Budding Entrepreneurs

If you fancy starting your own business or working in a young and dynamic environment, entrepreneurship may be for you. You can begin preparing yourself for it in school, but keep in mind though — while this path may not be for everyone, it still offers a valuable unique experience and opportunities for growth.

1 2 Available incubators and limitless opportunities Becoming a jack of all trades

With entrepreneurship now more viable to students and graduates than ever before, there is no shortage of opportunities and incubators available to students. Hopefuls can turn to Platform E for a one-year programme called IntensE — which integrates idea incubation, entrepreneurship and startup acceleration —and leverage on one-to-one mentorship from venture investors and early-stage venture companies.

As the job descriptions in startups are so fluid, you will quickly learn howto wearmanyhats and trydifferentjob roles. This serves as good exposure at the beginning of your career, so take the chance to learn as much as you can while gaining experience. More than that, the opportunity to be part of something new, exciting and possibly big can open doors for you in the future.

3Networking

Gettinginvolved in the scene brings a myriad ofpeers and mentors who have similar careers and lifestyles. You will get to expand your professional network by leaps and bounds — not just with like-minded individuals but potential partners and clients, too!

Your motivation to be an entrepreneur? I’ve always enjoyed making and selling things since young. My friend and I used to sell painted rocks and drawings to our neighbours when I lived in America. Later, when I returned to Singapore, my sister and I set up a “business” making useless crafts and knick-knacks and tried to sell them to relatives and friends. We weren’t much ofa success but we had fun. I just enjoy making things, being creative and challenging myself. It makes me really happy when I see that people like what I make. What were the challenges faced? How did you overcome them and what are your greatest learning points? I handle everything myself: sourcing of materials and tools, planning, designing and making the products, product photography, social media, setting up the website, interacting with customers, and packing and mailing orders. It’s a very time-consuming process as I have other commitments. I set deadlines for myself and try to work with realistic goals. I’ve learned that I can innovate and improve in other areas to compensate for my manpower shortage. I appreciate conversations with and feedback from customers, despite being an introvert and often finding such interactions tiring. Customers often have interesting ideas and viewpoints that I can learn from and it can be very rewarding to meet new people. Hannah started her handcrafted jewellery and accessories brand, Goodbyejohanna, focusing on polymer clay earrings. She developed a hobby in making handcraft jewellery five years ago and has explored several techniques and styles over the years, which eventually led her to develop her own brand.

What do you think is necessary to be a student entrepreneur? Good time management is essential to maintain not onlytheirbusiness matters but also theirstudies and personal lives. Student entrepreneurs should also be self-motivated and driven to overcome the struggle to make their dreams a reality.

Your advice to budding entrepreneurs Work with something you’re passionate or excited about. Entrepreneurship requires strength and determination even in the face ofsetbacks and discouragement. If you love what you do, it’ll be easier to keep persevering even when things are uncertain or difficult.

Shynn Tay Shi Ying (Left) Bachelor of Business (Management), SIM-RMIT

Your motivation to be an entrepreneur? At the age of11, I started working for my uncle at events and enjoyed interacting with people. I moved on to selling painted seashells to peers and thought that it was so cool to get paid doing what I enjoy. When I failed my O Levels, my brother gave me a book, Why "A" Students Work for "C" Students and Why "B" Students Work for the Government by Robert Kiyosaki, as a form of encouragement. From then, my focus in life switched back to wanting to be an entrepreneur. I haven’t flipped a single page of the book to date but I was deeply motivated by his gesture. For years, I was trapped in the bubble that I have to do well in my studies and become a doctor just like my brother to make my parents proud instead of pursuing my dreams.

What were the challenges faced? How did you overcome them and your greatest learning points? Floristryis a highlysaturated and competitive industryto be in. I overcome challenges bybeing different from otherbudding florists, such as giving awaysingle stalkroses at the Orchard Road to build our brand image and providing fast responses and quality customer service.

Shynn met her partner, who was teaching flower arrangement workshops, while working as a florist. They started off with a handful of workshops and weddings together and then realised they share the same vision of bringing bespoke flower arrangements to everyone at an affordable price. This led to the birth of LilasBlooms.

What do you think is necessary to be a student entrepreneur? To have patience and perseverance when facing obstacles and setbacks. It is necessary to stand true to your aspirations and fight for them even when the odds are stacked against you.

Your advice to budding entrepreneurs Do it NOW. Don’t let fears cloud your mind. Have self-belief and be a giver. Work with like-minded people and collaborate to contribute to a collaborative community. Set plenty of reminders to remind yourself about certain things because we can be forgetful when it gets busy.