When beginning to craft your business plan (yes, I said it, business plan) many people look at others that are already making money online. They see the Perez Hiltons and Darren Rowes of the internet and attempt to do the same.

Turns out, they are already doing it. Try again.

Slapping some Google Adsense ads on your WordPress blog about the latest celebrity mishap will get you a few bucks. In several months you may get a small check in the mail, that’s if Google doesn’t realize that you’ve been clicking your own ads from time-to-time. But they will. I would know, I’m banned for life. Thanks Google.

So let’s go back to the drawing board: who are you? What do you have to say? What about you will make someone pull out their credit card and hand you some money?

Who are you?

There is something that you are an expert at, something you know that all your other friends don’t. Break that apart, analyze it, and do a search. Find what the internet is missing and capitalize on it. Believe it or not, the internet is not yet complete.

Darren Rowes is not the best blogger, he is just the most well-known because he was the first on the scene. The web has grown exponentially since he jumped on the scene in 2002, so this will be your most difficult challenge.

What do you have to say?

Narrow down why your DNA makes you the perfect person for this subject. Now begin writing.

Do your research and prepare 10 posts. Get those buggers up and begin telling everyone you know. This is where Mr. Rowes will be your guiding light, follow his advice and break a few of his rules while you’re at it. Change is good and valuable. Change will be noticed.

Content is king, but a boring king will still be ignored. Don’t forget to be yourself, that’s how you got your friends after all. Let your readers get to know the real you. Be transparent.

Show me the money!

Not just yet! What are you offering to your readers? A good portion of your views will come from mom or dad and with good SEO you might gain some one-hit wonders. But with luck a few will stick around, and they will tell others.

Now that you’re following is growing, give them something to share!

Did you ever notice that Apple invests little to no money into advertising on the web? That’s because people love their products so fiercely that they shove the newest iPhone in all their friends’ faces, chat up rumors, or trash talk the competition. Apple’s marketing team is built into the product itself.

So let’s think outside of Google Adsense, let’s think outside of sponsored ad space (although it shouldn’t be ignored!), let’s sell something.

Each niche and topic varies, but do some research and find what your market is missing. You’ve already chosen a unique topic, now create something with it. Sell something physical, something digital, something people will be so happy with they will tell their friends about it. Turn your customers into your very own marketing team.

Blogging is only the foundation, money and personal reward will come when you launch your first product, service, download, etc. And never hesitate to start by giving something away for free.

There are many paths to making money online while in college. This path has a slow payout, but the potential reward is far greater than Google could pay you.

 This is a guest post by Christopher Mathews, from ThisAestheticLife.com. If you want to learn how to live passionately, he’s your man! Follow him on twitter or email him at Christopher@ThisAestheticLife.com

BECOME A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE BLOGGER. GET RICH IN COLLEGE.

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What type of blog will you make? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

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REALLY?  You want to be an entrepreneur? And you’re in college? Doesn’t the world have enough entrepreneurs?

There are just too many college students that have a “great idea” and the next thing you know they are running around making it happen. Talking to everyone about it…getting all excited…learning how the world works. Geesh! Don’t be that person. Nobody likes that person. Nobody likes the person that works happily as their great idea makes them money. It’s just annoying. Please take my advice…

How NOT to become a college entrepreneur:

1      Don’t come up with a great idea. Just let the minutia of the day snuff out that great idea. Don’t worry, you will forget about it before you know it. We all have great ideas, just push yours to the back of your mind.

2      Don’t make money with your great idea. Okay, so you ignored #1? And now you want to profit from your idea? You think people will actually pay for it?!? That would be “capitalism” and we all know that is a bad word like “work” and “effort.”

3      Don’t be unique. Just be like everyone else. Nobody likes someone who is different and does things differently. There are enough unique people in the world, trust me.

4      Don’t be independent. Don’t do it your way. There is absolutely no reason to do it any other way than the way it’s always been done.

5      Don’t have a good attitude. Don’t you dare be optimistic or excited either. Those qualities are of no benefit to you.

6      Don’t educate yourself. Learning as much as you can about how your great idea can impact others and make you money is a total waste of time. Just go to class, take notes, play video games and drink beer. That’s what college students are supposed to do.

7      Don’t believe in yourself. You can’t do it. You can’t be an entrepreneur. Everyone else knows it – just ask them. You’re too young to have a good idea, you don’t have enough experience.

The best thing you can do as a college student is to just tow the line, apply for the fast food job or work in the campus bookstore. Take out the student loans and be like the rest of the clones in your dorm. Being an entrepreneur never works and it surely won’t work for you. Now get back to blowing off class, do a keg stand and enjoy your ramen noodles while you watch late night TV.

If you got this far and you are irritated right now – good! If you are standing there with your middle finger up at me saying “This is B*****it!” then I say, “Welcome to the entrepreneurial side, my friend!”  We welcome you, even if everyone else says you are crazy.

My true advice is this…Never let anyone tell you that your dream is a bad one. Don’t believe them when they say you can’t do it. Because if your idea is good and you put forth the effort…you certainly can do it!

 This is a guest post by Geof White, business owner and author of Lemonade Stand Economics: A Refreshing Way to Pay for College. (Amazing book — I’ve personally read it!)  Check LSE out on Facebook and on Twitter!

YOU CAN DO IT. GET RICH IN COLLEGE.

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 Do you have a good idea? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

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However, while only the luckiest students have the funds to set aside thousands for a rainy day, it’s a good idea for all college students, no matter what their budget, to try to invest a little each month for the future.

Why? Well, it’s simple. The moment you leave college is the moment you realize that living on a student loan was a breeze compared to trying to live without one, and if you don’t want to step into the first position you’re offered, you’ll need a little something to bridge the gap between college and that first pay check. A nest egg, even a modest one, will allow you the luxury of time to consider your options and get the best possible start after graduation.

But where should you begin? How should you choose your investments? How much growth can you expect when investing while in college? These are all tough questions, but here are a few tips to help get you started.

Cover Your Bills:

It can be tempting at first to try to invest every last dollar you have in order to see faster growth, but if you leave yourself unable to cover your household bills you’ll soon learn this is a fool’s errand.

If you find you’re investing money while at the same time being hit with late payment charges and overdraft fees, you may find yourself losing money each month, even if your investment is growing healthily.

So, tackle the bills before anything else. When you find a monthly budget that provides for your needs, everything left over can be invested.

Use the Brain Trust:

As a college student you’re in an ideal position to find sound, solid investment advice all around you. Young Investors Clubs can be found on most campuses, and they can be a great place to meet like-minded people to trade investment tips, discuss strategies and dip your toe in the water. Many clubs make mock trades on the stock market, testing risky investments before laying down real money, and taking part in the discussions of where to invest can be a great learning experience.

Spread the Risk:

As a college student it’s safe to assume that you don’t have a lot of capital to invest, and what little you have you can’t afford to lose. Many first-time investors make the mistake of putting all their eggs in one basket (for example, investing all of their money in a single stock on a ‘hot tip’), and more than a few lose their entire investment when the stock falls.

As a young investor with a small amount of capital, it’s usually wiser to spread your money across a few relatively safe investments, limiting your exposure should one perform poorly. A savings account or mutual fund will usually offer a modest return, and while the capital growth will be poor compared to a well- timed gamble on the stock market, the risks will be greatly reduced.

Get a Shoe-in:

Finally, while it may not be conventional investment advice it can be worthwhile to consider investing in companies you may want to work with after graduation.

Most investors manage their money dispassionately, but if you have an emotional investment in a particular company, it could be beneficial to back it up financially. There are a few reasons for this, but most of all it will give you a stake in the future of the business and allow you to have your voice heard as a shareholder. Furthermore, when you graduate and apply for a position in the company, it never hurts to show that you have a connection with your (fingers crossed) future employer.

Finding the money for investing while in college can be a challenge, but the benefits of establishing a sensible life-long habit of investment can pay dividends for the rest of your life. By getting into the habit of making what little money you have work for you, you’ll find the path to financial security much smoother. So, why not start today?

This post is a guest post by Sani Golriz. Sani is a community blogger and active staff writer for CollegeFocus, a website dedicated to helping students deal with the challenges of college, including housing, finance, style, health, relationships, and transferring from a community college to a four-year university. You can follow CollegeFocus on Twitter at @CollegeFocus101 and Facebook at www.fb.com/collegefocus. 

MAKE INVESTMENTS. GET RICH IN COLLEGE.

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How are you going to invest your money? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

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Recent graduates are starting to feel the crunch of a falling economy and having to repay their student loans. Without a job already lined up, this can prove to be difficult. However, students still in college can find some ways to making money fast that won’t distract them from their studies.

The list below are 10 ways to make money in college, most aren’t likely to lead to over $10k/month, but they can definitely help reduce your dependence on student debt!

