Businesses You Can Start Near a University

Most people who start a business begin their journey by supplying a demand for their target market — and when looking for your target market, you want to look for a location where they are densely populated.

One of the famous locations to start a business is a University. You’re near an institution where thousands of students are present. And we know that students need tons of facilities and services to help them survive their school works.

If you already have a prospect University to establish your new business, but lost on what kind of business you should do, then the following can help give you ideas on what are the best businesses you can start near a University.

Printing Business

Modules, readings, research papers, and more, students never run out of things to print out. It’s the constant demand for hard copies of their school works which always makes printing and photocopying business a hot business near universities.

Even if you see a few business set-ups with similar services as you do, the high demand for printing and photocopying services won’t put you out of business.

Things to Consider When Starting a Printing Business

• It’s best to have inkjet printers for picture and color heavy prints, and a business-grade monochrome laser printer for photocopying black & white content.
• Ensure that you maintain your printers in top condition to ensure they always produce high-quality outputs.

Food Cart Business

Food carts are always a hit on universities. Students are always looking for a new ‘tanghalian and merienda’ but most importantly something delicious and affordable that can fit their budget. Go for finger snacks with classic cold gulaman, or an affordable siomai rice to sate the hungry bellies of students after long hours of lecture.

Things to Consider When Starting a Food Cart Business

• Make it affordable without losing taste quality.
• Look for what is the popular food in the area or put a spin on an existing popular meal to stand out.
• Make your packaging mobile so students can eat comfortably even if you can’t provide them with chairs and tables.

School Supplies Store

Everyone always forgets something or will suddenly need a particular item and the school supplies store is the go-to shop of university students. Consider if you want to start a general school supplies store or a niche shop that caters to the specific needs of a particular college program.

The latter is advisable if your target university has a huge population of a particular program (e.g Engineering, IT, nurses, architect, etc.) Study what products they need most and stock them up.

Things to Consider When Starting a School Supplies Store

• Replenish your stock regularly. Most students are in a hurry and would appreciate it if they can always trust that you have what they need, which can build repeat customers.
• Have a wide array of items. Even if you’re catering for a niche program, ensure that your store is filled with most of the must-have school supplies.

Cafés

After a long day, students also want to have time to relax and cafés had recently been a popular choice for university students to unwind after classes.

Offer savory and sweet snacks, and a selection of coffee and shakes to give students a place to indulge themselves while enjoying the relaxing aroma of coffee emanating from your café.

Things to Consider When Starting a Café

• The Internet is a must-have. Cafés are considered a place to chill, and chilling today mostly equates to also browsing social media.
• Consider charging ports. It can help students have a place to recharge their devices, and give them a reason to stay longer — and staying longer, according to some studies, showed that the more customers stay in an establishment the more likely they will buy more products. Great news for your business