St Mary’s Welcomes New Enterprise Society

On Wednesday 5th March, two students at St Mary’s University, Twickenham officially launched a new society to bridge the gap between students and local business owners. Thomas Price and Louis Harry, both first year undergraduate Management Studies students, set up the Society of Enterprise after learning there was no other society that helps students wanting to set up their own business. The boys were encouraged to create the society by Programme Director Lise Georgeson, who they credit for supporting their ideas. Business partners and roommates, Thomas and Louis want to act as middlemen in linking students with business mentors to give them general advice and help expand business ideas. The pair have attended many networking and conferencing events; gaining advice and making contacts with local and national businesses including the local council, Santander and local businessman Gordon Haxton from Haxton Chartered Accountants. Gordon was one of two guest speakers during the launch event, sharing his expertise with the many people who attended including the society’s 13 members. Sam Norman, co-founder of Bridge Global, also spoke at the event, presenting reasons why students should think about setting up their own businesses. Speaking before the launch, Louis said, “I think people do have ideas but they don’t know how to put them forward and don’t know how to move on from there, so we try to encourage people to come out of their shell.” Thomas adds, “We want to get students thinking about alternative careers. For example, if a student wants to start their own business instead of getting a job, it’s another pathway for the future. Sports students could open their own coaching company for example. That’s our aim. “We love studying at St Mary’s. We like the fact that it is a small community, which makes it easier to get to know people. People are connected, whether it’s through a society or whether it’s through lectures and seminars. “The staff are very approachable here and they are more than willing to help us out with our society. We’re currently studying a module in business decision making which is useful for students wishing to set up their own businesses.” Thomas and Louis recognise that many challenges lie ahead, citing the fact that for every 10 start-ups, only one goes ahead; but by offering a supportive environment, the pair hope they can help other budding entrepreneurs. Another aim of the society is to find mentors for all the members of the society and St Mary’s London location means that potential mentors and businesses are within easy reach. Louis said, “Our aim is to be big by the start of next semester so when people come in to sign up for societies at Fresher’s Week, we’ll be there.” His advice to budding entrepreneurs is, “Get all the help you can, get advice and have a good idea.” Programme Director of St Mary’s Management Studies Programme Lise Georgeson said, “The establishment of the student-led society is an excellent initiative. For students, the development of an entrepreneurial mindset is key to improving employability skills as well as helping build general confidence and overall aspirations. It’s been shown to be great enhancer for academic performance too!” If you are interested in joining the Society of Enterprise, you can contact Thomas and Louis on stmarysenterprisesociety@gmail.com or contact the Student Union.