We had our first event of the academic year last week in Dalston Square, thus marking the start of our 2016-17 entrepreneurial programme. The event was hosted by The Bakery, an enterprise which connects corporations with entrepreneurs to solve business problems teaching them to become more entrepreneurial.
The co-founder and serial entrepreneur Andrew Humphries gave an exciting talk about the power of entrepreneurialism to change big business and innovate our world, citing examples ranging from BMW’s electric car launch and Unilever’s most recent cutting-edge market research in to Pedigree’s health measurement application which are the result of The Bakery’s startup match-making service. These examples show the real impact of entrepreneurialism on shaping innovation and internal markets by delivering flexibility and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking to solve complex and pressing problems.
The highlight of the event was a series of group exercises which prompted the students to come up with solutions and innovations for real-life problems and opportunities. These exciting challenges resulted in impressive student solutions and innovations, demonstrating how good LSE students are with cutting through complexity.
This is where LSE Generate comes into the picture. We at LSE Generate know that you will have had one or more innovative, unique and viable business ideas at some point, but the big question is always implementation.
This is one the biggest hindrances for possible entrepreneurs. Common difficulties include:
- How do I start a business?
- How do I get finance?
- Am I really prepared to dedicate time and effort into my idea?
- Why become an entrepreneur when I can find more stable jobs?
- What if my business doesn’t work?
These questions are precisely the reason why Generate exists within LSE Careers to address these kinds of questions through a vast programme of events. This includes masterclasses on vital issues such as finance, planning, contracts and growth. We’re also hosting four panel events on topics ranging from Brexit to the tech sector, legal round tables, and various workshops. Finally, we’re also offering a mentoring service and have three funding competitions this academic year in which you can bid for thousands of pounds of funding for your business idea!
So no matter what kind of business ideas you have (if any), and no matter how committed you are to realising those ideas, come along to our events.
Anyone can be an entrepreneur – it’s one of the most exciting and fulfilling things one can do and, as Andrew Humphries said at The Bakery, ‘What’s the right time to become an entrepreneur? Now, absolutely now!’
We couldn’t agree more.
