Realise the power of your network

One of the most commonly asked questions by any burgeoning, young entrepreneur is ‘who can help me?’

 Without doubt, there will be times during the early days of starting a business when you’ll want someone to bounce an idea off, get a piece of advice from or simply to commiserate with during a tougher day. That is why I strongly recommend to anyone thinking of starting a business to network, network, network.
 
Don’t underestimate the power of your network. When you finish university and start out in business, you will turn to this network to help you find your footing. The individuals that feature in your support circle are there to be your cheerleader during tough times, be critical of your product when asked, introduce you to other professionals in their extended network, keep you grounded and sane, and finally will keep your spirits up when you feel lonely and disheartened.
 

So what can you do to build your personal business community?

 

While on campus, maximise the opportunities presented by student enterprise societies and NACUE events, like this weekend’s Student Enterprise Conference. It opens you up to a community of like-minded individuals who can share their experiences and knowledge. Who knows, you may even meet your future co-founder, a person who shares your passion and can be a comrade to lean upon in the tougher days. Student enterprise societies and NACUE also provide a superb platform to meet business owners, investors and community leaders who you can build relationships with and will act as future mentors, investors and advisors.
 
Also, don’t ignore spreading your wings and going beyond the university environment. Take advantage of both offline and online networking opportunities. Participating in programmes like the New Entrepreneurs Foundation will not only provide the skills and work experience to help you develop your business but it will also connect you with other young, like-minded entrepreneurs. Also, nearly every week somewhere in the UK there is a networking event, talk, public pitch to go to. Online tools like LinkedIN and Quora give you instant access to a community to bounce your ideas off and connect you individuals who can impart knowledge. Finally, harp back to the old adage - 'it's not what you know but who you know’. Your most valuable asset as a business person is your network. This can include friends, family, investors, mentors and business professionals. Being proactive in making the right connections and making an impact will help these people to remember you and may benefit your career in the years ahead.

 

By Neeta Patel, CEO - New Entrepreneurs Foundation
 
The New Entrepreneurs Foundation team will be at our Student Enterprise Conference on Sunday to share information and answer any questions about its training and development programme. Please visit us at www.newentrepreneursfoundation.com. Three NEF alumni are also speaking at the conference - Ivan Kayima and Josh Turner will share their experiences starting a social enterprise and Lucy Kerr is participating in the women in tech and entrepreneurship panel. Check out the full agenda here.

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  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

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