hobby.
Here are some side hustles that may interest you:
-Hair stylist (Create styles with natural hair or weaves)
-Makeup Artist (Style makeup for special occasions)
-Cook (Fix meals/snacks for hungry students)
-Seamstress (Mend clothes or create garments)
-Nail technician (manicure natural nails or acrylics)
By Ryann Zarrieff, Senior, Tuskegee University,
Instagram: _ryannzarrieff
