Enternships Blog
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Accelerating UK Enterprise In 10 TweetsPosted on Wednesday 16 May 2012 at 17:09PM by trrpaipai |
Rajeeb Dey (@rajdey) - CEO of Enternships.com and Co-Founder of StartUp Britain - was invited to attend a roundtable discussion with HRH Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace this morning to discuss ways to support and accelerate enterprise in the UK.
Ahead of the meeting we asked our community of Twitter followers to give us their two pence and suggest ideas to do just that. And here is what we got:
1. @ogunte @rajdey @enternships accelerate enterprise + social impact by encouraging more #women & #girls to start+grow #socent
2. @putt1ck @enternships @rajdey support crowdfunding to improve startup finance. Specifically support @crowdfundingis :)
3. @NachoSuarez @enternships @rajdey Easy: Decrease taxes
4. @nigeladams @ogunte @rajdey @enternships .... to find out why@Buckingham_BBE & similar #ented university programmes only attract about 20-30% women!
5. @giftinatin @enternships @rajdey work with Enterprise Agencies and their Enterprise Coaches (I am one!) so start ups can consider interns?
6. @Climatecars @enternships @rajdey Extend Employer National Insurance Holiday for New Businesses scheme (for 1st 10 employees)to the whole of UK.
7. @VC_UEL @ogunte @rajdey @enternships You should look at CEWE at UEL!http://t.co/Te1Acu0v
8. @KatarzynaGates @enternships Business link advisors. F2F meetings, mentoring, etc. We want them back!
9. @simoncast @rajdey founding loans - income contingent loans for starting a business; gov sponsored startup comps; better online gov services
10. @nicksturge @rajdey accelerate ent'prise: bring inward invest teams 2gether with startup clusters& students&academics&corprates. Doing this in#bristol
The meeting covered a plethora of topics including attitudes towards risk and failure, whether the education system is appropriate for nurturing an entrepreneurial mindset, laws around bankruptcy, as well as the role of corporations in helping startups and SMEs to grow and flourish. Rajeeb and a group of fellow World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders will be taking forward this work and they are keen to hear your thoughts so if you want to contribute to the discussion share your view below!
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More Than Dracula: Entrepreneurship In TransylvaniaPosted on Monday 14 May 2012 at 17:49PM by trrpaipai |
You must admit it, when you think of Transylvania you think of Dracula (thanks, Bram Stoker). As surprising as it may sound, there are far more entrepreneurs than vampires out there plus a few exciting initiatives that are set to keep the entrepreneurial spirit high up.
Vlad Ciurca, an engineer and entrepreneur living in the heart of Transylvania, gives us some insights into the world of business in the land of the famous count:
The business in the region has evolved in the past few years and so has the interest in this market. The IT sector is booming and the production facilities are doing well.
We are seeing more and more interest from youngsters and from the rural areas when it comes to entrepreneurial initiatives.
In Cluj-Napoca the main events for entrepreneurs and youngsters in general are Startup Weekend Cluj, TedXCluj and TedxEroilor, Restart Edu’s Imaginarium Cluj and School for Startups. These all focus on personal development, coaching and startups. During these events young aspiring entrepreurs are being taught and inspired to start an entrepreneurship career or they can get noticed by companies on the lookout for young and talent people.
From a company perspective, the IT sector is clearly the most developed in the city, with many outsourcing companies. Also, we notice a trend for developing own products and here the most important are: Skobbler with its Navigation App (ranked in the Top 10 Appstore in more than 10 countries), iQuest with Trip Journal and Evozon Systems with the highly popular Chicken Can’t Fly Windows Mobile game. Internship fairs are organized several times a year and best students are selected and usually end up being offered a full-time job.
Supporting the local community.
Also, plenty of workshops and other events are organised, bringing together entrepreneurs and projects from the rural area with investors, and supporting the economy there. Some examples of projects include pensions, spa centers, after-school and private kindergartens, leisure complexes and a production unit of natural juice.
