Читать книгу Dear Entrepreneur - Danny Bailey - Страница 12
ОглавлениеBlessing M
Dear Entrepreneur,
Entrepreneurship is a really important issue, and something that is becoming increasingly noticed due to the recession and young people struggling with employment. Being an entrepreneur is about more than just starting a business or two, it is about having attitude and the drive to succeed in business.
All successful entrepreneurs have a similar way of thinking and possess several key personal qualities that make them so successful in business. Successful entrepreneurs like the ambitious Richard Branson have an inner drive to succeed and grow their business.
My name is Blessing Maregere; I am a 19-year-old multi-award winning young entrepreneur. I started my first business at the age of 16, which was a contract cleaning company called Essential Cleaning Company. This was back in 2009 when I had finished my GCSE exams and couldn’t find a job, so I decided to create my own.
I had six staff working for me and a number of cleaning contracts and my early success motivated me to set up another business called Bright Futures Enterprise, a social enterprise with a mission to inspire, educate and motivate young people to become successful entrepreneurs.
I sold my cleaning company after a year as I wanted to do more challenging things and I launched Not Just a Youth Enterprise in 2011 with my business partners. Not Just a Youth Enterprise is a youth-led social enterprise and we have developed our own brand of Fairtrade products ranging from rice and chocolate to coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
How to get started when you don’t know where to begin and 3 steps to success
A lot of young people want to become their own boss but don’t know where to begin. But I believe it’s possible for any young person to follow their dreams and do what they love.
Before starting my first business I was volunteering at community youth groups with a helping hand from organisations like vInspired. Volunteering provided me with a whole new network of people and organisations who believe in young people’s potential.
Through a combination of experience and networking, I developed the confidence and belief to get out there and give things a go. I believe anyone can become an entrepreneur if they put their mind to it. For any young people out there who want to set up their own business or start a youth project, here are my 3 top tips to get your ideas off the ground:
1. Network
Networking is the key to success – it’s not about what you know, it’s who you know. So get out there and network with likeminded people; you never know which invaluable contact or person you might meet.
2. Seek a business mentor
Going solo can be lonely, so having a mentor is key to help guide your business to success. It could be a business contact, or even a friend or family member to bounce your ideas off – having someone to provide you with moral support, guidance and encouragement can make a world of difference.
3. Passion
Do what you love and love what you do! You need passion to make your dreams a success – without passion it will never work. Choose to work on the things that are really important to you – if you care about them enough, you’ll stick with them.
Blessing Maregere
Founder & Chair, Not Just A Youth Enterprise
