More and more people are choosing to start their own businesses, and that’s certainly no bad thing. If it will work for them, then it’s the best thing for them to do, as long as they put thought and effort into it and don’t rush or try to cut corners.
Yet despite this being a positive thing, most entrepreneurs wait until they leave university before they start their business. This has a number of downsides, including the fact that they will need to make money right away, which can mean rushing, which, as we’ve mentioned, is not a good idea. This is why, assuming you have the knowledge (or are willing to learn), it can often be a good idea to actually start your business much earlier while you’re still at school. If you can do this, there will be less pressure on you to get things right since you won’t be relying on the business for an income, and you’ll be able to take your time over ensuring you have everything in place. Read on for some more reasons why starting a business sooner rather than later is a good idea.
Put Your Learning Into Practice
Sometimes courses at university can give you a lot of information, but you’ll have no way and nowhere to put that information to good use. If you start a business, you’ll be able to put your learning into practice. Not only will that help you in terms of getting a good degree (the more you do, the more you’ll understand, and the better your grades will be because of it), but it will also help you ensure you have a good business.
You might not think that what you’re studying will have a place in business. An MA education doesn’t sound very business-like, but the truth is, it can be. There will be skills you learn in all kinds of degrees that can be put to good use in business, whether the degree is specifically designed for that reason or not. Think carefully about what these are, and you might even come up with some business ideas that utilize them in the best way.
Gain Valuable Professional Skills
When you start a business at school, and you’re under less pressure (although, of course, you’ll still want it to succeed), you’ll be able to spend time gaining and honing the right set of professional skills to help you now and in the future. No matter what happens, whether you continue with your business or you choose to start a new one, or you want to work for someone else, there are some skills that will always be useful. They include:
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Problem-solving
- Decision making
- Communication
- Creativity
When you run a business, you’ll necessarily need to have all of these skills (and more), and the more you work on your business and in your studies, the greater your skills will become.
Benefit From A Professional Network
Networking is a crucial part of running a business. It’s going to be a challenge to do things entirely by yourself, and whether you intend to hire people or not, knowing that there are others out there who can help you is always going to be important.
When you’re at school, you’re automatically going to be surrounded by other people, some of whom can become part of your network and help you get further. You won’t have to look too far to find them. This might be other students who are also looking at ways to start their own business – a partnership might form, or at the very least, you can start helping one another. Or perhaps it’s the tutors who are going to be most helpful. Many will have their own businesses or have contacts who might be able to help you.
The key is not to keep your business to yourself. Once it is up and running (or perhaps even before that), you should let people know. Not only will this start building interest, but those who are willing to help can step in at an early stage.
You’ll Have A Support Structure
Not only will you have a good network around you, you’ll also have a support structure. Universities are aware that some of their students will want to start their own businesses while at school or soon afterward. They will have resources in place to ensure that these entrepreneurial students have access to all the information they need to do as well as possible. It’s certainly not in the school’s best interests to deny their students the chance to make something of themselves, so never be worried that this might be the case, and ask as many questions and for as much information as you need to.
Having support as an entrepreneur is vital. If you try to do everything by yourself and without anyone to talk to, the task will seem much harder, and you will find that you become distracted, perhaps even fall out of love with the idea of having your own business entirely. When this happens, even if your business could have been exceptionally successful, you simply won’t want to carry on. Having a support structure – something that is easy to find at university – means this is much less likely to happen, and you’ll stand a good chance of growing and thriving.
You’ll Learn Through Failure
We’re not saying that every business started while the owner is still at school is going to fail, and in fact, many will go on to be highly successful enterprises. However, if you do fail, you’ll learn a huge number of lessons that mean you can go on to be much more successful in the future. You might learn that business isn’t the right thing for you, for example, allowing you to be successful in a different kind of career. Or perhaps you’ll learn where you went wrong so that you won’t make the same mistakes the next time you start a business.
If your business doesn’t succeed and you’re relying on it for an income, you will have big problems. If it fails and it’s a ‘side hustle’while you earn your degree, then although it will still be a disappointment, you will have much more chance to learn and grow from the lessons learned.