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Entrepreneurs are people who can not only spot gaps in the market, but also have the ability to sense an opportunity when those around see disorder and chaos. Educational background and relevant work experience all play a role in an entrepreneur’s success, but having the vision, confidence, flair and tenacity to drive ideas forwards is what sets them aside from the rest.
Entrepreneurship is initiating, doing, achieving and building an organisation. It is the willingness to take calculated risks, both personal and financial and making sure you don’t give up when the going gets tough.
Sir Alan Sugar, multimillionaire and star of the television show The Apprentice typifies the success that entrepreneurial spirit combined with hard work can bring. Here are his top tips on how to survive in business:
• Understand what or who inspires you - the desire to succeed needs to come from deep within - it’s not something you can fake. You need to know yourself and be aware of who your role models and mentors are.
• Clarify your goal - having a vision is about using your imagination; it is about stretching your brain to think differently.
• Continuing to learn is one of the most important keys to succeeding in business. The business world is constantly changing, so make sure you are willing to learn new skills or you will get stuck in an outdated rut.
• Stay focussed and avoid developing self-indulgent habits during the working day. A pattern of late starts, long lunches and late-night working all hand the advantage to your competitors.
• Watch your attitude. Do you think you are owed something by your employer, by your family, by society? If so, think again. Get out there by creating your own opportunities if you want to succeed in your own right.
• Don’t give up, no matter how hard you’ve been trying. If you believe in something, it is worth continuing with it – not blindly and not without taking stock of your progress to date – but if you believe you have an original and marketable idea, keep going.
• Don’t expect to be an overnight success. You can strike lucky if you have the right product in the marketplace at the right time and at the right price, but true success takes years, and a lot of trial and error.
• Never forget the customer is always right. This means making sure you can sell your ideas well enough that they are not questioned, and being willing to listen to what people say.
Most Enterprising Student Award
Winner: Laura James, Littlehampton Academy
“I’m honoured and ecstatic about winning the award. The Arun Enterprise Challenge was to design a sandwich idea and pitch and sell them to local businesses. It was such an interesting experience for me and really gave me a taste of the working world.”
See all the fabulous activities that went on during Enterprise Week for all the year groups on:
www.tla.woodard.co.uk
Sponsors: Kittiwake Developments Limited, Business Link and the West Sussex Education Business Partnership [approved]
Kittiwake actively encourages entrepreneurship. “The company was formed 15 years ago by two entrepreneurs. Over the years, Kittiwake has supported many local schools and initiatives and when the opportunity came to combine the two, we jumped at the chance. It was a privilege to be involved in the Most Enterprising Award and great to see young people thinking in the same way as our founders.”
Michael Dines
Kittiwake Developments Limited
01903 738342
miked@kittiwake.com
Most Enterprising Team Award
Winner: Felpham Community School
“Being awarded Most Enterprising Team in the Arun district has been a real achievement for the students involved at Felpham, especially when you consider the tough competition that they faced from other schools in the area. The competition has been an outstanding opportunity for our students to work with local business representatives, and has exposed them to the skills that make a successful entrepreneur. The Arun Business Partnership has worked exceptionally hard putting this all together and should be congratulated for its efforts. We look forward to defending our title with our next group of students.”
Gary Treharne
Felpham Community College
01243 826511
www.felpham.com
A big thank you
Thank you to Self Storage Space which hosted the Most Enterprising Team Challenge and to Andy McTaggart from ALS World Movers who gave up hours of his time to create and organise the challenge.