1 – Become A Research Subject

Research studies are popular at colleges and universities, especially those conducted by students themselves in order to write research papers. Such research topics can include anything from simply taking surveys to testing different drugs and placebos. There are some risks involved, especially in the latter case, but a student can make anywhere from ten dollars to a few hundred dollars per hour, depending on the intensity of the study.

2- Do Odd Jobs

One might think that doing odd jobs like mowing someone’s lawn is something only kids do for some pocket money, but it can certainly help. There are always small jobs that people need doing that a student can find in the classifieds, like babysitting, house sitting, grocery shopping or dog walking. Every little bit adds up, and will be making money fast for a college student.

3 – Take Surveys

Many companies need information about their customers, and will pay for people to take their surveys. The fee paid is quite small, but such surveys don’t usually take long and several can be done at a time to increase the amount of money received. Surveys are easy to find online, and some professional survey companies will reward you with points that you can turn in for rewards, like an iTunes card, for example.

4 – Tutor

If you’re passionate about your college major, why not offer your services to other students to help them with their studies and get paid for it? It’s an easy way to stay brushed up on topics as well as getting paid to help others learn the information. This is particularly useful for those who want to enter the teaching field after graduation. Tutoring hours are also flexible, as they can be arranged around your own studying schedule.

5 – Become A Teaching Assistant

Becoming a teaching assistant is a great way to earn money as well as some college credit from your professor if the job is done correctly. It’s also a step in the right direction in getting some work experience for the future, and the professor could even be willing to be a reference for future employers.

6 – Sell Things On Ebay

Buying things cheap and reselling them on eBay or any other bidding site is always a risk, but profits can sometimes be quite high, especially if such items are in high demand. However, one should always take into consideration that there might be losses. Read about Catherines first dollar she made by blogging – here.

7 – Do Translations

Another one of the quick ways to make money in college is doing translations. Performing translation work can be an easy way to learn money if you know a second language fluently. Not only does it keep your mind active in having a good command of a second language, but it can also be an added benefit for certain employers who are looking for people who speak more than one language.

8 – Sign Up For Google Adsense

Most college students spend a lot of their time on the internet, and it’s difficult to find someone who doesn’t blog. Blogging can be an easy way to generate money, if one is passionate enough about a subject and can write many articles about it. However, Google AdSense can also increase the money a blog generates by placing ads on it. The more people that click on the ads, the more money a blogger can make.

9 – Become A Mystery Shopper

Mystery shopping is mostly used by retail stores and restaurants to generate feedback in order for them to determine the satisfaction levels of their customers and the quality of service being provided. Such companies will pay mystery shoppers to perform specific tasks and ask questions, and write detailed reports or provide feedback about their experiences.

10 – Recycling

The college population is known for its high consumption of beverages in cans and plastic bottles. Collecting and bringing them to a recycling facility can add up to a lot of money in a student’s pocket. They range from 5 cents to 10 cents per can or bottle, and recycling enough of them can add up to a lot of spending money.

Bonus Tip – Apply To Grants

There are billions of dollars in grants available to students. Whether you are a single mom, teacher or student with a disability there are hundreds of grants available for you to apply to. By finding and applying to grants you may be able to pull in extra income that will not add to your student loan burden.

In the age of the internet, it’s easy to find several easy and quick ways to make money in college that won’t interfere with studies.

This post is a guest post by Jon. Jon shares his journey from over $20k in student loan debt to debt free in 3 years while also getting married and buying a house. He shares his tips and journey at his website – http://www.paymystudentloans.com/

GET OUT OF DEBT. MAKE MONEY. GET RICH IN COLLEGE.

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How are you going to make your money? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

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November and December Income Report: $150

I made this money by adding a link to one of my blog posts. A company offered to pay me in exchange for a link ad. No extra work for me, just income! Although it’s not much, it’s a start! And of course, I don’t want to make this blog spammy with advertisements, but now I know that my site does have money making potential.

I also still make a good amount of money each month through jobs/internships I got because I blog, so I made more than $150 in reality, just not directly through the blog.

Here’s a closer look at my site stats for Nov & Dec: 

What I Did in November & December:

- Celebrated Thanksgiving

- Went to Santa Cruz & San Diego for sport tournaments

- Networked with people

- Finished fall quarter at UCLA

- Started a secret project

- Flew home for Winter Break

- Made the cutest Christmas cupcakes, ever!

