Can I start a business whilst at university? Here’s how we did it

My motivations in coming to university was to develop the skills and connections to be able to start my own business someday, as I’m sure many aspiring entrepreneurs desire, yet we are faced with uncertainty on where to even begin! We may have the ideas but feel like we are lacking the facilities and time to carry them out. You are very much not alone and as a current student as myself balancing a degree, running a society and managing Aurelia Marketing.

However, despite the daunting idea of making a whole business from scratch, there isn’t a better place to start than doing it at university. Imagine how rewarding it is to graduate with a job already set in stone that is yours!

Here I will be sharing some tips I found really made an impact in establishing our own business.

1. Connect with others with the same aspirations

   
   

   University is surrounded by aspirational people just like you who want to build something so you will likely encounter someone with the same goals and are passionate to work on them. Keep these people around, especially those who uplift and inspire as they will be the ones helping you along the way.

   Therefore, attend the relevant societies in your desired field or if you want to really branch out, seek out networking events on social media where you will be able to speak to industry professionals without pressure to have anything set in stone. Networking will always be productive as you can gain advice and connect with all sorts of industry professionals who know your field best.

2. Make the most out of university resources

   
   

   Most universities have facilities linked to entrepreneurship or business incubators that are there to provide the advice and resources to carry out your business ventures. In fact, our business received advice and support from our own business incubator called the Hatchery at the University of Surrey, where we are sat amongst likeminded people on the road to getting their businesses off the ground.

   Not only are these services greatly beneficial to gain insight outside of lectures that aren’t simply theoretical, but you are once again in a room with likeminded people who all want the same thing and want to help each other out.

   Universities often host hackathons or business pitches too where if you win, your business receives a fund to help kickstart it. Opportunities like these are everywhere and sometimes you have to go and seek them out. Therefore, check your student emails for anything coming up!

3. Establish the objectives of your company

   
   

   It’s important you don’t jump into anything blindly therefore, its important you have an understanding of the sector you want to enter. Even students outside of business may start a company on their specialised skills because they noticed a gap in the market.

   Your business idea needs to come off as strong that will genuinely provide value to the consumer in some way or another and how this can be executed in a potentially competitive market. Understand the type of customers you’d want your business to appeal to and what they need by talking to them.

   Afterall, your business isn’t what you want to sell to the customers but rather what the consumer actually wants, so see what they are missing and how you can solve it.

4. Don’t do it alone

   
   

   As much as it looks impressive for someone to build a business from the ground up being ‘self-made’, it’s very unrealistic for the most part as people like this generally already have connections established or were big risk takers.

   Whilst at university with so many people with the same ideas, wont it lighten the load sharing this plan out with them? Its always helpful having another set of hands and thoughts that can help with this journey you are both creating.

   It’s not unreasonable to seek advice as how would anyone progress in this industry really? We gain more courage to fulfil an idea and carry It out with support from someone or a group of people. Aurelia Marketing is a partnership for this very reason because of two students who came together with a passion for digital marketing. Therefore, this is a really important taboo to tackle.

5. Know this won’t be easy

   
   

   Being a full-time student and choosing to start this is certainly not going to be plain and simple. There will be hurdles and areas of business, like legalities and finances, that can be confusing and hard to even look at, however all of this matters and its ok if you don’t understand certain things. This links to having help around you for guidance in areas you may have a less of an understanding in.

   Things will get easier when your business starts lifting off the ground after putting in the hard, first initial work and making sure you have a solid foundation. Acknowledge that this is a learning journey and every part of it that you put towards your education and the business all matters and will be worth it in the long-run. Learn to embrace the uncertainty and hardships this will throw at you.

All of these considerations combined is what helped me find my business partner to start Aurelia Marketing, and I couldn’t be happier with the dedication that has led us on this journey. We only hope that we can help encourage you to initiate your own business journey during your studies and seek out all the support you need.

If you require any assistance in marketing for your business, please feel free to reach out to the Aurelia Marketing team and we will help you with any branding needs or boosting your company’s engagement on social channels.

Go bring your own visions to life!

-Victoria (Co-founder/COO of Aurelia Marketing Ltd)