Enternships Blog
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Startup Career Milkrounds are coming to a campus near you!Posted on Friday 13 April 2012 at 10:29AM by trrpaipai |
Great news for UK universities! In an effort to improve the relationship between universities and companies across the UK, we are partnering with NACUE to deliver Startup Career Milkrounds at universities across England.
During May and June 2012, NACUE and Enternships.com will be working with leading enterprise societies and startups to showcase the best opportunities open to students and graduates looking to kick off their careers in startups.
As the workplace changes, so does the need for small like-minded firms to come together and bring graduates into their organisations.
Working in a startup is a whole different kettle of fish – startup employees can expect to be given responsibility early on, make decisions that matter, and be expected to undertake truly challenging work. We’re pushing this event as the next mindshift for students who are graduating into a changing world.
So at the end of May 2012, be sure to attend your local Milkround to get the inside track and to meet the people who might offer you that startup job!
- If you’re an enterprise society member, you can claim £500 by running a Milkround in your uni
- If you want to organise an event, please contact david.young@nacue.com or call 07941 606 843
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Enternships.com - Entrepreneurial Summer Internship SchemePosted on Tuesday 03 April 2012 at 14:04PM by trrpaipai |
We recruit enterns all year round, it’s what we do, how we grow our business and we’re proud to practice what we preach.
This summer we want to fill our Angel HQ with bright enterns (that’s you!) and we’d welcome applications from the UK and all over the world.
During the one month Enternship you would gain:
• An introduction to social media, and how Enternships.com interacts with our 30k members. Content is king and we need your articles and opinions
• Formal sales training: How do we convince companies to list with us? We’ll show you how and get you practicing and selling to our companies
• Hand on entrepreneurial experience. We are a fast moving internet company, intern with us and we’ll show you how much fun it is and get you working with people who’ve been there and done it before
Please click here to apply.
Summer Internship details
We will run two intakes of three interns per intake (6 positions in total)
The first scheme will run July 16th – August 10th and the second scheme will run 13th August – September 7th
The internships are expenses covered.
ABOUT Enternships.com Internships
We run two types of Enternships
Three month internships where we are trying to recruit a full time role, and 1 month workshops for projects and experience.
In addition to the Summer Internship scheme, we’ve currently got two, three month internships live
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What Does The 2012 Budget Mean For Start-Ups?Posted on Monday 02 April 2012 at 14:50PM by trrpaipai |
You’re a founder of a start-up, either at the start of your lifecycle or a way through your journey and you want to know what George’s budget means for your business and how the changes to policy and tax affect you.
The budget this year means more for start-ups than any other and it’s pretty good!
Here is a lifecycle impact on Start Up (SU) Ltd.
SU is founded and SEIS utilised
SU begins its life as a bootstrapped entity today and quickly develops its business plan and funding requirements. £150,000 is identified as being required to fund the next stage of development.
It is here that SEIS earns its praise as the best tax incentive ever introduced by the UK government. SU can raise up to £150,000 through the scheme once it is qualified for SEIS, which is very straightforward.
The benefit to SU’s Angel Investor is that if they invest £50k in SU they will receive 50% Income Tax relief on the amount invested. Therefore if your angel investor in this example pays tax of over £25k via PAYE or self-assessment over the current and preceding year and decides to invest £50k in your business they will receive upfront relief of £25k. Thus if the tax is already paid, a cheque will be issued to them by HMRC and if it is to be paid then it no longer has to be! (This is the simple case, if they happen to have a capital gain on which tax is owed as well, they can invest this and get another 28% relief ie 78% in total. The £50k investment would thus cost them £11k and if they hold it for 3 years, they won’t pay tax on the exit. Otherwise known as a no-brainer ;-)
SU now has the money, hires developers, creates its product and markets itself.
R&D credits kick in SU has now been developing its product with the help of the angel’s funding (plus hopefully some expertise) and looks to the commercial actions of maximising tax relief and minimising cash burn.