- Celebrated Christmas

- Spent time with family

- Celebrated New Years with the best of friends

- and SO much more

I really hope you were able to enjoy your winter break and spend time with family. Enjoy the rest of it, or good luck with the start of school!

Xoxo,

Catherine

I hope you all can learn from him and realize that you too can start a business, find finacial freedom and love life. Kyle is someone that we should all strive to emulate. Thanks again Kyle — I wish you the best of success and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you!

Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself. How did you deicide you wanted to start a company at such a young age?

My name is Kyle Spraker I am 17 years old. I live in Dallas, Texas. I enjoy playing soccer and working out, as well as designing and developing new and useful computer software. While in high school I took community college classes that counted as college and high school credit. I was able to skip an entire year of high school as a result of those classes, I took more classes over the summer, so now that I am in University I have practically all of my basics done and now I can focus on my major.As a sophomore in high school I came up with the basic idea of Flyyers.com, I then tested the idea to make sure there was a market for that type of thing and man was there! I made $7,000 in two months in my free time, as a sophomore in high school; my free time was slim, because I took double the classes that a normal sophomore took and they were college classes, so they were twice (probably more) as hard. I had maybe 8 hours a week to take orders, answer hundreds of emails, pass out these flyer, talk to clients, all the stresses of a normal business, on a time crunch and as a kid.

It was no easy task, but the expenses of printing flyers were next to nothing, although I was always making trips to staples. The ink cartridges would last and paper was cheap, and I didn’t have to pay someone else to hand them out, so the profits were large. Then it hit me. I could help other people make money doing what I am doing, and still make money possibly even more. So that is when I wrote up the wire frame for Flyyers.com, put a design together, now I am working with a friend who lives in Denmark on developing the site. I have always wanted to make an impact, change something, do something big, and these opportunities don’t come around every day, and I knew if I didn’t try I would feel like I had let myself down; I would rather have tried and failed, than never have tried at all. Being young and starting a company doesn’t mean much to me other than I have a leg up on creativity from the old guys, because being young and having a mindset of trying things not knowing what the outcome will be is better than not trying things because you “think” that they won’t work.

What is your company? What service does it offer?

My company is Flyyers, www.Flyyers.com . The service that Flyyers.com provides is one of a kind; Flyyers is a unique direct marketing platform. In a nutshell you can join Flyyers.com as a seller, a buyer, a designer or any combination of the 3, even all 3. The purpose Flyyers serves is that Flyyers makes it insanely easy for people to obtain direct market advertising very cheap and very effectively. All through the distribution of flyers. Also Flyyers.com makes it easy for (especially college students) people to make money, and a good amount of it; Flyyers serves as a place where kids, high school students, college students, even the average Joe can come and make money even know they have a busy schedule or don’t have time to get a 9-5 job, Flyyers is here for them. Flyyers provides link tracking as well for the flyers, so that buyers can track the results of their flyers in certain areas to focus their funds and efforts in most effective locations. The tracking also serves to give a little feedback of the sellers, to make sure they are doing their jobs.

Maybe the description below is a bit simpler:

“Flyyers.com is an online market place for individuals to buy, sell or design flyers. The purpose of flyyers.com is to allow individuals to obtain direct market advertising for their business/ Event / ect through the distribution of flyers. Flyyers.com also allows individuals to obtain a flyer designs. The other side of flyyers.com is for individuals to make money by either distributing flyers or designing them.”

How did you come up with the idea?

While I was a sophomore I passed out flyers and took orders off of Fiverr.com. Fiverr doesn’t let you take sales outside of the site, but so many people messaging me were asking to order 800 + flyers, so I made up a price list and I would send it to every person who ordered from me. Fiverr caught on many times… Finally I decided, you know there is a solution to this, so I don’t have to keep making new accounts.. And I saw on fiverr so many people where also passing out flyers and only making $5, which was practically nothing for the work we were doing. And I told my step dad about Fiverr and explained how they take $1 out of every order, and he said “That’s the business to be in.” and those words stuck with me, and I was creating another account one night, after I got banned again, and then I thought of those words. I was at my friend Haiden’s house, I ran home with the idea fresh in my head, I first wrote it down and then stated designing how I envisioned the site would look. And now today I’m on my 6^th draft of the website design and developing.

How is it doing? Have you had any success from it? Are you making passive income?

Well it is not currently live, I had quite a few developer problems early on, but I have that all figured out now. I have 300 sign ups as of today for the beta. I made $7,000 testing the idea and taking orders off of Fiverr. As of right now I am far from “Passive Income.”

