I started my business back at the beginning of 2020 after being immersed in the ability to connect people through the power of marketing from running Andover's youth festival, A-Fest, having been approached to assist in the organising of the digital version of the festival due to the pandemic at the time. Having been recruited to assist with the social media promotion of the festival, I realised that I had a real knack for engaging with my local community through social media and that it would be a good opportunity to start my business off. My initial goal was simple: to empower local businesses, charities and individuals to prioritise their marketing requirements to ensure that their message and values were clear to their customers.
I should be chosen as the winner of this competition because deciding to pursue a side hustle in marketing at only 14 years old demonstrates my initiative and strong passion for the field. Additionally, the tangible results I have delivered, such as successful campaigns and increased engagement for dozens of clients in my local community, as well as my ability to adapt to new trends, technologies, and strategies show my agility and potential for long-term success in the industry.
Running a business while still being a student provides invaluable real-world experience, beyond anything that a full-time education could offer, gaining invaluable contacts, connections and clients whilst being able to provide for yourself can be incredibly empowering, and running a business requires a diverse skillset so managing a business as a student helps to be able to develop crucial skills early in your career, so then it is possible to apply them further in life.
The main challenge is the general stigma associated with young people can put an unnecessary potential limitation on the success you are able to achieve as a young entrepreneur. Also, the fear of burnout and learning to manage your time effectively can be difficult.
I believe the thing that I am most proud of are the accolades I have achieved to date, including Future Talent of the Year at the Central South Business Awards and Marketing Consultancy of the Year at the South England Prestige Awards - all this continue to demonstrate the level of success that my side hustle has already achieved. Also, being able to work for county councils, NHS organisations and large businesses has been an absolute honour.
