What kind of store is suitable for college students to open? Analysis of popular entrepreneurial directions in 2024
As competition in the job market intensifies, more and more college students are choosing to start their own businesses. This article combines hot topics and trend data across the Internet in the past 10 days to recommend 8 low-threshold, high-potential store opening directions for college student entrepreneurs, along with specific business suggestions and cost analysis.
1. Hot trends in college student entrepreneurship in 2024

| Popular areas | search growth rate | Representative platform |
|---|---|---|
| Campus cultural and creative | +320% | Xiaohongshu/Douyin |
| AI application services | +280% | Station B/Zhihu |
| Light meal replacement | +195% | Meituan/Are you hungry? |
| Second-hand circular economy | +180% | Xianyu/Zhuanzhuan |
| Pet peripherals | +150% | Taobao Live |
2. 8 types of stores most suitable for college students
1. Campus cultural and creative studio
| Start-up capital | average monthly profit | Core advantages |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5-20,000 yuan | 3000-8000 yuan | School IP can be used to design peripherals |
Typical cases: school emblem mobile phone cases, college style ledgers, graduation season souvenirs, Tsinghua University student team's "Qing Xiao Cultural Creation" monthly sales exceed 20,000 pieces.
2. AI application service store
| Start-up capital | average monthly profit | Core advantages |
|---|---|---|
| 0.3-10,000 yuan | 2,000-15,000 yuan | Technical barriers continue to lower |
Service content: resume optimization, PPT production, paper plagiarism checking, intelligent customer service, etc. A team of college students in Hangzhou earned over RMB 10,000 per month by accepting orders through ChatGPT.
3. Light meal replacement station
| Start-up capital | average monthly profit | Core advantages |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000-30,000 yuan | 4,000-12,000 yuan | In line with healthy eating trends |
Recommended categories: low-calorie desserts, ready-to-eat chicken breasts, fruit and vegetable juices, and the average daily order for the "light food box" around Fudan University exceeds 200.
4. Second-hand textbook recycling store
| Start-up capital | average monthly profit | Core advantages |
|---|---|---|
| 0.2-0.8 million yuan | 1500-5000 yuan | Stable and sustainable demand |
Operational points: Establish an on-campus recycling network, and the annual transaction volume of Wuhan University’s second-hand book platform reaches 30,000 volumes.
5. Self-study cafe
| Start-up capital | average monthly profit | Core advantages |
|---|---|---|
| 30,000-80,000 yuan | 6,000-20,000 yuan | Composite utilization of space |
Innovative model: hourly charging + membership system, Chengdu's "24h Book Cafe" receives an average of 80 visitors per day.
6. Handmade pet snacks
| Start-up capital | average monthly profit | Core advantages |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5-15,000 yuan | 2500-8000 yuan | Gross profit margin exceeds 60% |
Popular products: chicken jerky, cat grass biscuits, Nanyong University student brand "Wang Xiaochu" has annual sales of 500,000 yuan.
7. Digital Quick Repair Station
| Start-up capital | average monthly profit | Core advantages |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000-20,000 yuan | 3,000-10,000 yuan | High frequency requirements |
Service scope: mobile phone wrapping, computer dust cleaning, data recovery, Shenzhen University Town repair point receives an average of 30+ orders a day.
8. Course Tutoring Studio
| Start-up capital | average monthly profit | Core advantages |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1-0.5 million yuan | 2000-6000 yuan | Zero cost startup |
Popular subjects: Level 4 and Level 6 Assault, Postgraduate Entrance Mathematics, and Introduction to Programming. A certain 211 team in Beijing charges a tutoring fee of 200 yuan/hour for a single subject.
3. Key factors for successful store opening by college students
1.Low cost verification: First test the water through communities/mini programs, and then expand the scale
2.Differentiated positioning: Focus on segmented scenarios such as "Light food for postgraduate entrance exams" and "Formal attire for internships"
3.digital marketing: A must-have for Douyin + Xiaohongshu matrix accounts
4.Policy utilization: Apply for college student entrepreneurship subsidies (ranging from 5,000 to 30,000 yuan in various places)
4. Risk warning
| Risk type | Countermeasures |
|---|---|
| cash flow break | Maintain a 3-month reserve fund |
| Classwork conflict | Select projects that can be operated intermittently |
| Infringement risk | Avoid franchise projects |
Conclusion: When starting a business, college students should combine their majors and campus resources, and give priority to light-asset, fast-turnover projects. It is recommended to conduct market testing for 1-2 months first and gradually find the most suitable entrepreneurial direction.
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