How to Start an Online Business While You’re Still in College

When you first think about starting a business, it’s tempting to focus on how much money you could make.

Your first £1,000. Maybe even your first £10,000.

But if you haven’t figured out what you’re selling yet, those numbers aren’t going to help you decide what to work on tonight.

Instead, focus on getting one idea ready to test. Choose something you could sell, work out who might want it and find a way to put it in front of potential customers.

Then pay attention to what happens. Do people understand what you’re offering? Are they asking questions? Is anyone interested in buying? How much would it actually cost to deliver?

The process can be as simple as choosing an idea, preparing it, testing it and seeing what you learn.

You can begin researching your first idea without having a detailed business plan.

Before building a website or signing up for different tools, decide what kind of business you want to explore.

There are a few options worth considering.

Physical products

You could sell clothing, accessories, fitness equipment or products related to a hobby you enjoy.

You’ll need to think about where the products come from, how much they cost, their quality and how they’ll reach your customers.

Digital products

These could be templates, guides or other useful resources you create.

You won’t have physical stock to manage, but you still need to make something people find valuable and work out how to reach them.

Services

If you already have a skill, you might be able to turn it into a service.

Video editing, graphic design, content creation and website setup are a few examples.

You’ll need to be able to deliver good work consistently and find clients who need what you offer.

If you’re not sure which direction to take, ask yourself:

• What am I interested in enough to keep learning about?
• What skills do I already have, or want to improve?
• What problems do I notice people struggling with?

For example, if you enjoy editing videos and know a local business that rarely posts on social media, you could explore offering video editing services.

Or maybe you’re really into fitness and keep noticing people complaining about the same piece of gym equipment. That could be a product idea worth researching.

Think about the costs, the skills you’ll need and how much time each option requires. Choose one direction to explore for now.

For the rest of this guide, we’ll use a physical product store as our main example.

One business model you’ll probably come across is dropshipping.

With dropshipping, you sell products through your online store, but a supplier handles shipping them to your customers.

That means you generally don’t need to buy a large amount of stock before you start.

This can make getting started easier, but it doesn’t mean running the business is free or that everything happens automatically.

You may still need to pay for your website, software, product samples, marketing and order fulfilment.

One thing to be aware of is how supplier payments work. Depending on how your payments are processed, you might have to pay your supplier before the money from your customer reaches your bank account.

Even though someone else ships the product, you’re still responsible for your customer’s experience. If an order arrives late, gets damaged or contains the wrong item, your customer will contact you.

Understand how orders, payments and customer support work before you start accepting orders.

You don’t have to design every part of your first website from scratch.

AI store builders can help you create an initial layout, generate draft content and give you something to work with. You’ll still need to check the design, product details and store settings yourself.

Getting started

Open the AI store builder you want to use and look for its store creation option.

Depending on the platform, you may need to create an account and connect it to Shopify.

Shopify is the platform that runs your online store and handles the checkout process. The AI builder helps you prepare the website itself.

Follow the setup instructions provided by your chosen builder.

Check the costs before choosing a plan

If you’re asked to select a Shopify subscription, take a moment to understand what you’re signing up for.

Look at the introductory price, how long that price lasts and what you’ll pay afterwards. Also see whether the AI builder charges separately.

A free or discounted setup doesn’t necessarily mean your store will be free to run.

Choose your niche and design

Once your accounts are connected, you can start putting the website together.

Choose a category for your store and select a design that suits the type of products you want to sell.

If you’re still deciding what to sell, you can use this first store as practice.

Let the builder create the initial website, then spend some time exploring what it has made. You can change the images, layout and content later.

Go through the website properly

Before you get too excited about how everything looks, open the homepage and a few product pages.

Check the descriptions, images, product options and store name.

Ask yourself:

• Are the product details correct?
• Do the images match what’s being sold?
• Is the store name consistent throughout?
• Are the shipping and return details accurate?
• Has the builder added any claims or customer reviews that you can’t verify?

AI tools can generate a professional-looking website, but they don’t automatically know whether the information is correct.

And just because a product appears in your new store doesn’t mean it’s a good product to sell.

Keep the store private while you check everything and decide which products are actually worth considering.

Once someone places an order, you need a way to get that order to the supplier and make sure the correct product reaches the customer.

