How to become an entrepreneur
Many students, graduates and job-seekers consider starting a business when they leave university.
One of the most popular alternatives to full-time employment after university is to start your own business or initiative, yet it can be difficult to get help with starting a business.
Starting a business as a student can be expensive, time-consuming and risky, with many coming out of University wondering how to be a student entrepreneur.
There are pros and cons of being an entrepreneur and in many cases, you will find these out once you launch your venture.
Before you start, it can be useful to speak to successful entrepreneurs and ask them to share their success stories and answer any questions you might have so you can learn the benefits of being an entrepreneur.
One of the most important things is research.
You can do this by completing free online courses to help you upskill and speaking to other successful entrepreneurs!
Work for an entrepreneurial company
Starting your own company is extremely exciting and when you are bursting to fulfil your entrepreneurial dream, sometimes it can be hard to wait.
However, the benefits of working in a startup are major and are a brilliant way to boost your skills and find out more about the reality of starting your own business after university.
Working for a start-up means that you will be able to learn about the business, work closely with entrepreneurs and other like-minded individuals in a professional environment and build upon your own skills.
Even if you are keen to become an entrepreneur straight away, it is worth looking at graduate jobs and getting some experience before you launch your own venture.
There are plenty of UK startup jobs for graduates where you can quickly develop new skills, and learn directly from founders and CEOs while enjoying the unique and buzzing start-up culture.
How to be a student entrepreneur
If you are considering starting a business as a student and becoming a student entrepreneur then one of the best things you can do is research and find out as much as possible about the industry, being an entrepreneur and thinking of ideas for your venture.
It might be worth seeking advice from an entrepreneur graduate that you know, discussing student entrepreneur ideas with other like-minded individuals, join webinars and workshops online such as a student entrepreneur conference to find out more information and ideas on starting a business.
Starting a business can be so exciting, but it’s important to remember that not everyone knows how to become an entrepreneur at 18.
Don’t feel pressured into starting your business straight away, as you are more likely to succeed if you prepare and allocate your time and energy to researching the industry first.
How to become an entrepreneur online
Since the pandemic, many people have started businesses from home. There is a higher demand and interest in starting a business online.
Many graduate entrepreneurs and university startups are moving their businesses virtually and learning how to start a business online.
There are plenty of resources available to help you learn how to start a business online from home and even some suggestions on how to start a business online for free, which will be highly beneficial to students who have just left university.
If you have ideas to start a business online, then it’s worth checking your competitors and seeing what’s already out there.
There are numerous types of online entrepreneurs, so you want to look at the difference between those who are successful online entrepreneurs and other online businesses that aren’t making money.
Make a checklist in your mind and ask yourself important questions as you go along.
Have you discovered your niche idea?
Have you done your competitor analysis?
These are a few of the various ways to help you learn how to become a successful online entrepreneur.
How to become an entrepreneur with no money
One of the best things, if you are going to start a business online, is knowing that there are ways to learn how to start a business online with no money.
One thing you could do when looking for help starting a business is to enter a student entrepreneur competition.
Pitching your ideas for starting a business to investors who are looking to find the student entrepreneur of the year is a great way to practice pitching your idea and potentially secure the funding to start a business.
If you are unable to find this money through investment, then you might want to think about changing your business model, so that you get customers to pay you upfront for your product or service.
You can also avoid costs in the early stages by trying to learn as much as possible so that you are able to do most of the work yourself and don’t need to pay expensive fees for other people to do it.
The best way to do this is by trying to build a business around the skills that you already possess and if there is extra information or knowledge that you need, then you can most likely find it for free online.
