From student to businessman: 5 reasons to become an entrepreneur while still in high school

1. Understand the profession from the inside

This doesn't just apply to managerial jobs. Your own business, directly or indirectly related to the received profession, will allow you to better understand the theory that is told in pairs. For example, a student journalist can launch their own small online publication, a chef can bake cakes to order, and a developer can create an application. Plus, any business contributes to the development of time management skills, setting goals and delegating tasks - they will be useful both in school and in life.

Entrepreneurial experience will also help in writing a thesis - just make your business the subject of research. Some universities in Russia have even introduced a program "Startup as a Diploma"Startup as a Diploma / Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. It allows you to prepare and defend your own business project, already launched or under development, instead of a classic final work.

2. Lay the foundation of a career

Many universities have business incubators or support centers for young entrepreneurs. Experts help turn a promising idea into a very real project: create a business plan, find investors and a platform for work. They also organize trainings and courses for the preparation of entrepreneurs. Therefore, if you have the idea of ​​​​opening a business, carefully study the possibilities of your university and use them - this will not only simplify the launch process, but also reduce costs.

Another way to get useful information is to talk to real entrepreneurs. A student can do this, for example, during an internship or summer practice. Try to find out what difficulties business owners had to face, what resources they used, what books and courses were useful to them.

3. Earn

Any business at the start requires investments. But it is not necessary to work in the red for a long time - choose more budget options. For example, take a franchise or a ready-made business with an established customer base: this way you won’t have to spend large sums on advertising and interior design. Another idea is to monetize your hobby and sell handmade goods on social networks. Here, money will be needed only for consumables and promotion. You can control investments based on demand: if there are orders, there are expenses; a temporary lull - you do not need to buy anything.

There are options without a starting budget. For example, start by designing websites or creating content — logos, texts, videos, or anything else. To do this, it is enough to register as a self-employed or individual entrepreneur and create a profile in the freelancer database, make a working account in social networks or create a simple website in the constructor.

Gradually, a small business can grow into a big one - a store with homemade shoppers or beads will move from social networks to a marketplace, and freelance earnings will turn into a content agency. The main thing is to start!

4. Make the world a better place

Eco-friendly alternative to plastic, smart personalized entertainment app, pet health gadget. If you have an idea for a useful and innovative startup, college is a great time to start. Support for the implementation of the plan will be easier to find. Mentors from business incubators will help with the transformation of an idea into a realistic project, and numerous youth competitions and grants will help with financing. These are launched by venture funds, student associations, universities, entrepreneurs, government agencies - there are many opportunities for obtaining investments. Startup competitions are also useful because they can meet successful businessmen or meet like-minded people.

5. Gain experience

Vital and professional. It will come in handy even if after graduation you do not want to continue to develop in business - in any case, feel free to add the acquired skills to your resume. It will be easier to look for a job than with just a diploma. In addition, in entrepreneurship it is easy to develop networking - to acquire useful business connections. Among business acquaintances there may be a potential employer or a future partner to launch a new project.