Cohort Strategy

Create a swapping site to match owners with borrowers
Clothes, services, bikes, books – people are always looking to borrow all of these and more. A swapping site is a great small business idea to help match those wanting to borrow something with those who have something to offer. Or maybe a site that matches students who want to see the UK with those who live in other towns.

Run speed dating nights
Dating apps are all well and good. But, nothing quite beats meeting someone in the real world. For students looking for a slightly less virtual matchmaking service, organise a speed dating night and charge a small fee for entry. Or, if you've got some graphic design skills, why not offer to produce some handouts for your tutors?

Create food hampers
Parents of students will always be concerned about what their children are eating. They can worry a little less once they've sent them one of your hampers. Aim to fill it with cupboard essentials like long-life foods (pasta, rice, baked beans etc.). You can also add some healthy stuff that they're probably not getting enough of.

Become a professional finder
Always fancied yourself as a bit of a Sherlock Holmes? You can use these skills, as well as the internet and some local contacts, to help people track down the impossible. We're talking about irreplaceable possessions that they've lost. Or, extremely hard-to-find items that they'd like to buy. All for a small fee, of course.

Sell audio or eBook versions of out-of-copyright works
Modern books won't be covered by this trick. If you're thinking of producing your own audiobook of the Harry Potter series, you're out of luck. But older works (we're talking several decades) will often be out of copyright. This means that they're free to use and free for you to reproduce as eBooks or audiobooks. We'd recommend targeting harder-to-find works, like medieval literature or 18th-century books. For these titles, there'll be less competition and possibly more demand for an accessible copy online.

Set up a Skype language course
Are you bilingual? If so, you could be making some serious cash from something that probably seems completely natural to you. There are loads of ways to make money from your language skills. One of the best and easiest ones is to offer language classes over Zoom or Skype. That way, you can sell your services to people all around the world without ever leaving your room.