How do you go about starting a company?

Well… Starting a company isn’t that hard, all of my friends ask me about it and they are always in awe when I say I started my own company because they think its this impossible task that requires millions of dollars to achieve, when really I did it from my bedroom and $200 I made from raking the neighbors lawn. The thing in starting a company is, you will never be successful if you are not passionate about what you are doing. Also productivity and motivation, me being a huge nerd and spending so much time on my computer anyway helps with productivity and my motivation comes from the people I surround my self with, my family and the music I listen to while designing, writing and developing. ROZAYYY!!! (Rick Ross… lol) Most importantly, you have to be passionate about what you are doing (or spend a ton of time doing it). I have a list of goals with dates next to them, and I have to complete those goals by those dates, the list just gives me something to work towards. Starting a company just took a little research about the legal side and then I wrote down all of the steps that I thought I would have to take to build my product and be successful at it. I am 17 years old and I wrote a 19 page marketing plan on a long weekend off from school, while the rest of my friends were out partying, working out and having fun; I call that dedication. You have to do what it takes. All companies are different; you just have to find what works for you.

What do you suggest others to do, to follow in your footsteps?

There is no breadcrumb trail lining the path for what I’ve done, just hard work, persistence, and a dream. But If I was to give any advice, once you have an idea, test it, make sure it works and if your are 100% positive that you want to do what it takes to make it happen, pour your whole heart into it and go for it!

What are your thoughts on “becoming rich” in college?

Yes please! I think it is doable for the creative and the ones who think outside of the box. Realistically 1 out of every… 15,000 college students maybe…. Will get rich while in college. But that one, is the one who put all he/she had into making their dream become a reality.

How attainable is the goal of becoming finically successful/independent for you?

For me the goal seems very realistic, maybe that’s just because I am an optimist, but when you are going to give something everything you have, you better damn passionate about what it is you are doing and believe that no matter what it takes, no matter what happens you are going to be successful.

What are your goals in life?

My goals in life are simple, make some money while I’m young, travel the world, help the rest of my family live comfortably, build and provide for a family of my own, help everyone else along the way, and maybe buy my self one or two toys here or there along the way (I’m a big car guy). But for all of that to happen running a successful company would probably be number one on that list.

How will you achieve them?

I’m going to work my ass off, try to meet the right people, do good things for other people, and not worry about the money and just let it come.

Last thoughts?

Passive income comes easy once you have it secured, that’s why it is called “Passive” but getting to the point to where your income takes minimal effort to retain takes a lot of time and hard work.  Nothing in life is just going to come to you, you have to go out and bust your butt and make it happen, no body but your self is going to physically put money in your pockets. If you are in it to get a good job and make a good income, then go to college and get an education, graduate and get a nice job and climb the corporate ladder just like the rest of America, but if you are in it to fix something, to better yourself or change the world, think outside of the box, don’t let facts hold you back, be a fool and pour your heart into an idea you have just because you think it might work, because it might pay off.

BE LIKE KYLE. BE PASSIONATE. GET RICH IN COLLEGE.

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I know it’s hard to pick, but what aspect of Kyle inspires you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

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I don’t think I’ve slept for more than 6 hours each night of October! It’s been a BUSY month! October was my first full month of classes and boy do they take up all my time. I also joined a club sport and that takes up any free time that I used to have. Although I love staying busy and on my toes, its hard to relax and catch up on the blog. And for that, I’m sorry! However, cool things will be coming soon!

Like I said last month, expect more posts, new ideas, interviews and a better overall blog in the near future. I just have to get over this hump of midterms, family visits and sport tournaments! This month, I also got an internship with an app company. I do 10 hours of work a month and get paid $250/month. That’s equivalent to $25 an hour! I also started a month long ambassador program with a company coming to UCLA. I also spent about 10 hours on the entire thing and will receive another $250. But it gets better, next week marks the completion of the project and so I get ANOTHER $250 (but that will be considered next month’s income)!

I’m telling you this because I got both the internship and ambassador project because of my blog! Now, it’s not a direct connection but because I’ve learned how to blog, how to market, how to use social media, etc., I’ve set myself apart from everyone else, and especially because they saw my independence and drive. I have experience that most don’t and they can see how determined I am to find success, in whatever I do!