In Targu-Mures, Brasov and Sibiu (the other important cities in Transylvania) organizations for young professional like JCI are gathering the youngsters to work on different projects and events together. There is also a yearly event for internet projects similar to the popular TV show Dragon’s Den called Arena Ursilor.
In the future, more companies are expected to form from start-up initiatives and help support the national economy, as well as a better collaboration in the CEE region.
Vlad Ciurca is a Specification Engineer at Skobbler, working on designing the next generation of geo quiz games. Vlad is the Organizer of the successful Startup Weekend Cluj event held in February 2012, and Founder of Transylvania Business Community.
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Compete To Be One Of UK's Top 80 Small BusinessesPosted on Thursday 03 May 2012 at 12:10PM by trrpaipai |
The Pitch, UK's biggest small business competition, is returning this year with yet another great opportunity for start-ups and SMEs to raise their business profile and the chance to win the grand prize of £50,000.
The Pitch 2012 will host a series of judging days in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Before each judging day, local business owners will be able to attend a special event to meet the judges in person and gain valuable advice on how to pitch and build a successful business.
A panel of experts will short list 20 from each country to create ‘The Pitch 80’, a list of the UK’s most exciting new businesses that will compete at the new two-day conference, The Pitch Live, in Liverpool during October.
Four winners will go through to The Pitch 2012 Grand Final on 16 November during Global Entrepreneurship Week. Another 16 entrants will compete for a wildcard place which will be decided by the public. The wildcard winner will be the fifth finalist and join the other four business owners pitching to win business support worth £50,000.
The competition, presented by BusinessZone.co.uk in association with Yell, is already in its fifth edition and has helped numerous entrepreneurs in the past by providing business mentorship, online exposure and support alongside the grand prize.
"Each year, The Pitch has grown both in the number of applicants and reach", says Dan Martin, BusinessZone.co.uk editor. "We are building upon the success of The Pitch last year to make 2012 the biggest year ever by introducing The Pitch 80, a new social profile presence for the short listed businesses, and The Pitch Live."
The new social profile platform is an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their companies, rally support from audiences and encourage public votes. The business owner who generates the most buzz around their brand will be rewarded.
You can find out more about the competition and submit entries by visiting www.ThePitchUK.com Applications must be in by May with judging taking place over the summer.
Follow The Pitch and BusinessZone on Twitter:@the_pitch #thepitch12@businesszone
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Win £5000 For Your Startup From Richard BransonPosted on Friday 27 April 2012 at 17:24PM by trrpaipai |
Calling all aspiring entrepreneurs! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win start-up investment from Sir Richard Branson.
Virgin MediaPioneers, the online community for young entrepreneurs, has launched a nationwide search to find the best budding business leaders. The public will short-list eight candidates to determine which four should meet Richard at his family home in Oxfordshire.
Once there, the final four will compete in front of an audience of chief executives and managing directors for a share of £5,000. They will also receive business advice and have an opportunity to network to further their prospects.
“My desire to do something different and take a few risks along the way has been at the heart of the Virgin story from the very beginning", says Branson. "Likewise,Britain’s young entrepreneurs should have optimism and a belief in their own ability to get out and achieve. I look forward to meeting the best.”
The competition closes at midday on April 30th 2012. Entrants must be:
- A UK resident with a UK-based business
- Founders of a business in pre-launch or in its first 2 years of trading
- Over 18 years of age
- A registered Virgin Media Pioneer (free to register)
- Available May 15th, 2012
- Agree to the Terms and Conditions of the competition
To find out more about the Virgin MediaPioneers & enter the competition, visit: http://blog.virginmediapioneers.com/2012/04/23/opportunity-pitch-to-richard-branson/ or follow them on Twitter: @VMPioneers #VMPitchtoRich
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Entrepreneurship Education On The RisePosted on Wednesday 25 April 2012 at 14:14PM by trrpaipai |
A new report by the European Commission revealed an increase in entrepreneurship in education across Europe, marking a growing interest to connect academia to employers.
