Those who have always dreamed of starting their own business are not alone. In fact, according to the Start Up Angel Report 2024, 60% of young people want to be their own boss by the age of 30. And it’s clear why: self-employment can offer independence and the freedom to work flexibly. But starting a business can also come with great risks and long working hours, demanding determination, motivation, resilience, good time management, negotiation and decision-making skills. Not only are Kent’s courses designed to develop these skills, but students are also able to access a unique array of experiences which them with the knowledge and support they need to take their ideas to market.
Supporting ASPIRE-ations
The ASPIRE labs at Medway and Canterbury offer a unique and exciting entrepreneurial education open to all students at Kent. Their flagship scheme is the Business Start-Up Journey, an inspirational 15-week programme which provides student entrepreneurs with a step-by-step guide to starting a business. Those taking part in the extracurricular programme learn how to assess risk, turn challenges into opportunities and develop essential business skills. With experienced mentors on hand to advise along the way, it creates the perfect environment in which student entrepreneurs can test the strength of their ideas and develop them into rounded proposals which they then pitch to successful business leaders. This year the winning entrepreneurs were offered one-to-one coaching by none other than Touker Suleyman from BBC’s Dragon’s Den!
The Selfie Year
For Business and Management graduate Harley Mcleod, taking a Selfie Year was a major catalyst for the growth of his property development and rental business. Unlike a traditional Year in Industry where a student spends 12 months on placement in an established business before their final year of study, the Selfie Year provides a structured approach for students intent on developing their own business. For Harley, this gave him time to put the theory he’d learned on his course into practice and access to monthly group meetings and one-to-one advice from the Entrepreneurs in Residence team.
Exposure to real business challenges
There’s no better way to develop entrepreneurial skills than tackling real business challenges, so at Kent, students are encouraged to throw themselves in at the deep-end and do just that. Innovation i-Teams and the Student Impact Challenges run by the Careers and Employability Service give students the chance to use their skills and knowledge to help businesses be better at what they do. In return, they gain an insight into different sector challenges and mentoring from industry experts. So far, students have worked with the likes of Canterbury Cathedral, the Curzon cinema and local social enterprise, Lily’s Social Kitchen.
A world of inspiration
It’s widely known that the founders of Google met and launched their first website whilst at university. The world’s largest express shipping company, FedX, was even inspired by an undergraduate economics class. University life is full of opportunities to meet new people and explore different needs and perspectives. Whether this comes from cutting-edge course content, an afternoon spent at the university library, or involvement in one of Kent’s thriving student societies, entrepreneurs will find plenty of inspiration for their next business idea at Kent. Those looking to develop their ideas further can even access support from Kent’s dedicated ASPIRE team.
A support network like no other
Becoming a Kent student means becoming part of a thriving community of ambitious students and alumni. It’s in this unique environment that students learn not just from academics working at the cutting-edge of their fields, but from the experiences of their peers and the business leaders actively involved in the University’s wider network. Students can connect with successful alumni through the Kent Mentoring Scheme or garner business insight from one of the many business talks hosted on campus throughout the year. The University has strong links with the local Chamber of Commerce, as well as hundreds of local businesses through initiatives such as the Employability Points Scheme.