October Income Report = $500

I thought this would be another month of zero dollars. But because I started this blog, networked and gave myself some valuable experience, I’m now a sought after student, who just so happens to be making some cash, for  a little time exchange. So, start a blog, or create a small business, heck become your campus birthday singer  because you’ll never know who you could meet or how much you could make!

Here’s a closer look at my site stats for the month:

What I Did This Month:

- Got an internship 

- Was interviewed for TV

- Started a cross-fit fitness class

- Voted in my first election

- Had my first sports tournament

- Kicked a bad habit

- Started a new healthy habit

- Had Parent’s Weekend @ UCLA

- Spent time w/ my brother, dad and mom

- Went to San Francisco

- Visited Muir Woods

- Had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte (and loved it!)

- Studied for midterms

- Celebrated Halloween

- Met new friends

- Celebrated my brother’s birthday

- and a ton more!

I hope you had an eventful October, and if not, have one this November! Thanks for all your support and share, share, share!

Xoxo,

Catherine

GET RICH IN COLLEGE.

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How was your October? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

Meet Ben Hirshberg. Ben is a college student (taking a gap year) who will truly inspire you. He created an eBook, has a blog and loves every ounce of his healthy life. He is currently in Madrid with a Spanish family (free room and board) while teaching English to supplement his online income. If that doesn’t sound awesome to you, than I don’t know what does!

I hope he can teach you that making passive income is within your own reach and that it means more than money, but also a free life. Thanks again Ben, you impressed, motivated and inspired me.

Enjoy!

Tell me about yourself. How did you evolve into a person that wanted to pursue a healthy lifestyle AND monetize from it?

            Growing up I was very passionate about sports, which led to an interest in maximizing athletic performance. Following a proper exercise and nutrition program is crucial for optimal performance, so I began to learn about them as well. Eventually my interest shifted from athletes to the general population because rather than focusing on athletic performance, I became interested in maximizing quality of life!

            If we lived in a society where money was not necessary, I would not attempt to earn money. However the reality is that money is needed to live, so instead of working a job that I do not enjoy it only makes sense to monetize my passion.

What is your eBook and blog about?

            My blog is about maximizing quality of life. I write about different strategies to increase one’s physical and mental well-being. So many people today have their basic needs met but are extremely sick physically, mentally, or both. There are numerous barriers keeping people from living healthy lives, one of which is a lack of alternatives to unhealthy foods. My eBook Paleo Ice Cream provides people with 31 healthy ice cream recipes that taste so good they will never again want to eat the store-bought stuff laden with harmful ingredients!

Where can they be found?

            You can check my blog out at www.BenHirshberg.com and my eBook can be peeped at www.PaleoIceCreamRecipes.com.

How did you come up with the idea for your eBook?

            I have been a huge ice cream fan my whole life, but largely cut it out of my diet after learning more about nutrition. I tried researching healthy ice cream online, and while there were some interesting recipes there was no definitive resource. Ever since reading Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss a few years ago I had been searching for a niche, and immediately knew that I had found it.

How is it doing? Have you had any success from it? Are you making passive income?

            I am very pleased with how Paleo Ice Cream has done. It peaked at #12 on Amazon.com’s Kindle dessert bestseller list, but I think it can go even higher. So far Paleo Ice Cream has been featured in a few blog articles and one newspaper article, but I think it will generate even more press which will help book sales. So while I am making some passive income, I believe that Paleo Ice Cream will see even more success in the future.

How do you go about making an eBook?

            As with many things, the key to writing an eBook is providing value. If you find a subject to write about which provides value to the reader, the logistics are easy (although the actual writing may be difficult for some). EBooks can be converted easily from a word document to be sold on Amazon.com or they can be sold as a PDF as well.

Do you believe other like-minded college students should be actively trying to make passive income? Why?

            Passive income is nice because it allows for more freedom than “active” income. If you have a steady stream of passive income, then you can spend time doing things other than work while still making money (such as travel!). Personally, I am attracted to the freedom that passive income can bring, however I also want to choose work that I enjoy.

            Most college students I have talked with think very differently than me. While I would prefer to be an entrepreneur and work for myself, many others would prefer to have others tell them what to do and not open themselves up to the kind of exposure that comes with being responsible for your own income. I realize that one size does not fit all, so I would never force the idea of passive income on anyone. However, for creative college students that are interested in being entrepreneurs, I would absolutely advise them to create a passive stream of income.

What do you suggest others to do, to follow in your footsteps?

            The best piece of advice I can give to others is to embrace being different. Don’t follow the same path laid down by others unless you want to end up like them.