Eight countries (Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Wales and the Flemish part of Belgium) have launched specific strategies to promote entrepreneurship education, while 13 others (Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey) include it as part of their national lifelong learning, youth or growth strategies. Half of European countries are engaged in a process of educational reforms which include the strengthening of entrepreneurship education.
If Europe wants to stay competitive, it must invest in its people, in their skills, in their ability to adapt and in their ability to innovate. This means that we need to encourage a real change of mind-set in Europe towards entrepreneurial attitudes and this starts by instilling a spirit of entrepreneurship from early education onwards", says Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.
The good news is a dozen countries support initiatives related to entrepreneurship education such as enhancing closer cooperation between education and business, and setting up small-scale firms run by students. In secondary education, half of the countries integrate entrepreneurship into compulsory subjects such as economics and social sciences. Two countries (Lithuania, Romania) teach entrepreneurship as a compulsory separate subject.
Skills such as initiative, risk-taking and creativity are associated with entrepreneurial subjects taught in schools, marking entrepreneurship as one of eight key competences for lifelong learning. It's incredibly reassuring to know that your business goals go hand in hand with developments across the continent. The Enternships team is more than happy to welcome the results, to which we add our own efforts to improve the relationship between employers and universities in the UK.
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How Enternships Helped Me Set Up My Own BusinessPosted on Wednesday 25 April 2012 at 12:21PM by trrpaipai |
Ry Morgan is the co-founder of PleaseCycle, an innovative start-up that helps organisations to encourage cycling within the workplace. After graduation Ry found himself an internship through our website, made an impression and went on to start PleaseCycle with his employer.
I remember exactly where I was during my first phone call with my current business partner, except, back then his name was simply a signature on an email. It was July 2009, and I was outside the IT buildings at the University of St Andrews, surrounded by glorious sunshine. I was pacing back-and-forth, thinking-on-my-feet, answering questions and firing an equivalent amount back his way – it was a job interview, for the truly glamorous role of “seed planter.” I kid you not. Yet, in a roundabout way, it was this very conversation which planted the seed for the business I’m currently running…
Suffice to say it went well, and I was set to plant seeds for the rest of summer, which, in laymen’s terms, means I’d successfully landed the business development enternship at CURB Media. Perhaps you’re sat there thinking entern-what? CURB-who? Or maybe both – let me fill you in.
Enternships.com is an organisation which aims to provide would-be-entrepreneurs with opportunities to do internships in enterprise, hence the amalgamated name. Ultimately, they seek to pair those who want to run their own business one day with those who are already doing just that. It’s an incredibly powerful concept, and one that especially rings true in my case. Those who entern are promised an irreducibly immersive experience into the world of start-ups, thrown in at the deep end and required to learn the ropes at an exceptional pace. Mine did not disappoint.
CURB is the world’s first natural media company, which means they provide advertising and marketing solutions that are completely sustainable and environmentally friendly. For example, they might make a billboard out of moss; create entire campaigns from sand/snow/wood/crops; or hand-paint the artwork for one the biggest computer game launches of the year in bio-chalk on a 50ft canvas outside Europe’s busiest shopping centre – the latter of which they did just the other week.
The enternship at CURB constituted my penultimate year summer, and I worked directly alongside the founder, Anthony Ganjou, as part of a small (but super) team. From day one I was right in the thick of it, and by the end of my three-month role I’d done almost everything and anything you could hope to complete during a placement, and more. Liaising with clients, handling accounts, developing creative, overseeing campaigns, pitching to agencies, business development, social media – it really was an unprecedented level of involvement. Furthermore, I was also tasked with instigating an entirely new type of media to add to their portfolio, and my response was a glow-in-the-dark advertising solution, made possible by bioluminescent fungi. This featured on Springwise and TrendHunter, and catalysed a fair bit of press for CURB… However, Autumn came, and although I was at the height of my involvement, I inevitably returned to university for my final year of academia.
