In 2015 there were over 3 million students enrolled in the Zimbabwean education system. Judging by how more learning institutions have been built since then the number could be higher now. Especially in the tertiary education segment, the number has drastically shot up over the past few years. Given the mercurial state of the Zimbabwean economy, it is no longer business as usual. Many years ago students would even get grants which would be more than enough for them. I recall students could even fend for their siblings from those grants. Things are different now and most students have to figure out how to raise money for their tuition. With that said it is important to explore business ideas for students in Zimbabwe.

Content Creation

Content creation is so important these days that you will always find it being mentioned like this. Being at a learning institution creates a perfect platform for inspiring content creation. You can start a YouTube channel where you chronicle your daily life. You can just decide to settle for a blog that is less tasking. Alternatively, you can go for podcasting which is also another engaging type of content. You can create your platform such as a website or you can use already existing platforms. The idea is to use platforms that make monetization possible and easier.

Clothing And Accessory Sales

Students are typically concerned about what they wear. It is such a focal thing at tertiary learning institutions that it is as if people are competing. As a student, you can take advantage of this by selling clothing items to other students. Second-hand clothes bales are a thing these days so that is one option. You can also be the runner of sorts and receive people’s orders and source what they want. You can also source and sell a wide range of accessories such as jewellery.

Errand Services

There has been a steady rise in the number of people venturing into errand services in Zimbabwe. Sometime this year I actually profiled Tuma Kerri Errand Services – arguably one of the leading errand services providers in Zimbabwe. Well, as a student you can tailor this business model for clients at your learning institutions or elsewhere. It would require meticulous planning and time management but it is doable.

Tutoring

Globally, tutoring as an industry is worth over US$100 billion. Given that you are at a learning institution the assumption is that you are good at some things. You could offer to tutor high school students in your free time. Alternatively, you can be offering that to even students at your learning institution. Bear in mind also that tutoring is not just confined to academic aspects only. It could be any other discipline that needs some skills to teach others.

Photography

I know many students who do this business at school. I recently read CEO and founder of the famous Nyaradzo, Phillip Mataranyika’s life story. He recounted how he once made money from photography. It started by just taking photos of fellow employees at work. It later grew to a point where he was now being invited to cover events such as weddings. He also would be invited to do personalized family photoshoots at home. The same can also happen for you by starting a photography business as a student. This might sound funny but you can even start with just a high-resolution smartphone.

Virtual Assistance Services

There is no limit as to the type of clients you can serve here. You can even try out the local people at your learning institute. The client pool can span from students themselves to executives such as lecturers, HODs, Professors, and so on. Again the types of services you offer are plenty and will largely depend on your skillset.

Beauty Services

There is lots of money to be made here too due to the ever-present demand. You can focus on hairdressing if you are skilled in that area. You can focus on sourcing and selling things like hair products, make-up kits, soaps, lotions, perfumes, and a wide range of related accessories, plus much more.

Baking Services

If you are skilled in baking you can make lots of money as a student. You can specialize in baking things like cakes, scones, cookies, buns, and so on. These are food items that are typically needed daily. Clients can be students, university staff, and even beyond.

You can just basically have an eye out for miscellaneous on-demand services. I included this to bring your attention to something. By close observation, you will notice some things can always or seasonally be on demand. So it is up to you to explore such things as some of them might be novel and not that common. If you pursue any of these business ideas you can actually realize significant income whilst you are still a student.