StudentPreneur Podcast: Stories of Students who are Entrepreneurs | Student Entrepreneur | Young Entrepreneur |

Meet this week's awesome studentpreneur: Matthew Childs, 22 y.o., undergraduate Business and Civil Engineer student at the University of Technology Sydney and entrepreneur at Wine Stash in Australia.

Wrap up:

Matthew started on eBay in High School with books, making 700% profit margin sometimes and learning how to handle customer complaints. He leveraged all these good feedbacks and reviews when launching Wine Stash. He saw an opportunity while working in his family's bottle shop. Customers were asking for wine racks and they couldn't find any at a good price. After careful research, he took a risk and ordered a full container of wine racks! He moved on to becoming a part-time student and then put Uni on hold for a semester to try to automate his business. Matthew joined his university co-sharing space, the Hatchery. That got him introduced to Fishburners, the largest co-sharing space in Australia. A lot of people have told him that he should get a mentor, but he hasn't found one yet. If you know his ideal mentor, contact Matthew.

Quotes:

- 'On eBay sell the hardcover books or books that look relatively new, sell with free shipping at fixed price.'

- 'I went through a lot of suppliers on Ali Baba until I found the right one.'

- 'On eBay people don't look for accounts but for great product pictures.'

- 'Now I can easily justify the big expense of having professional.'

- 'When I bought my first container with my own money a lot of people called me crazy!'

- 'I learned to accept fate and move on when things didn't work out, I try to be lean.'

- 'It's finding and targetting that little niche that no one thought of that makes you money.'

- 'Most of the people at Fishburners (co-sharing space) are surprised that I am still studying!'

- 'You have got to accept failure and go on.'

- 'There are a lot of risks but the risks equal the rewards.'

Tips:

- Use Fiverr.com to get good photoshops at the beginning of your business

- Do your market research on what sells and doesn't sell on eBay by using the "sold" option in the filter.

U2U (Managing Uni and the Business):

- I went part time and later on deferred one semester to focus on the business.

- I learned a lot in my Business and Civil Engineering for my business, especially the process of learning information.

Blogs and websites:

- Entrepreneur.com

- Startupsmart.com.au

U2U (Uni to support you):

- 'The Hatchery (co-sharing space at UTS) is a good start but a lot more can be done.'

- We need to connect students from different faculties a lot better: students with ideas, students with coding skills,...

- First identify students with ideas and then help them to develop their ideas.

Links:

- Wine Stash: WineStash.com.au

- The Hatchery at UTS

- Fishburners

- LinkedIn: Matthew

If you have what it takes you can apply to share your story on air. CLICK HERE

Meet this week's awesome studentpreneur: Racheal Rose-Rehardt, 21 y.o., undergraduate Business student at the University of the Sunshine Coast and running the Redcliffe hive co-sharing space in Australia. Wrap up: Racheal has a slightly different profiled than the usual studentpreneurs. After running a couple of businesses, including a restaurant, she is now running a co-sharing space and supporting entrepreneurs while studying herself. She is also the winner of the 2015 SC Startup Weekend and shares her experience on there, basically that when you are there you end up doing things that you thought you were not capable of. Great inspiration! Check out when the next hackathon, weekend comp, startup weekend is on around you! U2U (Uni to support you): - 'Give us [academic and admin staff] a little of support when we need it, like an extension or liste ning to us'. How do you learn?: - 'I learn by doing, just go for it.' Quotes: - 'My entrepreneurship lecturer turned into an ideal mentor for me within 30 minutes' - 'I realised that maybe I am just obsessed with startups' - 'Since meeting my lecturer, everything has been put into perspective' - 'My entrepreneurship lecturer put me on the path to help startups' - 'On startup weekend: 'What you do in 54 hours is craziness' - 'On startup weekend: You just do what you think you couldn't do' - 'I just want to be there for them to tell them it's ok.' - 'Learn from experience and don't take yourself too seriously, don't let fear takeover.' Links: - Redcliffe Hive: moretonbay.qld.gov.au/redcliffehive/ - Sunshine Coast Startup Weekend FB: Facebook.com/SWSunshineCoast/ - Startup Weekend: Startupweekend.org - Racheal's FB page: Facebook.com/rachealrose -LinkedIn: Racheal

If you have what it takes you can apply to share your story on air. CLICK HERE

Meet this week's awesome studentpreneur: Sam McDonnell, 21 y.o., Industrial Design undergraduate at University of Technology Sydney and co-founder at Construction Cloud in Australia.