Ten months flew by, and before you can say 1st-class-MA-in-business-studies I was a fresh faced graduate ready to take on the world. But where to begin? Well, I’d always loved the diagonal-thinking mentality of advertising, so off I plodded in that general direction. Long-story-short, I landed a spot on the graduate summer scheme at TBWA\, who (1) I’d been in to see before on behalf of CURB, and (2) loved the fact I’d been so heavily involved in the media world because of my intensive enternship. Good times.
But here’s where the magic happens.
Being the friendly type, I dropped Anthony a call during my time TBWA\ and we decided to go for coffee. Sat there, cappuccinos in hand we mused upon many things, bouncing endless ideas back-and-forth… That is, until we stumbled into the topic of cycling, and the new cycle hire scheme that had landed since my last visit… And then, right before our very eyes, a car skidded to a halt in an attempt to avoid a mal-equipped cyclist – without a light, helmet or reflector in sight. Fortunately all parties were fine, but as the screech of tyres on tarmac resounded around us, the idea behind PleaseCycle was born.
PleaseCycle seeks to provide companies with the products/services required to inspire cycling within their organisation. By providing the necessary equipment/training/maintenance in a very simple and easy-to-grasp package, we help businesses become more sustainable, healthy and productive from the inside out. We love the idea of delivering results on a triple-bottom-line basis (profit / sustainability / social), all as a result of cycling.
We’re set to launch over the New Year, and I will once again take up the role of “seed planter,” except now it will be on behalf of my very own company. I will undoubtedly engage in many a phone call with Anthony, but this time I’ll be in London, surrounded by snow, pacing back-and-forth, thinking-on-my-feet, answering questions and firing an equivalent amount back his way – running a business.
Originally posted on YourHiddenPotential.
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I Am A Graduate, What Now? Travel & Get Work ExperiencePosted on Tuesday 24 April 2012 at 15:46PM by trrpaipai |
Claudia Gasson is a Surrey student and aspiring entrepreneur. Follow her on Twitter @ClaudiaGasson and on her blog.
Turning on the news and hearing doom for youth unemployment between 16-25 year olds hitting an all time low; numerous articles featuring the same dark cloud of depression for recent graduates and graduates for 2012 it isn’t looking to good in terms of job prospects!
Friends who have graduated with strong degrees under their belts from top universities are struggling to find a job in line with their career goals and are opting for menial retail jobs in sheer desperation of being able to pay rent. In the current climate, it makes you wonder what the point is in obtaining a degree when faced with such high competition – the current average stands at sixty graduate applications to one role.
In order to propel my CV into the graduate market of 2012 I began an internship via Enternships with a startup. Having always been interested in the hands-on aspect of being involved in a startup, this was a perfect learning opportunity, especially as being my own boss is becoming increasingly appealing in the future!
As the end of the academic year approaches I am faced with a dilemma, which I am sure many of you are also tackling:
- Do I fulfill my desire to take a ‘gap yah’? – bearing in mind I have zero funds for this adventure
- Do I apply for grad schemes?
- With my entrepreneurial spirit, do I start my own company and ditch the status quo?
With the help of several articles, (mostly on Enternships.com) and my entrepreneurial spirit, I came to the conclusion of opting to get some more experience in the industry I would ideally like to start my own business in by interning until I feel confident enough to do my own thing. The internship I choose will almost certainly be via Enternships as they offer the perfect portfolio of opportunities to learn from the top down. From personal experience, I was given a hefty amount of responsibility as an intern at Remote Goat, which was sourced through Enternships.
To fill the nagging hole of wanting to go travelling, I have decided upon inter-railing around Europe following graduation for a month. Following this to see outside of Europe, I plan to spend a few weeks here and there when I am in a financial position to travel… or maybe even take my booming business there for potential growth expansion or staff bonuses?
