Remember when you were little, and adults would ask ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ When did that turn into ‘what do you want to do when you graduate?’ As we get bigger, our dreams often seem to get smaller, but that’s no reason to let a conventional job market define you.
If you’re interested in pursuing something different, something new, something that’s uniquely you, you might have what it takes to be an entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs
Choosing a career shouldn’t just be about what you want to fill your time doing – it should be about who you are, and who you want to become.
Studies have shown that job satisfaction and overall life satisfaction go hand in hand, which makes it all the more important to pursue something you really care about.
That’s where launching your own business goes from ‘career choice’ to ‘lifestyle’. Anyone who’s so much as glanced at Twitter or Instagram knows that entrepreneurs have a passion for what they do, a love of the hustle and a community all of their own. It’s not just about what you earn, it’s about what you learn, and the incredible places an enterprise journey can take you.
Lifestyle
The Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE to friends) is all about that lifestyle. Whether it’s meeting other people with the same determined spark, traveling the world on the hunt for the next big investor, or sharing the expertise born of experience with the next generation of designers, activists and inventors, SIE’s expert advisors and entrepreneurial community have got your back.
Their support is designed specifically for students and recent graduates, to take you from the very first lightbulb moment to launching your own business with total confidence.
Fresh ideas
The truth is, we live in an age of big ideas: big problems that demand big solutions, big data propelling big innovations, and big movements started by people with big hearts. It’s more important than ever that a new generation of big dreamers rise to the challenge, take advantage of this rapidly changing world, and offer brand new perspectives. That’s why SIE’s flagship enterprise competition is all about ideas.
You don’t need to have started a business, filed a patent, or even have a pitch prepared – you just need one Fresh Idea, and you can enter online within minutes.
Fresh Ideas takes the scariest part out of the enterprise journey. You don’t have to gamble your life savings on an untested business idea – you can just enter online, have your concept appraised by a panel of business experts, and find out for free if you’re onto something. If you win your monthly round it gets even better, with an immediate cash prize and invitation to develop your concept further at an annual Exploration Day workshop.
Before you know it, you’ll be ready to pitch to the judges for startup funding and a full package of ongoing support from SIE.