His co-founders Hartley Pike and Jan L. Schroeder

Wrap up:

What happens when engineering students get together with industrial design students? Construction Cloud, the Instagram for construction companies. Sam is the creative of the team and shows that you need a diverse team to tackle a problem. Nothing fell in his lap, instead he jumped at every opportunity, and engaged in plenty of creative competitions. For him there are a lot similarities between being an industrial design student and being an entrepreneur. Also universities offer a lot of opportunities for students but you have to be hungry: he joined the pre-incubator program of his university, the Hatchery, participated in multiple business plan competitions including startup weekend (Project Pitch) and even got sponsored with his co-founders Hartley Pike and Jan L. Schroeder to attend a global student entrepreneur competition,The University Startup World Cup in Denmark where they won a 12-month mentorship.

Podcasts: - Ted Talks audio podcast - Entrepreneurship oriented podcasts - The Rich Roll podcast Quotes: -"For us university is the central hub, it offers everything we need." -"Take with a grain of salt the advice you hear." -"Don’t be afraid to ask anyone for help." -“If you want to get into student entrepreneurship there are a few paradigms you need to break: the first is thinking that the work is 9 to 5." -"Learning from University Startup World Cup: 100 startups have the same idea as you." Book: - Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Links: - University World Cup competition: UniversityWorldCup.com - List of student competitions: StudentCompetitions.com -LinkedIn: Sam, Jan, and Hartley If you have what it takes you can apply to share your story on air. CLICK HERE

Meet this week awesome studentpreneur: Nick Hampson, 21 yo, Music undergraduate at Oxford University and Entrepreneurs at Elixa and Vulture Sessions in England. He is a great example that entrepreneurs are not just engineering, IT or Business faculties but they also come from the Art faculty.

Contact Nick to set up the Vulture Session in your university: [email protected]

Quotes:

- I have project ADD.

- I do everything I can every time.

- Creativity comes in many ways/shapes

-“We stumbled upon something that was untouched”

- I believe in the mantra that “if you want something done, ask someone who is busy.”

- I will leave Oxford a very different person because of my entrepreneurial experience

- I have the mindset that I can do anything

- You may have to pivot, but unless you give up there is no failure as an entrepreneur

Balancing business and studies

- In balancing both aspects of life the important thing is not to waste time.

U2U (What could University do to support you) - There are no system in place for funding ventures, there should be one. Links: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/?q=#/TheVultureSessions?ref=ts&fref=ts -Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSavEQuni8KU1KAQvvVz4nA - Email: [email protected] - Website: http://elixa-app.co.uk/ -LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/ If you have what it takes you can apply to share your story on air. CLICK HERE

Help Gideon: Try out www.monetise.com.au and send your feedback to [email protected]

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In this age of job instability, disrupting technologies and the prospect that we will have a portfolio of jobs being a student entrepreneur is the best way to be prepared. Gideon is a great example; in this episode he shares how he started a shoe import business at uni then worked at a top consulting firm then back to uni and starting a new business in the silicon valley. It’s not about being an employee or an entrepreneur but running the startup of you to quote Reid Hoffman.

Check out the latest episode on StudenPreneurPodcast.com

Meet this week awesome studentpreneur: Gideon Silverman, 30 yo, Australian MBA Student a Stanford University and Entrepreneur at Monetise.

He sold his first business at Uni to a charity that he was working with, and a great outcome is that that business is being used to teach some business skills yo young Australians (Check Gideon.com.au).

