Let me clear something up right off the bat: you don’t need stacks of cash or a fancy business degree to start your entrepreneurial journey. Trust me, I know. Starting out as a freelancer, with no experience and a college schedule to juggle, I realized that the idea of waiting until everything is “perfect” is one of the biggest myths out there.
So, how do you actually start when you’ve got, well, almost nothing? Here’s my take, based on my own experience trying to build a business while also being a broke college student.
The Power of Starting Small
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “start small, think big.” It’s cliché for a reason—it’s true. When I first dipped my toes into freelancing, I didn’t have a high-end laptop or a polished office space. My first gig? Data entry. Was it glamorous? Nope. But it was a start. And the beauty of starting small is that you get to learn while you earn.
I transitioned from data entry to doing things like making logos and flyers for people, even without using top-notch design tools. It was raw, it was messy, but it was mine. The lesson? Start where you are with what you have. The fancy stuff can come later.
Build a Business Around Your Skills, Not the Market’s Expectations
We often get caught up in what’s trendy or what everyone else is doing. But here’s a little secret: you don’t need to jump on every hot trend to succeed. The best business ideas often come from skills you already have.
Take me, for example. I wasn’t the world’s greatest designer, but I knew how to make connections. My network of friends helped me land gigs even when I was just winging it. That’s where my entrepreneurial spark came from—not from trying to copy what everyone else was doing, but from leveraging what I was already good at.
So ask yourself: what am I good at, and how can I build on that? You might surprise yourself with the answer.
Embrace Your Failures (Seriously)
I wish I could say my journey was smooth sailing, but, as anyone who’s been in business will tell you, failure is pretty much guaranteed. My big “failure moment” came when I ended up with seven backlogs in my first year of engineering. Juggling college and my side gigs? Yeah, I didn’t handle that very well at first.
But here’s the thing—those failures were like a wake-up call. They forced me to rethink how I approached both my studies and my side hustle. I realized I couldn’t do it all, but that didn’t mean I had to give up. Instead, I learned how to pivot, adapt, and come back stronger.
Failure isn’t the end; it’s just a part of the process.
Networking Is Your Best Friend
I cannot stress this enough: who you know is often more important than what you know. I learned this firsthand when I started getting freelance gigs simply through word-of-mouth from friends and acquaintances.
You don’t need a huge following or loads of experience to make connections. Start with the people around you—your classmates, your friends, that one person you met at a seminar. If you’re genuine, people will want to help you out. And sometimes, those connections are what lead to your next big opportunity.
Be Prepared to Wear Many Hats
When you’re starting out, especially on a tight budget, you’re going to be the CEO, the marketing team, the accountant, and the customer service rep—all rolled into one. You have to be willing to learn a bit of everything, and that’s okay.
For me, learning how to juggle multiple roles was one of the hardest but most rewarding parts of my journey. I had to figure out how to pitch clients, manage deadlines, and balance my workload without burning out. And while it’s exhausting at times, it’s also incredibly empowering. It teaches you resilience and gives you a deeper understanding of how every part of your business works.
Don’t Wait for “The Right Time”
I hear this one all the time: “I’ll start my business when I have more money, more experience, more time.” Here’s the truth: there is never a perfect time to start. If you wait for everything to align perfectly, you’ll be waiting forever.
I started my own journey while I was still in college, balancing assignments, exams, and client work. It wasn’t easy, but it taught me that you just have to start—no matter how messy or imperfect it looks at first. Once you take that first step, the rest will start to fall into place.
What’s Next for Me?
Right now, I’m in the process of building my own marketing agency while still handling college. It’s a crazy ride, but one that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Every day I learn something new—about business, about myself, about what it takes to make an idea come to life.
If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this, it’s that you don’t need to have all the answers right now. You just need to be willing to learn, to try, and to keep going, even when things get tough.
So, what are you waiting for? Start where you are, with what you have. You’ll figure out the rest along the way.
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