You can research suppliers through platforms such as AliExpress or DHgate.

Some sellers manage this process manually, which means checking product listings, placing orders, following deliveries and keeping customers updated themselves.

Another option is to use software that helps with product research, importing and order management.

One example is AutoDS. It offers tools for finding products and managing supported fulfilment processes.

Before paying for any subscription, look at which suppliers are supported, what features are included and whether there are additional charges.

Find out what the tool can handle and which parts of the process you’ll still need to manage yourself.

Before choosing a product, spend some time researching its costs, suppliers and potential demand.

AutoDS has several research features you can explore, including Handpicked Products, Ad Spy, Trending Products and TikTok Analytics.

The exact features and names may vary depending on your account and plan.

You can begin with one feature, learn how it works and move on to the others when you need them.

Handpicked Products: Find ideas to research

Open Handpicked Products and use the available filters to narrow your search.

You can look at categories, countries, prices and other available options.

For example, if you’re interested in fitness products, choose that category and the country you plan to sell to.

Pay particular attention to shipping. A product might look affordable, but the delivery cost or waiting time could make it much less attractive.

Even when a platform shows a short delivery estimate, look at the actual supplier listing. Shipping times can vary depending on the destination, and processing time might not be included.

When a product catches your attention, look at its price, shipping costs and potential margin.

Look beyond the suggested profit

Start with the supplier’s price and shipping charges, then see what similar products are selling for elsewhere.

If AutoDS shows an estimated profit or margin, don’t assume that’s what you’ll take home.

You may still have advertising costs, payment processing fees, returns, software subscriptions and other expenses to account for.

The difference between the buying price and selling price isn’t necessarily your profit.

If the tool suggests a target audience, use that as an idea to research rather than assuming it’s correct.

You can also look at competitor stores to see how they present similar products.

Pay attention to what customers are getting, how the product is explained, what questions the page answers and what delivery terms are offered.

If you’re seriously considering a product, contact the supplier about anything that’s unclear and try to get a sample before selling it.

Ad Spy: See how other businesses advertise

Ad Spy lets you explore advertisements related to different products and categories.

Find an ad that interests you and watch how it starts.

Does it show someone dealing with a problem? Does it demonstrate the product immediately? Or does it use a situation the audience might recognise?

Then watch the rest. Can you understand what the product does? Does the video answer questions someone might have before buying?

The comments can be useful too. If people keep asking about sizing, materials, delivery or how something works, those are things you might need to explain on your own product page.

A popular advertisement doesn’t automatically mean the business is making money. Views, engagement and how long an ad has been running only tell you part of the story.

Use what you find to understand how products are marketed, then develop your own content.

TikTok Analytics: Look at products and the videos behind them

TikTok Analytics can help you explore products, sellers and related videos.

Before looking at the numbers, confirm which market and time period you’re viewing. Also see whether any sales figures are estimates.

If a product is getting attention, look at what’s driving it. It could be a useful demonstration, seasonal demand or a particular audience responding well to the video.

Look at the product itself as well as the content. Price, delivery and the overall buying experience can make a big difference.

Selling through a marketplace isn’t the same as selling through your own website. A product doing well on TikTok doesn’t guarantee it will perform the same way in your Shopify store.

Trending Products: Put together a shortlist

Trending Products is another place to look for ideas.

Rather than saving dozens of products and constantly switching between them, try narrowing your options down.

For each product, write down:

• Who might buy it
• Where you could source it
• How much the product and delivery cost
• How long shipping could take
• What questions you still need answered

Once you have a few options, compare them.

Focus on the products that seem worth researching further before you spend money on them.

Once you’ve built a basic website and researched a product, you can start preparing your store properly.

Go back through the product information and replace anything generic or inaccurate. The descriptions should explain what customers are actually buying.

Work out your costs and decide on a selling price that makes sense.

You’ll also need clear contact information, shipping details and a return process.

Then test the website yourself.

Open it on your phone. Click through the pages. Check the product options, buttons and checkout process.

You should also understand how orders will reach your supplier and how customers will receive tracking updates.

You can work through these checks over several sessions instead of trying to finish everything in one evening.

This is something I had to think about when I started learning ecommerce.