What are your thoughts on “becoming rich” in college?

            I think that “getting rich” in college would allow students to avoid many of the stresses that come with having a monetary deficit. Many people believe that by getting a degree they will be guaranteed financial success. This is extremely false, as evidenced by the high unemployment/underemployment of recent college graduates. Because a job is not guaranteed or even particularly likely upon graduation, why wait until then to start building a source of income.

How attainable is the goal of becoming finically successful/independent for you?

            Financial success for me is the ability to live without worrying about money. I think I have built a very strong foundation for attaining this goal. In addition to writing Paleo Ice Cream, I also write for Paleo Magazine and Natural News. I am also a certified personal trainer, and am more than halfway done with my TEFL certification. There are many avenues I can take to financial success, and I plan on blending them all together to create a very enjoyable work situation for myself.

What are your goals in life?

            My goals in life are to live a life full of love, happiness, and meaning. I want to have close relationships with friends and family, enjoy life, and radically improve people’s health. Beyond basic needs, this is what I am most focused on cultivating in my life.

            I have also created a “Do List” where I list more quantifiable goals, which can be seen at www.BenHirshberg.com/about-me.

How will you achieve them?

To achieve my goals in life I plan on:

• Putting effort into current relationships
• Putting myself in social situations
• Having as much fun as possible
• Having a positive attitude
• Voraciously learning all I can about human well-being and using that knowledge to help others live better lives.

 As far as the more quantifiable goals go, I plan on being relentless until they are reached.

Advice for college students looking to make passive income?

            Once a good idea comes to you, go after it HARD. If you think the idea is good, go for it and see what happens!

Advice for college students looking to pursue greatness?

            Avoid normalcy, it is the opposite of greatness!

Last thoughts?

            Attempt to make money and get rich in college. But also realize that money is a means to an end, and not an end in and of itself. Remember to focus on the more important parts of life too!

BE LIKE BEN. GET RICH IN COLLEGE.

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What inspires you most about Ben? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

Who are the richest college students of all time? Well, kids, here you go — the top 15 wealthiest college bunch ever! Grab some inspiration and I hope to see you on this list next!

1. From School Drop-Out to Fortune 500

Mr. Bill Gates, a Harvard student is touted as both the richest and the second richest man in the world. Either way, this college man had progressive, ambitious ideas at Harvard, and today has turned them into one of the most profitable businesses we might ever experience in our lifetimes–so far. Gates is worth over $49 billion dollars as the creator of Microsoft. In 1974, he teamed up with his classmate, Paul Allen to provide the world with faster computer processors, interfacing, and the first publicly-owned PC’s brought into anyone’s home office. Perhaps fine tuning his philanthropic side, he today works part time donating millions, with his wife, to his charitable causes. You can email Mr. Gates at: billg@microsoft.com.

2. From Chinese Restaurant Dishwasher to CEO

Mr. Michael Dell, a University of Texas student became the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 organization as yet. In 1984, when Dell Inc. was one year’s old, Dell earned $6 million. Today, Dell is worth $14 billion. His contribution to the PC explosion in worldwide proportions started in the UT Founder’s office. He also wanted to focus on technical aid options for the user as well as state-of-the-art computers. Also a philanthropist, Michael and his wife have started their own foundation for charitable causes. You can email Mr. Dell at: Michael@dell.

3. From Dorm Room to Conference Room

Mr. Mark Zukerberg, a student of Harvard, is worth $6.9 billion due to a photo-comparison prank on his dorm room computer turning into the well-known and world-wide conglomerate of Facebook. In 1984, with the help of three friends, this site has amassed countless millions of users to share everything from photos, videos, information, and personal lifelines with their friends at the touch of the keyboard and mouse. Facebook.com is now rivaling gmail.com for instantaneous communication and networking. Though news of a drop in Facebook stock sounds ominous, this business entrepreneur will aptly be back on top if his track record is any indication. You can reach Mr. Zuckerberg at: Facebook.

4. A Marine Deliverer

Mr. Frederick Smith, a college student at Yale, served his tour in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969 with the USMC and purchased an aircraft maintenance company he turned into a deliver service, answering to the high need of package delivery due to explosive computer-age needs. Smith later founded FedEx in 1970. Today he is worth $2.1 billion. His contact email is: CEO@FedEx.com.

