Enterprise & Entrepreneurship

 

Scottish Institute for Enterprise               Enterprise Thursdays

What we do

Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) at the University of Aberdeen is run by two student interns in conjunction with Aberdeen Business Enterprise Society (ABES). We promote our own University enterprise activities and services as well as promoting national activities and competitions. Recently this has included entrepreneurial speakers, enterprise challenges and encouragement for students to enter Business Ideas Competitions.

We aim to encourage students to discover and develop their entrepreneurial  talent while supporting those with existing business ideas by providing expert assistance in business start up.

We aim to increase the number of students who consider enterprise and entrepreneurship  as a fabulous opportunity during and after their studies through a number of different activities and events.

What is the difference between Enterprise and Entrepreneurship?

Enterprise is  a set of skills and attitudes that can enable a culture of opportunism, creativity and  risk taking.

It can involve anything! Raising money for charities, participating in a social enterprise cooperative, planning a trip abroad, organising an event or taking part in the Student Association's "Jailbreak" (see how far you can get for nothing in 48 hours). Equally it can be about finding new solutions to old problems in your workplace, conducting a piece of research in a resourceful way or starting a new society.

Employers like enterprising people! Enterprising people come up with solutions to organisational problems, bring a culture of creativity to the workplace and foster innovation.

Entrepreneurship is using enterprise skills to create new business and bring them to market. There is considerable support for those wishing to do so while at University.

Meet the SIE team

Benjamin Mitchell SIE Intern - follow on Twitter: @BenjaminSIE

Stoyan Djourov SIE Intern - follow on Twitter: @StoyanDjourov

Dawn Shand SIE Regional Business Advisor, Aberdeen & North

Helen Boyd SIE Regional Intern Coordinator, Aberdeen & North

Janice Montgomery Enterprise Activities Coordinator, Careers Service

SIE Interns at 2011 Freshers Fair

 

Starting a business

What can you do at University to develop business ideas, try them out and get support to put them into practice?

  • Discuss your ideas with a specialist careers adviser who can point you in the right direction (Tel. 273601 for an appointment).
  • Join the Aberdeen Business Enterprise Society (ABES) who run events and have speakers throughout the term. You can also follow them on Facebook.
  • Check out the Aberdeen Business Enterprise Society to find out about special events where you can meet successful entrepreneurs and ask for help and advice.
  • Contact the SIE interns working on campus who can give you help and advice and let you know what's going on that might be of interest (See meet the SIE team).
  • Join "My SIE" to keep up to date with events. 
  • Follow the SIE team at the University of Aberdeen on Facebook - "SIE Aberdeen University" 
  • Write up your idea briefly and submit it to a business ideas competition.
  • Enterprise Thursdays: Drop in to the Hub (2nd floor) on a Thursday evening between 6pm and 7.30pm. Meet the University's co-curricular Entrepreneur in Residence who would be happy to give you the benefit of his business experience – and find other like minded entrepreneurs.
  • Consider joining NACUE for nationwide opportunities to meet successful entrepreneurs and receive business training.
  • Attend an SIE Bootcamp in the summer vacation to develop your ideas. During the summer the University is empty but entrepreneurship never stops. During the summer students are invited to attend a three day residential (all expenses paid)  programme which provides business idea development support  as a useful entry point to those interested in starting their own business. There is additional support for those who have already started their business venture or social enterprise. SIE also provides a Company Acceleration Programme (CAP) for those with an existing venture with high growth potential.

 

Further resources

For great resources, have a look at the self employment section of the Careers website 

Other useful links

Scottish Institute for Enterprise

Aberdeen Business Enterprise Society

Get inspired – stories of successful entrepreneurs