I was studying sport at university and had training to fit into my schedule too. There were already things I needed to get done before I could sit down and work on the business.

If you’re in a similar position, don’t build your routine around how much free time you wish you had.

Look at the time you actually have and set aside a few sessions each week for specific tasks.

For example, your week might look something like this:

Monday, 45 minutes: Compare two suppliers.

Wednesday, 45 minutes: Improve one product page.

Saturday, 90 minutes: Film three short product clips.

Sunday, 20 minutes: Look at what you’ve completed and plan the next task.

Having a specific task planned makes it easier to get started.

“Compare shipping costs from two suppliers” is much clearer than simply writing “work on my business” in your schedule.

When exams, assignments or other deadlines come up, adjust your routine.

University is still part of your life, and your business needs to fit around that. If you’ve already started selling, allow time to handle orders and customer questions.

Having a website doesn’t automatically mean people will find it.

Once your store is ready, you need to think about how you’re going to introduce your products to potential customers.

You don’t need a complicated marketing strategy on day one.

Think about what someone would want to know before buying.

How big is the product? What does it do? What’s included? How would someone actually use it?

Choose one question and make a piece of content that answers it.

For example, if you’re selling a gym bag, you could film yourself packing it for a day at university followed by a training session.

Show what fits inside, how the compartments work and what the bag looks like when you’re carrying it.

That’s more useful than simply posting a picture and telling people to buy it.

AI can help you organise your ideas or put together a rough script. Give it accurate product information and read through what it writes before using it.

Once you start publishing, pay attention to the questions people ask. Those questions can give you ideas for your next videos.

You don’t have to talk to the camera

If you’re not comfortable speaking on camera, there are other ways to create content.

You could film your hands demonstrating a product, use close-up shots with captions or record your screen and add a voiceover.

If you’re selling clothing, you might show the fabric, measurements or how different pieces look together.

Pick a format you feel comfortable using and focus on showing the product clearly. Think about the questions a customer might have and how your content could answer them.

When I first started learning about ecommerce, having a friend who already knew about it made a difference.

I had someone I could ask when I didn’t understand something.

If you don’t have a friend working in ecommerce, you can still find help through tutorials, official guides and communities where people discuss the problems they’re working through.

Try to be specific when asking questions.

Instead of saying, “My store isn’t working”, explain what you were trying to do, what happened and what you’ve already tried.

That makes it much easier for someone to help.

Starting an online business also doesn’t mean you have to give up on everything else you’re doing.

I work as a trainer alongside ecommerce, and I don’t see why those interests have to compete with each other.

You can study, develop your career and explore a business idea at the same time.

You might eventually decide to spend more time on the business. Or you might prefer keeping it as something you work on alongside your career.

You can make that decision as you gain experience and see how the business fits into your life.

If you’re a student, there’s a good chance you don’t have a huge budget to experiment with.

That means you need to be careful about where your money goes.

You can do quite a lot of research before paying for subscriptions.

You can compare products, investigate suppliers, practise making content and work on your business idea without committing to a full store setup immediately.

If you decide to pay for a tool, find out exactly what you’re getting.

Write down the monthly cost, when any free trial ends and whether you’ll actually use the features.

Those monthly subscriptions can add up quickly, especially when you’re using several tools at once.

If running a product store isn’t affordable right now, offering a service using skills you already have might be a better starting point.

Your first business doesn’t have to be an ecommerce store. Choose something you can realistically afford to explore.

If you’re ready to get started, focus on these three things.

First, choose one direction.

Decide whether you want to explore selling physical products, creating digital products or offering a service.

Next, choose one idea.

Write down what you want to sell or offer, who it might help and why someone would be interested.

Finally, make time to work on it.

Choose a day, set aside some time and give yourself one specific task to complete.

Maybe that’s comparing two suppliers, creating a sample design or putting together an example of a service you could offer.

Pick something manageable that you can finish and learn from.

If ecommerce is the direction you want to explore, I’ve also put together a free AI E-Commerce Starter Guide.

It includes practical tasks and AI prompts to help you research products, look at suppliers and costs, develop your offer and prepare your store for launch.

You can find it on the Ebook page of this website.

You can also follow @buildwithvanja on Instagram for more ecommerce and AI content, or join the community waitlist if you’d like to hear when it opens.