5. Tokyo University Rebel

Mr. Takafumi Horie in 1995 dropped out of his religion program while still attending college in Tokyo, and along with his classmates, “Livin’ on the Edge” was founded, which is today known as Livedoor. An internet portal, which is a site that brings together up-to-date information from a plethora of diverse sources about various issues and subjects, his company exploded on the market. Because of allegations of accounting fraud, Horie twitters through his friends from prison, where he serves the rest of his 1-1/2 year term after his conviction. In spite of this misfortune, Horie at one time was worth $3.6 billion. The address of Mr. Horie’s outside contact is Japanese email: takapon_jp.

6-7. Page and Brin = Google:

Mr. Larry Page and Mr. Sergey Brin met at Stanford University in 1995, both Math/Science majors. After exploring the production of a site they called, “BackRub,” in 1998 they both founded Google, a play on a mathematic term for “googol”, which represents the digit “1″ followed by 100 “0″ digits. It won Best Search Engine for that year, as well as creating Google Earth and Google Map, widely used by millions for navigating anywhere in the world. They are each worth $15 billion and you can contact them at: Facebook.

8-10. From Mosaic to Netscape

Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina, University of Illinois students collaborated to turn a simple program into the first graphical search engine on the web, which turned into Netscape, at one time the leading engine used at the time (1992). (Both students were inducted into the UI Hall of Fame). Andreessen moved to California and collaborated with Jim Clark, University of New Orleans graduate, in 1993 to start Netscape Navigator. $257 million later, all three students, majoring in Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry have become millionaires in their quests for acquisition of, at one time, the top spot in computer navigation. You can reach them all on: Facebook.

11-13. From Teacher’s Classroom to Among the First DOT COM Organization

Bo Peabody and Brett Hershey, two students at Williams College in 1992 designed Tripod.com, with the help of their economics teacher, Dick Sabot. This allowed other students to build their own sites, using each individual user as a generator of content, somewhat like Wikipedia. Though the site was sold to Lycos in 1998, Peabody, Hershey and Sabot have earned a total of $58 million. You can contact them at their individual Twitter and Facebook accounts.

14-15. An Apple Not To Eat

The names Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, UC Berkeley student and Reeds College student respectively, are synonomous with the term, Apple. Both of these dynamic fellow-entrepreneurs have contributed massively in the computer PC world and remain contributers through different “tekky” areas. The net worth at their peak is probably impossible to compute, but it is in the billions of dollars. itunes, iPhone, iPad, iMac, iPod, Pixar, and Walt Disney applications were all born out of this collaboration. Though Jobs has passed away, the company name will live on, as will the profits keep generating, due to the fact that the co-founders were at least decades ahead of their time, risk-takers extraordinaires, and students determined to go above and beyond the usual boundaries they found at esteemed colleges and universities; to pursue an idea, dream, or “the next application” in terms of progress, and of course profit.

September was an exhausting, exhilarating and awesome month! I drove cross country all the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean making it back toUCLA just in time to start the school year. It was a once in a lifetime experience, I say that because, who gets the chance to drive cross country and because, I’ll probably never want to do it again, haha. Although our country is an expansive, eye-opening and beautiful place, it’s also sketchy as hell. Plus, it was a ton of driving.

This all leads to the fact that I wasn’t able to blog…at all. I’m sorry! My summer has been crazy and September was even crazier! Now that school is back in session, I’m back on a routine, I’m motivated & determined, and of course because I’m busier than ever — I’m going to amp my blogging back up. Expect more posts, new ideas, interviews and a better overall blog in the coming months. Make sure you help me out by sharing my blog with your college friends. If you’re part of your school newspaper, magazine or radio — please put in a kind word about my site. Thanks!

September Income Report = $0

This was totally expected! Like I said, I did nothing and I’m okay with that because I was seeing every bit of my country!

Here’s a closer look at my site stats for the month:

What I Did This Month:

- Drove cross country

- Said goodbye to my family and puppies

- Saw my brother in Boulder, CO

- Went off-roading in a pink jeep

- Got a massage

- Saw Michael Jackson’s childhood home

- Went to a taping of the Ellen Show!

- Got my iPhone 5

- Started my sophomore year at UCLA

- Joined clubs, sport teams and volunteer groups

- Moved my mom to California

- Drove my pink vespa-like scooter for the first time

- Went to a concert

- Went to an oxygen bar

- Met new college friends

- Met up with old college friends

- and a ton more!

I hope you enjoyed the start of school and were able to have a great September too!

Xoxo,

Catherine

GET RICH IN COLLEGE.

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How was your September? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments!