“What to do after College/University?” is a question you’ve probably been wrestling with for some time. Life has changed dramatically over the last year and what looked like the normal path to follow, might not be right for this new world.
You’ve invested a lot of time, money and energy to get to where you are. So now what? ….
Blog summary:
- Just Start (Your Own Business After College/University) – you’ll learn so much by doing and who knows where that could lead. It can be tough finding a job out there so create your own!
- What’s Stopping You Launching A Business After College/University? – you may be thinking that you: “need more experience first”, “don’t have enough money” or “don’t have a good business idea”. This is all in your head.
- You Don’t Need to Go “All-In” – this is a common myth. You can still work full or part-time and start a business. You can start small, experiment, tweak and grow at your own pace.
You may be confused, asking yourself what to do after College or University. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’re all pretty confused right now, the world having stopped turning for the best part of a year.
We get this question a lot from the students and grads who ask us about our Business Stripped Back course. So, we thought we would break down the best ways you can start a business after graduation. Even if you don’t think you can.
Here are our thoughts on why you should reconsider what to do after College/University, and why starting a business could be the perfect solution.
Watch the video here or keep reading ……
Related videos:
- Is My Business Idea Good?: Student Enterprise TV – Episode #5
- How to Start A Business with No Experience: Student Enterprise TV – Episode #10
- How to Start A Business with No (or Little!) Money: Student Enterprise TV Episode #16
Just Start. (Your Own Business After College/University)
One of the best ways to “get a job” is by making your own job, so just do it!
We’ll level with you here – it’s not easy – but it is totally possible, and we’ve worked with lots of college and university students and grads who have successfully done it and you can do it too!
Is it easy? Absolutely not. Is it worth it? Hell Yeah! Business doesn’t get easier, its just that you become a better at it. You can learn so much from your studies, from podcasts, from videos, from business books and lots of other resources. However, nothing prepares you for running your own business, like actually doing it.
We all learn by doing. Sometimes you can’t learn from reading a book. You need to experience it. You can’t learn to swim by reading books so you might as well dive right in!
You just need to understand what to do, break this down manageable chunks and get started! You’ll probably learn more in your first year of business than any other year, and that’s what makes the journey you are about to embark on so exciting!
When you first start out, you don’t know what you don’t know. This is perhaps one of the most challenging things to grapple with. Experience is the only solution. Do it. Make mistakes. Grow
A good idea that stays in your head is a worthless. Don’t sit on a good idea until someone else acts on it. ‘What if’ is no way to live.
If you want to learn more about starting a business, join the waiting list for our online business course – Business Stripped Back!
This is a no BS course, full of practical advice, led by entrepreneurs to tell you what you REALLY need to know to start a business right now.
Limited places. Starts in Spring 2021. Join the waiting list here.
What’s Stopping You Launching A Business After College/University?
“Action is the most important key to any success”, according to Tony Robbins – the famous life and business strategist, and leadership coach to some of the world’s most successful people.
So, next time you ask yourself what to do after College/University, consider: solving that problem you (or other people) have that you can’t find a solution to, or turning your hobby into your career. Choose living life on your terms, ignore convention and say no to a 9-5 in a soulless corporation.
You don’t need to start your own business to find your purpose, live the life you want or do work that you enjoy. However, you might.
So, what’s holding you back?
lack of money? lack of confidence? thinking that you’re not good enough?
Quick answers: you probably don’t need as much money as you think you do. Your confidence will grow over time. You’re already much better than you think you are so give yourself more credit!
You can learn on the job. Many other students and graduates started a business before they were really ready and you can too! Plus, there’s lots of help out there (hello!).
There is never a “perfect” time to launch a business. The time will never be right and there are at least 1,001 reasons not to start a business after College or University: “I need more experience first”, “I need to do more research”, “I need more money”, “I’m just not ready”, “I’m not good enough”, “I need to finish my business plan first”, “I’ve not got a website yet”….JUST DO IT
You Don’t Need to Go “All-In!”
One of the biggest myths perpetuated by hustle culture is that you have to go “all in”.
You can still work and have your own business – be it full-time or part-time. You can work on your business in the morning, in the evening, at weekends, on your lunch break. And you can do this when you’re still studying too. Make time.
I know this almost sounds counter-intuitive – it doesn’t feel right. However, there is some evidence to suggest this is true: not just from our own experiences of working with lots of student and graduate entrepreneurs over the years, but in the ‘Originals – How Non-Conformists Move the World’, by Adam Grant. The book looks at “originals” in every field; politics, sport and business.
He talks about the “all in” myth in the book. This is particularly prevalent in the entrepreneurship space. The general vibe is: “if you’re not fully invested in your product, service or your idea, how can your customers, investors or staff be? Grant writes about some examples of successful businesses that hedged their bets. In other words, they didn’t go all in.
What’s really holding you back from starting a business after college/university?….
You.
If you found this blog useful, that’s great! Please share it with any other students or graduates who you think need to see it?
While you’re still here, why not check out these related episodes of Student Enterprise TV (our weekly YouTube series) to help you on your entrepreneurial journey: