Oxford

WORKING FOR
YOURSELF
Every year, graduates from every subject consider starting
their own business or social enterprise. When James Caan
(of the BBC show Dragons’ Den) came to speak at the Saïd
Business School, he claimed that success in business is 5%
idea and 95% process. So, although finding that great idea is
important, you’ll need personality, energy and commitment
as well to make your business work. Entrepreneurship is
increasingly visible here at Oxford – see www.eship.ox.ac.uk for
great resources and information.
HOW TO GET STARTED
If you’re about to get started you’ll need
several things.
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An idea – consider what problem
you’re solving, what solutions exist
now, and how yours compares.
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Evidence – market research, legal
research, a financial plan and
competitor analysis.
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Other people – such as a business
partner who brings complementary
skills, a business mentor for advice,
contacts to make your business work,
and friends or family as a support
network.
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Infrastructure – you might need
premises to operate from, phone/
internet, website, transport.
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Formal registration – identifying
yourself as self-employed to the
government, and registering a business
name. (Check for available names in
the UK at www.companieshouse.gov.
uk).
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Money – most enterprises require some
capital to get you started, whether it’s
buying equipment, or just covering
your own living costs. Get independent
advice if you’re considering a loan. If
you are starting a social enterprise, The
Careers Service and Oxford Hub give
out generous grants termly. There are
many funding sources to encourage
young entrepreneurs – start here:
www.eship.ox.ac.uk/how-can-i/findfunding-or-investment
MORE INFORMATION
If you want to find out more about
this sector, visit:
www.careers.ox.ac.uk/work-for-yourself
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LEARNING MORE BEFORE
YOU START
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Get an internship in a Small to
Medium size Enterprise (SME) to get
initial business experience and learn
from people who have started their
own company. One good source is
www.enternships.com
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Take part in our Business Mentoring
programme (p.29) and work with the
Entrepreneur in Residence at the
Careers Service.
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Join the Oxford Entrepreneurs Society
– to meet like-minded students, to get
advice, and for pitching, funding and
networking opportunities.
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Check out www.eship.ox.ac.uk/howcan-i/learn-about-entrepreneurship
for lots way so to learn about
entrepreneurship in Oxford.
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Sign up to the Saïd Business School’s
free Building a Business course, and
see their webpage for last year’s
material.
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Take part in The Student Consultancy
(p.29), and opt for a project with a
start-up.
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Develop your skills through work
experience (pp.26-35).
WORKING FREELANCE
A large number of Oxford students begin
their careers by working freelance – most
frequently in the media, arts, translation
and education. Much of the advice
for start-ups, above, is also relevant to
freelancers: you will, for example, need
to assess the market, register yourself
as self-employed, and find ways to
market yourself. Self-promotion may
not be necessary if you can find regular
employment through an agency – but a
website, business cards and registering in
directories of businesses may be useful.
If you are considering working freelance,
and you have no visa restrictions to selfemployment,
you could start while you are
a student at Oxford. Provided you do not
commit to projects that interfere with your
academic study, it is a good way to test the
water, assess the feasibility of supporting
yourself, and start building up a client base.
PSST! INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS!
Note that student visas generally do
not allow you to be self-employed.
International students about to
graduate could apply to stay in the UK
with a Tier 1 – Graduate Entrepreneur
Visa, through The Careers Service.
Aditya Kasliwal
Founder - SpeakSet
Everyone looks at start-ups
as a risky option. That is
true but what have you got
to lose coming straight out
of Uni? It’s worth a shot!
Even if it doesn’t work out,
you’ll have learned so much
more than you would doing
anything else for a year.
“
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