At this point the government increase of R&D tax credits to 225% of qualifying spends becomes a target for SU. Having hired two developers (or themselves of course) at £40k p.a. plus incurring another £20k of qualifying spend SU has qualifying spend of ‘up to’ £100k, uplifted to £225k. This is then reclaimed from HMRC and around £25-28k comes back into the business bank account once the claim has been accepted. Again, its not hard to do.
R&D meets Patent Box This boost to cashflow is material and thus can be utilised to take advantage of Georges’ latest tax incentive ‘The Patent Box’. The cash is used to apply for a patent. Any income arising directly from this being taxed at a lower rate – an unbelievably low 10% by 2017. This Patent Box bonus is in addition to the well-known commercial benefits for a tech company of obtaining patent protection.
Employees arrive to the sound of EMI Now SU is in a strong competitive and development position it must hire more key employees to take it to the next level. Motivating staff is crucial in any business and the EMI scheme offers a fantastic opportunity for SU to align its staff’s goals with its own and ensure everyone shares in the success of the company.
George has increased the maximum value of EMI options for employees from £120,000 to £250,000 along with planned simplifications for start-ups and reduced entrepreneurial tax rates.
Of course EMI could have been used earlier as well and offers a low cost, high reward incentive.
The ecosystem cycle: The reduction to corporation tax (set to be reduced to an ultra competitive rate of 22% by 2014) increases the value of SU’s fantastic exit allowing investors and employees to receive a substantial return with limited tax take thanks to clever use of all incentives available.
Founders, investors and key employees with EMI options reinvest their gains in new, innovative, like-minded entrepreneurs allowing the ecosystem cycle to continue.
Overall, not a bad effort at all.
Written by Horizon Accounts, London-based Accountants specialising in outsourced accounting and finance solutions to entrepreneurs and Tech start-ups.
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Virgin Media Pioneers Turns 2 With Budget SuccessPosted on Tuesday 27 March 2012 at 17:50PM by trrpaipai |
Virgin Media Pioneers, a community created by Virgin Media to support young entrepreneurs to make their ideas happen, has marked its second birthday by celebrating governmental impact with an announcement in this year’s Budget.
Have a look at how we celebrated in this video: Pioneers TV birthday
Primarily an online resource for young entrepreneurs looking for support and inspiration, Virgin Media Pioneers combines networking opportunities, advice from guest entrepreneurs and chances to attend key events in the name of making ideas happen and reinforcing the importance of entrepreneurship.
Not just a resource, Virgin Media Pioneers is also a leading campaigning voice in the space. In 2011, Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, kicked of the Control Shift campaign asking young entrepreneurs themselves what changes they would like to see happen to allow them to thrive and proposer in the UK today.
Pioneers responded with an idea which they called the Youth Investment Fund, which aimed to financially support young entrepreneurs with business investment on the same favourable terms as Student Loans. Working as part of the National Youth Enterprise Working Group, Pioneers took their idea to Parliament to discuss how it would work with MPs at a roundtable event and won support from Boris Johnson and David Cameron.
Having achieved widespread backing, Virgin Media Pioneers were rewarded for their hard work in the 2012 Budget with the announcement of a £10 million nationwide pilot of a Youth Enterprise Loan. Mark Prisk MP, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, emphasised that the Government believes “that everyone should have a chance to turn their idea for a business into reality” following the reveal and Sir Richard Branson said the scheme “has the potential to transform the prospects of thousands of young people [and] help prevent a lost generation of talent”.
The announcement of the scheme was the perfect way to celebrate 2 years of the Virgin Media Pioneer community and the successes of young Pioneers to date.
Sarah Hilleary, Pioneer and Founder of b-tempted agreed in reaction to the news:
“Congratulations! I was so pleased when I heard it [the Youth Enterprise Loan] announced and was delighted to have been involved! You've done excellent work since starting Virgin Media Pioneers only 2 years ago.”
To read more about their journey towards a Youth Enterprise Loan, visit the Virgin Media Pioneers storify page. To join the community, visit www.virginmediapioneers.com.
