Reflections on the SEC 2016

We can hardly believe it's been a month since the Student Enterprise Conference 2016. We hope you are still reflecting on the things you learned and have started putting your ideas into action. To help refresh your memories and to continue the knowledge sharing, Ed Smith, graduate and blogger, has put together his highlights of the weekend, so we can relive some of the best bits!

My adrenaline is back to its regular levels after my first Student Enterprise Conference (SEC), run by the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs (NACUE). Now that Ive calmed down a bit I can objectively assess the key things I learned from the weekend. My aim for this post is to both help other attendees gather their thoughts after the event, but also for people who havent attended the SEC before (like me until recently) to see what theyre missing out on. A couple of disclosures; 1. if I butcher anyones talks with my interpretations please dont sue me, I pay my own wages and am not a generous employer 2. I listened to as many speakers as possible, but am for now unfortunately only able to incarnate into one physical form, so cant cover the whole weekend. Im also not going to go in depth on the running of university enterprise societies or digital marketing here. I have upcoming posts that focus on these things specifically, because I realise these are quite niche areas of interest. Equally, if you want an in-depth guide to pitching (one of the most valuable things I took away) check out David Trayfords website at www.pitch.tips, as he explains it far better than I could.  

You

Youre never too young to be successful. You may think you have to get some real lifeexperience before diving into the depths of the startup world, but at the SEC Harvey (@HarveyMorton15) and Julieta (@JulietaOse) talked about their experiences of running businesses before university. From them I also learned the importance of keeping your eyes open to whats happening around you, as you may be surprised how much support your community/council can give you. On this note, have a look at www.mywaystartup.eu who have a huge range of contacts and can provide Europe-wide support. When talking about presenting yourself Claire Burke from the Guardian Small Business Network (@GDNclaire) highlighted the value of being truthful, rather than projecting a perfect instagrammed view of what you do. When you know who you are, you can plan who you want to be next year.

Strategy

When youre starting out its so important to define success. Set exact goals for this week, this month, this year, and become comfortable with the idea that you cant do everything. Nafisa (@Nafisa_Bakkar) explained that she could be tweaking the code or logo on amaliah.co.uk every day, but you have to be ruthlessly efficient with your time, how are you going to grow your user base by 20% this week?. Dont build something if you dont know people want it, think lean. However, take market research with a pinch of salt when you have a vision. Rich Pleeth from https://supmenow.com (@Richpleeth) pointed out that customers cant know what theyll want tomorrow. Dont try to solve a problem, find a market and an opportunity- David Trayford, and make sure you know where your company fits within Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Peter Briffett (@PeterBriffett) emphasised that if you dont know how you add value to your customer on a fundamental level then you know nothing.

Media

Control media coverage as much as possible, when you get negative social media feedback acknowledge it and reply straight away, then get it offline as soon as you can. Never have public slagging matches- Helen Merrills (@HelenMerrills).

Talent

In hiring, cultural fit is more important than anything else. If they havent got the exact skill set but are keen to learn, let them learn. Isaac gave the example of bringing on an excellent animation designer for his games studio http://www.pixelblimp.co.uk, and supporting them (without micromanaging) in their transition to becoming a fully fledged game designer. On the other hand, if someone consistently disagrees with what the rest of the team see as being fundamental to the companys identity, they may not be right for your team any more.

Investors

Very similar to talent, Ivan Kayima (@ivanincredible) stressed that you shouldnt take money just because its there. Spend as much time getting to know an investor as you would an employee. And choose an investor who knows (something) about your industry. The last and most vital piece of advice I want to impart is to just go out there and do it. It will be hard work, and it will be worth it. People will help you whenever they can, but you have to ask first. Nafisa put it very well: People arent born with a little black book of contacts, all of us just have to go out and make them. Look on meetup.com, eventbrite.com, and search through Facebook and Twitter to find out whats going on. If you want it, go and get it. Did the SEC inspire you to launch a business? Enter it into our Varsity Pitch and you could win £10,000 equity free cash  - applications open in May.  

Add comment


Security code
Refresh

X

Stay updated!

Join our mailing list to receive inspiration, great offers, event recommendations and much more.


  1. Our Impact
  2. Our Mission
  3. Our model

We've achieved a great deal in a short number of years, though there's much more too do in supporting our mission of 'Powering the Enterprise Generation'.

32,000

Students

19,926

Event attendees

20,505

Followers

42,000

Reach

16,512

Businesses

43,439

Jobs

Powering the Enterprising Generation

Our mission is to support the development of education and student engagement throughout college and universities by championing student enterprise societies and peer-to-peer learning. NACUE started from an extraordinary movement in student entrepreneurship, providing young individuals with a platform to be experimental, creative and inspiring in their approach to enterprise and entrepreneurship, encouraging a bottom-up approach to inspiring the next generation.


Today, we see over 200 enterprise societies, powered by peer-to-peer groups, who are championing the success of young people throughout their interactive programmes by forging collaborative relationships with their institutions to provide greater experience and development opportunities for their peers. Establishing regional links with locals SME’s who are keen to open their doors to emerging talented, proactive and enthusiastic graduates perpetuates this.


Our work is dedicated to supporting the development and encouragement of entrepreneurship amongst young individuals and forms the sole purpose of NACUE. To learn more about NACUE and the services we produce, click here.

As a not-for-profit, we raise charitable donations that allow us to widen the opportunities available to young people in relation to enterprise and entrepreneurship, strengthening student engagement, the quality of education and connecting and representing student enterprise societies and student entrepreneurs worldwide.

NACUE is a charitable organisation that supports 32,000 students and young people every year. As funding becomes harder to obtain, we rely on the generous support of donors to ensure our programs can continue to change the lives and aspirations of the younger generation.


A donation of any size goes a long way to furthering our work and really is greatly appreciated. Every gift matters in aiding our mission of ‘Powering the Enterprising Generation' but we mainly rely upon the generosity of our members and alumni to do this. By making a single or regular donation you can make a big difference. To learn more about how you can donate, please follow the links below.



 

Large national network

NACUE are delighted to have supported a huge number of student-led societies over the years. You can see the number of established student-led societies on an interactive map below

 

College
University
Society

 

 

Who we work with

Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are at the very core of NACUE, everything we do is to better the startup and self employment ecosystem. We believe that entrepreneurs will shape the future, and we bolster this through our events, our network and our advocacy.

Students

NACUE works with students in Colleges and Universities right across the UK, helping support them in their entrepreneurial goals and connect them with like minded peers.

Educators

NACUE works collaboratively with educators and academics in supporting the development of entrepreneurial mindsets in young people.

Our events

Our events offer the young people we work with the opportunity to connect with our wider network, the experts and seasoned entrepreneurs in our community and the chance to be inspired to take the leap of faith into entrepreneurship. These events are attended by students and graduates from universities and colleges up and down the UK, as well as students from across Europe. Student Societies take centre stage at our events, alongside innovators, game changers and trail blazers of the UK startup ecosystem.

The difference we make

CONNECT WITH NACUE

 

     

Join our mailing list to receive inspiration, event recommendations, great offers and much more.
Please wait