Gideon went from selling shoes at the market while at Uni, to be a consultant at McKinsey and finally to a set up a finance startup while at Stanford, triggered by helping his mother to do her finance.

He operated by instincts in his first business at Uni, then honed then into business judgements at McKinsey, judgement built on experience.

Quotes:

- With physical products, you have margin and profit from day one.

- If there is one skill that served me well in my entrepreneurial career it's accounting, it’s a critical skill.

Balancing business and studies

- Be very rigorous in managing your personal calendar, schedule everything.

- Have a mobile office: use “dead time” while travelling to work.

- Make sure you have your release valve: e.g. exercise and yoga

Tips:

- To find contact: personal emails, 9/10 will respond.

- Experience failure as learning otherwise it will become too personal

- Whatever idea you have in mind: take the first step!

U2U (What could University do to support you)

- Cooperative programs, usually done with big corporation could be tailored to startups.

- Universities could create something like a venture capital fund to provide capital to the most promising Studentpreneurs. This way instead of getting a job could follow their dream.

- Great entrepreneurs could become teaching faculty at University to share their experience. The same way it’s done at Stanford.

If you enjoy the episode, hit subscribe on your podcast player or Studentpreneur.com.au

Meet this week awesome studentpreneurs: Owen Yang, 22 years old, who just finished a Commerce degree Business and Arts at the University of New South Wales (USNW) and is currently running Activ Pass. He was listed as one of Smart Company's top 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs for 2014.

Owen's company:

Gowning Street is attempting to disrupt the University Graduation gown rental model. Rather than paying $80-$100 to rent your gown (Might as well rent a BMW at the same rate), you can own your gown for $69. www.gowningstreet.com.au Sets available for: - USyd, Newcastle Uni, Southern Cross Uni, Melbourne Uni, RMIT, Victoria Uni, UTAS, Adelaide Uni, UniSA, QUT, UQ, USQ.

Wrap up:

Each studentpreneurs' story is different and what works for some people doesn't for others, however, I'd like to point out of few things in Owen's journey that are quite exciting:He saw an opportunity when he ran into the pain point of signing up for a special training for an entrance test, that's when he realised he could make money through services. He then also applied the concept of the four hour week to his university curriculum: it's about beating the game: pick the easy subjects first, get to know people from the previous year, go to 2 tutorials and not the lecture.... Owen also explained very well how to use the R&D money back system in Australia for any innovative apps, that's one of his current business where he hopes to reach a 7 figure turnover within 6 months! Finally, he highlights the importance of good co-funders as they decided to start a new business, Activ Pass, different from the previous one but since they knew and trusted each other they were able to start it quickly, ahead of the competition.On another note, Owen runs another business called Gowning Street where he lowers the costs of graduating, by selling academic gowns for as little as $45-$79. when rental at most unis is at least $75. Visit www.gowningstreet.com.au

Book recommended: The 4 hour week.If you have what it takes you can apply to share your story on air: http://studentpreneur.com.au/

Meet this week awesome studentpreneur: Josh Doering, 20 years old, Student in Business at Morningside College and entrepreneur at Seed Slide in Iowa.

For more info StudentPreneurPodcast.com

Wrap:Each studentpreneur's story is different and what works for some people doesn't for others, however I'd like to point out of few things in Josh 's journey that are similar to the studentpreneurs I have interviewed:

Josh saw an opportunity through his dad’s business and he leveraged his dad’s connections. He paired up with an experienced partner, which can be a good thing. Josh understands the power of his student card and leverages it to the maximum for not just discount but reaching out to experienced entrepreneurs. He is another great example that Startup Weekend like competitions are a great trigger, so apply to one! Finally he maximizes his passion: he is a student athlete, student entrepreneur and VP of the entrepreneurship club. Are you still complaining because you are a busy student?

Tips: - Learn to network, don’t be afraid- Attend a Startup Weekend- Use your student card to your benefit- Never Give Up

U to support U: Get entrepreneurs in the classrooms to share their experience and become mentors.

