Matriculants, start your own business! More and more South African matriculants are thinking of starting their own business, or coming up with self employment ideas or work from home ideas.

Why?

The South African youth unemployment rate is frightening. Matriculants or youngsters who are soon to matriculate can’t afford to wait until the youth unemployment rate improves. Many cannot afford to study further, or don’t make university entrance requirements. Many cannot afford to travel to find work. Many who have degrees cannot find work either. South African youth need work now.

Self employment is not a bad option – and, as matriculants’ own businesses expand, and need more staff, more job vacancies (in those matriculants’ own businesses) become available for the youth of South Africa.

With many people having access to the Internet, online or computer-based work is possible for many, and matriculants and others struggling to find work can enjoy the freedom and convenience of working for International clients from the comfort of their own home, right here in South Africa.

For those matriculants who want to study further but are unable to for whatever reasons, there is an unbelievable amount of free information on the Internet, for matriculants to study in their own time.

These days you can learn how to do just about anything, for free, using the Internet to seek out the information you want or need. No degrees obtained at the end of your studies, but the information, and opportunity to gain knowledge about something, and what to do with that knowledge, particularly in self-employment situations, is there, free for all. No university fees or university entrance requirements; just study!

For those who can afford a bit more when it comes to studies and gaining knowledge, there are books and ebooks too, as well as online courses one can do in one’s own time, on a wide variety of topics or subjects, some of which cost less than $20 (or less than R200): Start learning on Udemy today!

10 own business ideas for matriculants

Brief summaries in the list, or just the idea, and sometimes a link to an article, site, book or ebook too.

Note:
Some of the own business ideas below may only supplement an income, and you may want to consider combining a few of the ideas. Also use these 10 own business ideas to come up with business ideas of your own.

Important Note or Disclaimer:
Work is work. Real work. Self employment or planning, setting up and running your own business can be quite tough, not to mention the work involved in marketing your business, especially during it’s early months or years – but, these days, perhaps not as tough as ending up horribly depressed because you can’t find a reasonably-paying job no matter how hard or long you look. You need to approach the idea of running or owning your own business seriously if you are determined that it will work out for you. Little effort will result in little success.

LIST OF OWN BUSINESS IDEAS

1 )
Once you’ve done a little Internet or book research and studied and tried out how to do some things you could offer as freelance services, working from home on your computer, join an online freelance job site or two, like oDesk, and apply for and do freelance work for clients situated anywhere in the world, from the comfort of your own home. Get your own website, and advertise your freelance services on it too.

2 )
Become a blogger, and make money from blogging

3 )
PARTIES! People are having parties all the time.
Just think of children’s birthday parties for starters. That alone is a big opportunity for you. Use the opportunity this presents for self employment or to start your own business.
Articles:
Preparing and Selling Party Packs
ebooks:
Becoming an Event Planner
books:

4 )
Making and then selling things
at a flea market or craft market, from home, or online.
Articles:
20 Ideas on What to Sell at a Flea Market
30 Ideas for products you can sell at a Flea Market
books:

5 )
Home Staging
Books:

6 )
Woodworking – if you’ve done well with woodworking at school, or simply enjoy woodworking, consider starting your own business making and selling items made from wood – big items, small items, get creative!

7 )
Sell your own digital photos, digital art, logos, web graphics (website header banners, website navigation buttons, background images, borders) and website templates online. Sell these items on sites that allow you to display your products on their site in return for taking a commission of your sales, or get your own site, display your products on it, and advertise your site like crazy.

8 )
Write
You don’t have to write and publish a book to make money from writing. Become a freelance writer. Article: How to Make Money from Freelance Writing

9 )
Start and run a Bed and Breakfast
Bargain with your parents that if you turn part of the house into a bed and breakfast establishment, you can pay them some rent, and still be around to run errands for them. You can start up another bed and breakfast establishment later when you move out of home. Depending on the location of the house, starting a little coffee shop at home may be another option too.

10 )
Make money from your garden and from plants
There is often little or no start-up cost involved if you already have a garden, with plants in it, or some space in the garden to plant more plants or flowers.

Inexpensive or free ways to advertise your business

1)
A simple black and white printed (and then photocopies made) A4 size poster, stuck up on the walls of community notice boards and walls (most Spar’s in South Africa offer this free advertising option), or stuck up in the back window of your car, your parents’ car, family member’s cars, or the cars of friends.
2)
Print many or print just one A4 size sheet of four A6 size simple black and white ads and then make photocopies. Drop them into post boxes, or leave small piles on the counters of some stores that allow you to (like some dvd hire stores) or even hand them out to motorists queued up at red traffic lights (or pay somebody to do it for you.)
3)
Get your own inexpensive website or even a free site like a Blogger blog, and then work at getting lots of people to visit your site: 57 free ways to advertise your website

Conclusion:
There you go! Can’t find a job? Choose one of the 10 own business options above, and start your own business. Or think about each of the options above, and perhaps come up with a different idea to become self-employed. Remember that you can learn how to do just about anything (that can make you some money) simply by reading articles online for free. But the money is not going to come rolling in if you just read. Put in some effort. Take notes, think, learn, plan, and then take action!

© Copyright Teresa Schultz 2012, 2013