Calling all Campus Entrepreneurs

2010-06-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

I found this today while trawling the newspapers for something inspiring...

Calling campus entrepreneurs

By Mike Southon

Published: June 11 2010 16:05 | http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/69e9f88a-755f-11df-a7e2-00144feabdc0.html

The schools examination season is upon us, and with it the eager anticipation of young people making plans for their university education.

Graduates face an uncertain future in the current economic climate, especially as most of them will also face a huge student loan to repay. It was very different in the 1970s, when further education was mostly subsidised by the state. I left Imperial College having failed my exams before eventually scraping a very average degree in chemical engineering at the University of Bradford.

My career in construction engineering was short-lived and my first start-up was in a completely different discipline: computing. My co-founders were some friends from university.

I tell this story to students to illustrate that many of them will not use the academic subject matter from their courses in their working lives, especially if they take the entrepreneurship route.

This is not to say that their learning at university is wasted. Mastering an academic discipline shows that they have trained their mind to accumulate and use knowledge. Just as important are the contacts they make while they are there, while extra-curricular activities, so long as they have a practical purpose, will add significant value to their CVs when applying for their first job.

Chris Arnold took this approach one step further, turning his extra-curricular passion into a thriving business. He was drifting at school until a teacher, Mary Wilson, provided some simple but effective mentoring, persuading him to write down his personal goals and ambitions – such as travel and starting his own business.

However, these goals were put to one side while he succumbed to family pressure and completed a degree in architecture. His main extra-curricular activities were working at summer camps in the US and backpacking.

He worked for a while as a quantity surveyor, but soon followed his entrepreneurial aspirations by buying a travel franchise found in the back of a national newspaper. While this venture was not a great success, it did lead him to meet experienced businessman Dave Robertson, an ideal partner and business mentor for his next venture.

Camp Leaders has a simple premise: to provide even better summer camps than the ones he had personally enjoyed. He soon diversified into Smaller Earth, offering a much wider range of activities worldwide, including sports coaching, teaching, community development and conservation. This resonates with the new entrepreneurial mood I feel on student campuses, which is about making the world a better place as well as making money.

This week Arnold launches Your Big Year, a competition for young people linked to Global Entrepreneurship Week in November. The prize is a one-year, all-expenses paid trip across the world for the two people who can persuade the judges that they not only have the right stuff, but are also able to make a real difference with their activities.

I recommend to students that even the process of applying for the competition will help develop and focus their entrepreneurial skills. Those who win this fabulous prize will have significant expertise and valuable contacts, enabling them to start their own business and pay off that onerous student loan sooner rather than later.

Your Big Year can be found at www.yourbigyear.com

mike@beermat.biz

Follow Mike on Twitter twitter.com/mikesouthon

More columns at www.ft.com/mikesouthon

How to Pitch....

2009-11-04T09:05:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the instructional guide on how to pitch your business idea to our Lion's Den Judges.

So...

You've made it this far through the Discovery Challenge (DISCO) You know your personalities, your business idea, your financials, operations, market research, marketing methods and your target market....

Now you need the funds for your idea.

In this walk through we're going to look at Pitching; which requires two things: correct mental attitude and preparation.

Step one: Find Drive and Direction with Your Business

Ask yourself these questions:

Why am I doing this business idea?

Where do I want to take this business?

Where do I see the business in 5 years time?

What makes me better then my competition?

This is what is known as "Inner Game" or "Positive Mental Attitude" some of you may already be familiar with this - but it basically involves being confident and sure-footed about your business, not just on paper, but in your thought processes and attitude towards your business. It's essentially the perception of coming out on top and having the positive focus and drive on how to get there; all that should come across in your pitch and business plan.

What's your Unique Selling Point? (USP)

Chances are you won't have gotten this far by not knowing your USP, so make sure you can write it down in one sentence and that others who know nothing about your business are intrigued.

What's your Competitive Advantage? (CA)

Basically what makes you different from the competition? Why are you better than them? And what "extras" do you offer?

Watch the Pros and the Not-so-pro...

Here are some videos we show every year; good and bad examples of how to and how not to pitch.

How to...

How to....

Nerves...

Just....no....

Relax
The Lion's Den is designed to put you in the spot light which can be scary for some, just make sure you keep focused. No coffee beforehand!

Voice Issues...
Talk clearly, slowly and with a strong level of enthusiasm.
If you mumble, rush through it or sound boring you aren't communicating as precisely as you could be.

Look into my eyes...
Eye contact is very important; "windows to the soul" as a teacher of mine used to say. Eye contact is a strong part of communication and it almost certainly engages your audience; making it feel almost personal.

Don't Argue.
You look bad so don't do it.

Be Sure.
Make sure you know your facts, and try not to back track, forget things or improvise to fill a gap. People can tell when you're being insincere.

If you follow all these steps you should do fine - if in doubt: KISS

(keep it simple stupid)

Remember...it's a Pitch

There are massive differences between a pitch and a presentation:

Pitches are quick, concise and a lot like a TV advert...just enough information to get you curious, but sell you the idea.

Presentations are to display detail and fully explain a business model, usually a lot more detailed, diagrams, pictures etc.

Remember, you have 30 seconds to convey the following

Say where the business idea came from; your USP and CA; any significant successes with market research/sales; what you need to take the business forward; and where you see yourself in the future.

Remember to make eye contact, hold a positive attitude, speak slowly, clearly and confidently.

If you have ANY questions drop us an email:

the.egym@gmail.com

Good Luck!

James

The Enterprise Gym

Calling all Campus Entrepreneurs

Calling campus entrepreneurs

How to Pitch....