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A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Working AbroadPosted on Monday 26 March 2012 at 16:13PM by trrpaipai |
Sam Geuter is in his third year of a degree in Spanish and German at the University of Oxford and after spending four months in Germany at a translation agency he was won over by the idea of working for a startup. Currently based in Madrid, he tells us about the benefits of working abroad.
Ok, don’t get me wrong, moving abroad to work may seem like a big mountain to climb when you’re already pretty content living in your semi-detached house, driving your car on the left hand side whilst listening to Radio 1 and coming home in time for your favourite soap. But then again, if you’re anything like me, it’ll be the absence of these very creature comforts that will excite you about the prospect of working abroad.
It’s the chance to live something new, to step outside the box and explore. (Do you need a reason beyond that?) The great mountaineer George Mallory certainly didn’t; when asked “Why did you want to climb Everest?” he famously retorted “Because it’s there”.
Challenge yourself
And moving abroad, though challenging in some ways, is certainly no Everest, and even though the mere presence of a ‘whole world out there’ may be reason enough to explore it, there are a whole load of reasons backed by solid research that show how living abroad can genuinely be the next logical step.
In 2010 Natwest published a study that showed 9 out of 10 Brits living abroad consider their quality of life to be higher than it would be in Britain. What’s more, they earn up to £20,000 more and 92% of them experienced a pay rise in the last three years. So if that pay rise you’ve been waiting for still hasn’t appeared, this could be the path for you.
New perspectives
But even despite the clear financial advantages, the factors they appreciated most about living abroad were the natural environment, climate and culture, with money only making an appearance in 6th place, so though they have more of it, they’re certainly not there just for the money.
In fact it’s true to say – thought it may sound like a cliché – that the other sorts of riches you can store up by living in another country make actual hard cash seem much less important. For a start, living abroad can give you a new perspective. In Germany, for instance, I’ve experienced a tendency towards rigidity and routine in the workplace, whereas in Spain it’s the complete opposite. All this helps you to look critically at the way things are done back home and to evaluate things that are taken for granted by people who have never seen things done differently.
Overcoming language barriers
And then there’s the question of language: alright, I’m not going to kid you, it can be tough when you throw yourself into a workplace where everyone talks at 1000 miles per hour in a language that you’ve only learned from text books. But in a world where globalisation is a side dish served with any growing business, knowing a second language can really give you an edge when you return home. Indeed in 2010 a poll of 500 companies revealed that one in four recruiters said that having a second language under your belt would be enough to give you the edge over other candidates when applying for a job.
And equally, if you decide to settle abroad, as a native or near native English speaker you can bring skills to a foreign company that many simply cannot, something which is particularly valuable in young startups who are about to expand.
Take initiative
And how do you go about getting this dream job abroad? Well the truth is that it’s not necessarily any harder than it would be at home. It just requires a little more initiative and proactivity. By this I mean using the internet to its full potential.
With social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn, distances of hundreds or thousands of miles are neither here nor there. You can follow companies that you’re interested in, tweet your interest, connect with the recruiters through LinkedIn and before you know it you’ve already made more of an impression than you would have made back home with the old CV and cover letter routine.
Make yourself heard
If you have a positive and rounded internet presence, and make this presence felt, you have the chance to connect on a potentially deeper level with your future employers.
It’s not that these rules don’t apply in your home country too. They definitely do. It’s just that making the decision to leave the plain and start climbing forces you to give vent to your initiative that you may never have discovered unless pushed to.
So there’s only one thing for it if you ask me. The world’s out there, so go and see it!
Written by: Sam Geuter (@sgeuter), Marketing Department at www.wiseri.com
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From Start to Start-Up: Working with EnternshipsPosted on Monday 26 March 2012 at 10:40AM by trrpaipai |
I've learned so much since I started my Enternships journey; in case I forgot to mention this before, you must all know when I first embarked the Enternships boat I did it as an entern.
