Innovative enterprise sees students set up life changing business

Thanks to a collaboration between enterprise course Marketing Mavericks and Nottingham Business School, based at Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham is seeing an increase in the number of students choosing to start up their own business as well as businesses keen to support the innovative new startups.

Since launching more than 10% of students on the course have already set up a business. These figures compare to the 0.53% of students nationally who chose self-employment each year.

There are already plans to adopt the model across other cities with Marketing Mavericks in talks with an additional 20 universities.

Notts County Foundation, which is the official charity of Notts County Football Club, is one of the latest organisations to support the city’s entrepreneurial spirit and is working with three students on a freelance basis to support their social media and marketing activity.

Harry Dalzell, Marketing and Events Coordinator at Notts County Foundation said it was important that organisations get behind the work Marketing Mavericks and Nottingham Business School are doing to help students to realise that they can venture into the world of self-employment.

He said: “For us it was so important to be able to help students in realising their dream. Notts County Foundation is dedicated to opening the door to people from all backgrounds and are proud to be able to help people forge a career in both the charitable and sports sector. We couldn’t have been more impressed by the students drive and skills when they pitched for the role.

“Having opportunities like Marketing Mavericks here in Nottingham will help to put the city on the map and create the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity needed to continue to grow our economy.”

Final year students Maddy Holloway, Rebekah Olatundun and Megan Roberts will this year support Notts County Foundation with co-ordinating events, social media management and content creation after pitching their ideas to the charity.

The opportunity came about because as part of the course entrepreneur and Marketing Mavericks founder Victoria Taylor works with businesses to find opportunities for students to pitch and secure work.

Other companies backing the scheme include TV’s human lie detector and body language expert Darren Stanton who is behind Judge Rinder’s Sky series Interrogation Secrets as well as Birmingham based SEND specialist Emma Pinnock of Essential Education.

Victoria Taylor, from Mansfield, who runs Marketing Mavericks, said she was pleased to see how well businesses and students were embracing the opportunity.

She said: “There is nothing else like Marketing Mavericks. It is more than just a course and we work with students from their first idea to making it a reality to help them to get the skills and opportunities to make it happen. Demand for the course continues to grow every day and we have several universities that are keen to come on board as they can see the great results we are getting here.

“When you hear success stories like that of Maddy, Rebekah and Megan it makes you realise what is possible.

“Students have the drive and ideas but sometimes need the support to make that dream a reality and that is what we offer.”

Marketing Mavericks focuses on practical skills rather than theory with students often choosing to set up freelance businesses alongside their courses. Part of the Nottingham Business School enrichment opportunities the course has been oversubscribed since launching and was extended to include all Nottingham Business School students this year.

Tom Spencer, Head of Undergraduate Programmes at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, said: “Students are very knowledgeable in their field, what they need to take that leap into self-employment is the practical skills to set up their own business. We are really pleased by the response to Marketing Mavericks as it is such a useful tool in helping to prepare graduates for their next step.

“Skills such as how to network, talk to clients, set up contracts and understand the legal requirements of forming a business. It is a subtle gap in the market but one which is essential if we are to give young people considering self-employment the very best support. We have a strong focus on enterprise education at NTU, home of the Dryden Enterprise Centre, and this course is a fantastic addition to the opportunities we provide our students.”

More information on the course and how it is helping to train the next generation of entrepreneurs is available at www.touchpointsmarketing.co.uk/mavericks/