Watch out future grads! It may be me providing you with a top class enternship this time next year! Watch this space…
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I Am A Graduate, What Now? Go Freelance.Posted on Tuesday 24 April 2012 at 15:32PM by trrpaipai |
Anastasiya Shkurko works as a contracted Events Manager at NACUE, the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs. After moving to London, she worked on various projects to gain more experience and soon became as an event freelancer.
My feeling of my great academic achievements and personal successes at university during my graduation soon subsided when realization hit me that I had not secured a job. I fell into the same steps of trying to find a job that suited the society’s expectations to seek work with top banks and consulting companies. During my applications to these jobs, I realized the process (mostly the tedious tests) did not portray my character and overlooked my essential skills. I then decided to take a less approached route and aimed to work with smaller companies.
One thing leads to another..
I started off as a Junior Logistics Manager working on international roadshows, but soon had to look further as the winter season was too quiet. Whilst looking for a full time job, I worked on various corporate marketing projects leading to freelance work. Having heard of success stories of www.enternships.com through my friends, I began to search for contracted opportunities on the website.
That is how I found my recent contract, working as an events officer for NACUE; an opportunity that combined event planning, entrepreneurship and travelling, all elements that I look for in my ideal job. Although, the project lasted for 5 weeks, I had the privilege of connecting with an amazing events team and like-minded young entrepreneurs and had the chance to travel and explore the most beautiful cities that the UK has to offer.
After this exceptional journey, I found the beauty of working on projects for consecutive weeks and anticipating a reward of a few relaxing weeks before the start of the next project. Freelancing is like having internships; you work on short-term projects, throughout the summers (or any time as a freelancer), and gain an array set of skills through different schemes. The skills you sharpen and the experiences that you develop become important elements in shaping yourself as a well-rounded entrepreneur.
Enternships are the way to go
As students and graduates, we are less likely to have had the experience, and often times the internships are heavily based on perfecting Excel sheets and performing secretarial duties. As an entern you are trusted to take initiative to explore your main line of work and be exposed to real work experiences. Being thrown into the unknown is challenging, but it truly pushes you to fight back and test your dedication. Thus, when you graduate, you are more likely to be employable due to the ability to take on greater, varied responsibilities. It creates for more interesting opportunities to excel yourself and your career. So gaining as much varied experience is so essential in securing a job of most interest to you.
Startups are always extremely keen to have students and graduates take roles within their teams. If they’ve invested time and effort from the beginning, they’re more likely to wish for you to stay long term. This is what I have found to be true in my case. After working on one project with the companies, I built relationships with them, which then turns into a mutual desire to work together in the future.
As for my next steps, I landed an event manager role with NACUE for their next project, which I am ecstatic about. Though, having only a week notice before my first day, the relaxing week I was looking forwards to after the project had to be condensed to just a weekend. But that is the beauty of being a freelancer.
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5 Entrepreneurial Lessons I Learned From NHSPosted on Friday 20 April 2012 at 15:30PM by trrpaipai |
Melissa Morris is the CEO and Founder of Network Locum. Network Locum is an online recruitment tool for General Practitioners to find work with which she hopes to disrupt the medical recruitment market.
When I left a job in the City to start my NHS based web business, it was safe to say I was pretty naïve to the world of entrepreneurship. Despite the fact that I had been working at one of the most prestigious management consultancies in the world, I certainly had a lot to learn when it came to running my own business.
I have learned a lot of valuable lessons in my first year of going it alone. There are things I am pleased I did and things I regret, and I’ve chosen to share some of these with Enternships.
1. I am glad I decided to… Create content
Before I launched Network Locum I found it difficult to engage with my future customers. Without a website it was difficult to strike up conversations about a concept that they couldn’t actually use.
I didn’t want to wait until the website was finished to engage with doctors, but equally, I didn’t want to have vague conversations with them and waste their time. Doctor friends often complained of their continual reliance on advisers and their cost, whether advice on their tax affairs, insurance, finding work…etc. So I decided to start an advisory blog as a way to start communicating with GPs and prepare them for our launch.
