How to run a business while studying at the University of Bath

Our experience as student entrepreneurs - Our story and top tips for success

Are you a university student who has toyed with the idea of starting your own business? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to own and run your own business while studying? Have you resisted the idea because you don’t know where to start or how you would manage it alongside your studies? As two recent Management graduates of the University of Bath and Co-Founders of Edie.One Ltd., a digital marketing agency with a personal touch, we're here to answer some of your questions.

Here’s what we’ve been up to so far:

Hey, we’re Edie and Anna, and we founded Edie.One Ltd back in September 2022, the summer before our final year of university. So far, we have worked with clients around the South-West, from high-end jewelers in London, to car repair shops in Gloucestershire, to Asian fusion restaurants in Bath. With a goal of creating opportunities for university students to work meaningful, intellectual marketing jobs during term-time we have had great involvement with the student community and university faculty and resources. Since graduating from university in July 2023, we have moved to London as we explore the opportunity to scale around the UK, while creating more work opportunities for students like yourself.

But where did our entrepreneurial university story begin?

We were students just like you when our story began. Three years ago, when Edie was on her first six-month (BBA (Hons)) placement, she was approached by colleagues who ran their own businesses, asking her to manage their marketing at the end of her placement. Edie found her clients frequently referred her services to their friends, which continued into her second placement too. It was at this point that one became two, and Anna and Edie joined (we are twins and do everything together, and business is clearly no exception) forces and legitimised the business into a limited (Ltd) company.

Okay, so it’s great that we took the first step, but how did we find the time to manage our own business alongside university? Here’s our four tips on how to make the most of the opportunities and increase your chances of success:

1. Hard work, determination, and lots of support from those around us.

Choosing how you spend your time, in any form, is making a choice to prioritise what is most important to you. Running a business is a choice you have to be willing to make and decide if you would rather spend your weekends staying out late and having extensive lie-ins, rather than working on projects that add value to your future.

Saying this, it is important to find a balance and enjoy the experiences at University. This is still a challenge for us to this day, but you’ll learn to figure out how to make it work once you’re in the deep end.

So, if you’ve decided you’ve got what it takes, what can you do next?

2. One word: network.

Lecturers may become mentors and course mates may become co-founders. Lecture material may become business ideas, access to university technology can become rapid paths to growth, and campus work spaces may become your new office.

You never know who your next client, employee, or mentor may be. Make the most of the opportunities with the people around you, and take the opportunity to learn from them to minimise the mistakes you need to make yourself. Take the time to develop relationships, listen and learn. The best way to find your next employee or client, could be through word-of-mouth of people who have met and trust you.

The Enterprise Bath (shoutout to Pascal and Siobain) is a great place to start (we’ll cover more on this in the upcoming blog post).

3. Take on opportunities and learn to say yes more (to the right opportunities).

Be open to new opportunities, and let yourself explore where they may take you and your business, especially in its early stages.

Saying this, it’s important to not over-promise and underdeliver. Make the most of opportunities that have the possibility of creating value. That means you don’t have the time to focus on elements of the business, or your life, that are most important to you. Once again, this is something you’ll have to become familiar with, by testing your boundaries along the journey. For example, we made sure to attend as many Enterprise events and pitching opportunities as possible, to at a minimum learn how to handle these kinds of situations, but with the opportunity of gaining a new client or funding out of it.

4. Don’t be afraid of failure

Personally, failure is the most exciting part of running a business, especially when you have a companion to lean on along the way with.

A motto we live by, is that you can never have any regrets so long as you know that you took all the opportunities to make something happen, and in the case that the opportunity does not work out, this is an experience you can learn from to do better the next time. If anything, failure adds more value to your success, as learning to become resilient and pushing through challenging times is a key skill in becoming a successful entrepreneur.

There is no time like the present. If you’re interested in starting your own businesses or want to work with us, we’d love to chat:

Send us a DM on Instagram or a message on LinkedIn @Edie.One.Ltd; or

Inquire on our website @https://www.edie.one/

Keep your eyes peeled for our next post about the Enterprise Bath and how it can help support your entrepreneurial dreams and aspirations.