Benefit's of Uni, Excluding the Degree when Starting a Business

One of the proudest moments of my life had to be my graduation ceremony in July 2014, I had finally done it! After three years of studying International Development with Geography it had all come down to that one day. As a massive milestone in my development as a person and life the day offered some unexpected reflection of my last three years. I couldn't resist just the one picture and a quick note to show gratitude for The University of Leeds via social media.

 

Graduation day!

 Having looked at my accomplishments I then started to think...'could this all really be possible without the university's support?' - so what does University offer for start-ups?


1) Mentoring and support - I can't speak for all Universities but the mentoring and funding I received from The University of Leeds through their Spark initiative put me with some of the top business professionals in the city offering a whole weekend of Q & A and ongoing support.

2) Funding - The University of Leeds has one of the top funding scholarship programs offering funding for 13 creative business teams each year, one of which I was lucky to be awarded.

3) Time - Yes a student loan can be a burden but it also offered time to find your feet in your business. I know for a fact had I started the business one year later I would have not been able to survive.

4) Peer support - After gaining a scholarship and becoming part of the Spark initiative I begun to surround myself with people my age that were also starting their businesses. What is nice is as they grow their network so do you. Often you come across similar problems and challenges within your business which you can help each other overcome.

5) Resources and skills - Students are often classed as lazy and unproductive... I can tell you this is far from the truth. In reality most students are desperate to explore and try opportunities. Therefore I was never short of people willing to offer their skills to help with the business, getting some essential experience in business or see what the music business had to offer.


Kimmy x