Thanks to the Anjool Malde Memorial Trust (AMMT), which kindly offered the Fellowship as part of their bid to promote young talent, I had the chance to work with one of the most exciting London start-ups that not only gave my career a great start but a great start-up touch as well.
Here's what I told them about my experience which you can also find on the AMMT website:
I first came across Enternships during my studies but did not fully realise the incredible potential this platform has to offer to students and graduates until I began to explore it. As a Media & Journalism student I was very much in touch with the tech and digital scene, however I had very few connections with London’s start-ups and SMEs. I didn’t really know how to further develop my affinity for the entrepreneurial scape until I came across the internship advertised by Enternships and supported by AMMT.
It was then that I realised what a great opportunity was right in front of me, only a few clicks and (well crafted) words away. Being up against an array of exceptional students from prestigious universities led me come to the conclusion that, although academic qualifications carry their weight to some degree, one’s enthusiasm and devotion are infinitely more important.
Having graduated in June 2011 and pursued a three-month work placement in market research within a large company, Enternships were both a breath of fresh air and a challenge. Located in a quaint house (not office!) just off Angel station, an area notoriously famous for its concentration of Bohemian young professionals, the Enternships headquarters was just moving in when I joined the team in September 2011. Working closely with a team which, at that time, had only three full- time members, was something I had never experienced before – a feeling that left me ever more stimulated.
My first day in the office exposed me to more than a week full of tasks at my previous role: from the generic induction to catching up with emails. There were no lines of managers for me to meet or any hint of a formal induction before getting on with work. The start-up boat sailed right away. And it was great.
I joined the team at a very exciting time when its expansion had just taken off, and it’s truly amazing to be able to say that I was part of the process. Not only did I have to leave my nerves at the door and learn new skills, but I also made friends along the way - calling your boss a friend is not such a common thing.
Fast forward five months and we now see ourselves as the Enternships family. Why is this important? Because your job should be more than just the place you wake up to every morning and mechanically spend eight hours a day in - it should be a way of life; an enjoyable and stimulating environment where you can grow at all levels, professionally and personally.
The idea of fat Christmas bonuses and a predictable career path pale in the face of genuine enjoyment – what psychologists call the state of flow which you attain when you do what you love and love what you do at the same time.
I am truly grateful that Rajeeb, Ellen, Mike and Al still have invited me to be a part of Enternships and I hope that this is a reflection of my sheer dedication, creative input and, last but not least, friendships I’ve formed there. I cannot stress enough how grateful I am for this step forward in my life both to Bharat Malde from the AMMT and to the Enternships team. It has been a great journey whose final destination is hopefully yet to come.
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Offer a summer internship this summer with EnternshipsPosted on Wednesday 21 March 2012 at 15:40PM by trrpaipai |
Have you thought about offering an internship this summer?
If you have, then look no further! We’re overwhelmed with students and graduates applying for summer placements at the moment and we’re trying to create as many roles as possible so that students can gain experience and an introduction to the world of work.
If you haven’t – why not? Taking an intern on is a great way to recruit new staff at a fraction of the cost of using a recruitment agency and it also gives you the chance to develop that project that you’ve been thinking about doing all year!
To see some great case studies of successful enternships have a look at our blog and EnternshipsTV Youtube channel.
If you have a question about taking on a intern or would like to speak to a member of our team about getting a role live, please email us at sales@enternships.com or call us on 0203 397 3216 – we’d love help.
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How To Make Money And Do GoodPosted on Friday 16 March 2012 at 09:11AM by trrpaipai |
We love business that is mindful of its customers and the world around them, in general. That's why we also love what Charlotte Goldsmith-Lascelles is doing. She is the founder and owner of New Feminine Finance, a career and business coaching service for heart-centred professionals and entrepreneurs, looking to have a positive impact on the world through their work.
Charlotte started her business asking herself how can you make money and do good at the same time? And her answer was...