Quote: In my mind when a customer says No, it means Not Yet

Links: Twitter: @Joshua_Doering Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.doering.5LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/josh-doering/85/13a/871

If you have what it takes you can apply to share your story on air: http://studentpreneur.com.au/pages/contact-form-guest/

Meet this week awesome studentpreneurs: Kelly Sturek 22 yo Business Student and Julianne Kopf 20 yo, Food Science Student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, co-founders of Bugeater Foods in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States.

For more go to StudentPreneurPodcast.com

Wrap Up:

Each studentpreneur's story is different and what works for some people doesn't for others, however I'd like to point out of few things in Julianne and Kelly's journey that are similar to the studentpreneurs I have interviewed:

Kelly and Julianne got started in very different ways, for Julianne it was her passion and experience in working in the food product development lab. For Kelly, it was more the passion to get a startup business, his parents being business owners probably influenced himself but he tried a lot of ideas, competitions to finally find a niche and team, so never give up. Like him, reach out to other clubs or societies to find the co founder you need. He is so motivated that he declined the internship offer at Microsoft. In the end Julianne and Kelly are lucky that their lecturers/boss really helped them out. Don’t be scared to mention your venture to your boss, as Julianne did, it can be a real advantage. Finally, another great example of leveraging incubator. Go out there and pitch your idea to your closest incubator.

Podcasts:

- Startup Podcast season 1

- Inside Outside Podcast

Tip:

- Reach out to other clubs or societies to find the co founder you need

Books:

-Lean Analytics

- 22 laws in marketing

Uni to support You:

- Have people in charge more welcoming to entrepreneurial mindset

- Foster collaboration with students from various faculties

Quote:

If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.- Reid Hoffman

Links:

email: [email protected]

Twitter: @bugeaterfoods

Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/BugeaterLabs?ref=bookmarks

Website: http://www.bugeaterfoods.com/

If you have what it takes you can apply to share your story on air: http://studentpreneur.com.au/pages/contact-form-guest/

Lachlan shares with us how he sold his sport clinic business in high school and moved to an innovation centre to start a new business. Sounds pretty good.

Wrap up:

Lochie started quite early, motivated by his passion for sport and the need for cash. He was lucky enough to have his former PA instructor as a mentor and quickly understood the need to remove his liability for looking after kids. He reached out to his dad’s friend who was a lawyer to draft the contract to sell his business before moving interstates keeping an option to open a similar one. The idea for his new venture came from talking to his dad! He recognised pain points that he experienced himself and decided to buy the domain name. At only 18 he realised the value in having a desk in an innovation centre: mentors, entrepreneur in residence and a framework. Lochie has learned a lot at only 18, now it’s your time to get started.

Tips:

-Enrol early at uni so you can have the best timetable that leave you free days to work.

-Learn by trial and error but for business decisions ask experienced entrepreneurs

Quote: I apply my bio medical science thinking to my business, it works great for me.

U support U:

- Get students paired with businesses at the local innovation centre/incubator

- Foster the collaboration between IT and Business students by running courses together, even an assignement to build a business together

Links:

-Facebook

-Website: www.findasubbie.com.au

-LinkedIn

If you have what it takes you can apply to share your story on air: http://studentpreneur.com.au/pages/contact-form-guest/

In this episode Mary Liu tells us all about her job at the Student Entrepreneur Development unit of the University of NSW, Sydney. That's right, a team at university dedicated to helping Studentpreneurs!

Wrap up:

Mary explains how the Student Entrepreneur Development team helps student entrepreneur by offering mentorship, access to lawyers, and connection to potential investors, all for free! They reach out to aspiring Studentpreneurs through presentations at lectures, organising events such as hackathon, and social media.

Some of their success stories include Forcite helmet system and baby cups from Viriya Chittasy

Discover the whole team here: http://www.innovations.unsw.edu.au/

Check out: Forcite helmet system http://forcite.com.au/ and http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/wearables/australian-smart-ski-helmet-attracts-global-interest-20150302-13snly.html

If you have what it takes you can apply to share your story on air: http://studentpreneur.com.au/pages/contact-form-guest/