I asked experts in various areas to contribute to it and create content. That way people feel like they are getting expert advice and also it meant that I didn’t have to spend hours researching and writing.
The blog has had great takeup, we got nearly 400 subscribers and even got an article written about it in the Sunday Times. If you are relying on other people to build your website it is important to find other ways to show progress.
2. I regret… not spending time finding the right people from the start
I have had a lot of setbacks with finding the right people to work with. I admit, I do have a tendency to rush into things in desperation for progress.
My biggest problem was finding the right web developers. Anxious to get something out there I went with the first person I met and agreed to their extortionate fees. I didn’t really reference them properly and set them straight to work. This spelled disaster right from the start. This guy didn’t care about the product and it showed. After 2 months of paying his high fees, I was close to being bankrupt, and didn’t even have a finished product. I hit a complete rock bottom. I had no money left and now had to find someone who was willing to work for free… It took months, but I eventually found that person. An amazing guy who is passionate about the product and great fun to work with.
It is worth investing lots of time in finding someone who really gets what you are doing and gets you as a person. Call their references and ask about “soft skills” like their sense of humour and their passion for startups, not just about their technical qualities. If I had done this upfront and not rushed in, I would have saved at least 6 months in time and a lot of money.
3. I regret… spending too much money at the start
When I first received seed investment, a modest sum of £25,000 I felt like all my problems were solved. I rented a couple of desks, hired a full time web contractor, purchased European trade marks, hired a top lawyer to draft the shareholders agreement… these were all the things I thought I should be doing to set up the company in the “right way” from the start.
Instead, I should have been thinking about how I can make the money last as long as possible. I didn’t account for things taking longer than I planned, cash quickly ran out and I was left in a very tough position. When cash runs out, your progress grinds to a halt.
Cash is the lifeblood of any business, I have learned the hard way that it is better to have a small flow of blood for a longer period of time than a rush of blood to the head for a short burst!
4. I want to… focus on building a team
I have been extremely product focussed over the last year, building and refining it, testing it, refining it.. I have come to realise though that without a solid team, all of this hard work will go to waste. I am now 100% focused on trying to win over the brightest and most enthusiastic people to join me in making the business a success. I can’t do it alone and I certainly don’t have all the skills to even if I had the capacity.
5. I want to… become the industry expert
I took someone else’s advice the other day which I am going to try to do. That is “be the industry expert” in your field. I am very passionate about many topics related to the NHS, one of those being primary care and in particular, patient access to primary care. Through blogging and various mediums of communication I am sharing my opinions and thoughts on these issues. This is a good way to build credibility in the area in which my business is relevant and also a good way to get publicity too…. Will let you know if I have been successful or not (might be another entrepreneurial failure?!)
Being an entrepreneur requires you to jump in with both feet. You can’t be afraid of making mistakes because you will make them, you equally can’t anticipate your successes. It is widely recognised that the most important thing is that you learn. Learn from what you have failed at and learn from what you have succeeded in. the more you jump in with both feet, the more experiences (both successes and failures) you will have and the better you will become.
You can find Melissa's blog at blog.networklocum.com. Follow her on Twitter @meliss_morris
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5 Fantastic Summer OpportunitiesPosted on Thursday 19 April 2012 at 11:53AM by trrpaipai |
Here at Enternships we are always looking for the latest, most exciting companies and as a one off special we’ve pulled together five fantastic opportunities this week at a range of innovative companies including Red Bull, Google and Apple.
Don’t forget to check out our latest internships and jobs at Enternships.com. As summer approaches we’ve got new companies signing up every day.
Here's what we recommend:
- F1 Racing Internship @Red Bull - Milton Keynes
- PR Internship @Apple - London
- HR Internship @EMI Music - London
- Seasonnaire Internship @Jack Wills - Devon
- Web Developer Internship @Google - London or EU Headquarters
Photo Credit: Smazhing Magazine
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