Apart from the obvious paradox this question implies - if we’re not making money from ‘doing good’, then what are we making money from – doing ‘bad’?, I want to show you how in today’s economy, the belief that it isn't possible to make money and have a positive impact has become an outdated one.
The truth is that, whilst for much of the twentieth century, knowledge (and power) was concentrated in the hands of the few, the reality of today’s socio-economic system is different. People from all walks of life are waking up to the desire to not only improve the quality of their own lives, but also the knowledge of how to seek out the information and expertise that will allow them to do so.
Simultaneously, there has been an explosion of new systems and structures – from the internet and social media, through to information and service-based businesses – which allows for the packaging and selling of valuable information and its distribution all over the world. It is a true ‘new’ economy, of the likes we have never seen before.
If you have a specific need or problem, the chances are that someone, somewhere in the world has figured out an answer, and that there is a way for you to access it.
The Money ‘Hex’
In working with this budding breed of ‘new paradigm’ entrepreneurs – supporting them to package and sell the information and services they have accumulated over the course of their lives and careers, and then build business models to effectively communicate that across the global marketplace – there is one problem that I see time and time again.
It is a threshold across which every successful new entrepreneur must cross, and it relates to their own relationship with money.
It is estimated that the field of information and service-based businesses, is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. From six-figure lifestyle businesses, to Inc 500|5000 companies, there are plenty of entrepreneurs shattering the myth that making money isn’t compatible with doing good.
Yet many of us still carry a wound inside of ourselves that relates to the question of making money. Its origins are varied and complex, but in short, we too often confuse how we feel about ourselves (Am I good enough? Do I deserve?) with an understanding of what it means to offer something of value to another, and receive something in return.
The basis of an economic transaction is a good (and is that not what we call them – goods and services?) We offer a service, or something of value to someone, and we receive remuneration in return. In any relationship there must be a balance or flow, otherwise the relationship breaks down.
So too in a transaction – if it is not balanced and even, then before long it will break down. If you want to be of service in the world and offer what you do, you must be appropriately remunerated for it – otherwise you won’t be able to do it for very long.
Is this you…?
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”- Tolstoy
If you are an aspiring entrepreneur that is struggling financially, I would urge you to look closely at Tolstoy’s quote, and examine at what level – in order for you to really and truly impact the community that you desire to serve – you must first and foremost heal your own relationship with money.
If you are giving something of value, then proper flow can only be established when something is given back in return.
Any other approach does not lead to a full and thriving career helping others – it leads to rapid depletion, and worse than that - it hinders the flow of information exchange on the global marketplace.
Without mastering this issue, people in need will not have access to what they need and want. No relationship can survive on an unequal footing – and nowhere more so than a transaction-based one where the value of the exchange is plain for all to see.
If this is you and you would like to find out more about how you can join the ranks of new paradigm entrepreneurs successfully making a living whilst positively impacting the world, please visit www.newfemininefinance.com, or email Charlotte at info@newfemininefinance.com.
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Business 2012: the greatest inspiration stimulates the biggest ever UK business eventPosted on Sunday 11 March 2012 at 11:25AM by trrpaipai |
A peek at the list of business events this year and you're immediately seized by 2012 as the year of startups and SMEs. At Enternships we have taken note of all of them, particularly one show that will bring you the most renowned business people in the UK, as well as the opportunity to explore and learn everything you need to know about setting up a business. Ladies and gents, it's Business 2012.
Vishal Misal, founder and managing director of Blak Pearl, explains why Richard Branson was there at the conception of the UK’s greatest ever business show.
Entrepreneurs are like artists – they need to create something. Many people feel they cannot be truly happy and fulfilled if employed and I believe self-employment and entrepreneurship are the way forward for making a real difference to people’s lives. I also believe entrepreneurialism can and should be used for the greater good of society. More of which later.
Furthermore, I believe entrepreneurship can be taught, and this is one of the major drivers behind my creating Business 2012. It’s a three-day show at The O2 in London in March, which is free to attend and at which we have the best line-up of inspirational speakers and workshop presenters ever seen on one event programme in the UK. We’re expecting capacity audiences of 75,000 entrepreneurs and business owners for the 600+ seminars and workshops. Do join us.
Just going back for a second to entrepreneurship being a teachable quality, I know for sure I wasn’t born an entrepreneur. I watched my family and my first employers and studied how they planned, what they did, how they reacted. I also studied the strategies of some of the great modern entrepreneurs – most of all Sir Richard Branson. To me, he is one of the most inspirational characters ever to have lived. He inspired me to think big – to shoot for the stars. That’s why, when I created the show, Richard just had to be a keynote speaker. A star, in fact. I can’t tell you how proud and honoured I am to keep seeing his name in the same sentence as mine…
The planetary alignment doesn’t stop there. It’s pure coincidence that Richard’s latest book, Screw Business as Usual, is all about businesses working for the greater good of society. I couldn’t have put it better myself! To me this is the icing on an already spectacular cake.
When I finally met Richard for the first time I was, I confess, a little nervous. He was so kind and unassuming though – and genuinely interested and enthusiastic about Business 2012 and his involvement with it. He told me he believes no one has a monopoly on good ideas and that events like this can open the door to greater connections and business opportunities. He also said to me that he hopes he and members of the audience can come up with some ideas together to make all our businesses even stronger than they are today. How humble is that?
Business 2012 is the latest step in my five-year plan to create a UK-based platform for businesses the world over to meet, discuss and exchange ideas. Ambitious? Yes. That’s one of the many qualities I’ve learned about entrepreneurship.
Enternships will also be there with a stall so come and say hello, meet our team and shoot any questions on startup internships or entrepreneurship in general. It's a good opportunity to meet our founder Rajeeb Dey as well as pay a visit to our friends at StartUp Britain who are partners of the event. See you all there!
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Enternships CEO Is the World’s Youngest Global Leader in 2012Posted on Tuesday 06 March 2012 at 09:34AM by trrpaipai |
It is an honour to announce that Enternships Founder and CEO Rajeeb Dey was named among the Young Global Leaders for 2012 by the World Economic Forum. At the age of 26, he is the youngest YGL in the world in the 2012 intake which plunks a flourishing entrepreneurial career promoting innovative businesses among students and graduates.
The World Economic Forum of Young Global Leaders is a unique, multistakeholder community of the world’s most extraordinary young leaders who dedicate a part of their time to jointly addressing global challenges and who are committed to devote their knowledge and energy to working collectively towards a better future.
“Recovery and innovation will require new, unique ideas and an environment where the best minds, ideas and leadership can thrive. The most important determinant of this will be how we use human talent.” - Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
Every year, the Forum honours between 100 and 200 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. In Rajeeb’s case this means recognition for his efforts to promote entrepreneurship both in UK and internationally by bridging the existing gap between students and graduates and small businesses.
“Within the World Economic Forum community, the Young Global Leaders represent the voice for the future and the hopes of the next generation. I am particularly proud of this year's honourees, who I believe will address the challenges we face in a meaningful way through fresh thinking and true multistakeholder engagement”, the Founder and Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab said.
Rajeeb is one of the selected 192 YGLs from 59 countries and all sectors of society (including business, civil society, social entrepreneurs, politics and government, arts and culture, and opinion and media). The new class originates from East Asia (38), South Asia (19), Europe (46), Middle East and North Africa (15), sub-Saharan Africa (18), North America (37) and Latin America (19).
“With the alarming levels of youth unemployment around the world I look forward to engaging with fellow YGLs to explore solutions to help young people access employment opportunities and also highlight entrepreneurship as a viable and rewarding career path.” - Rajeeb Dey, Enternships Founder
Drawn from a pool of several thousand candidates, the 2012 YGLs were chosen by a selection committee, chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and they comprise respected international leaders from business, government and media. Past YGLs include David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Larry Page, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Google, USA and Zhang Xin, Chief Executive Officer, SOHO China, People's Republic of China.
Authors
