We applied the skills we learned at uni

Overview

Beth and I met while we were studying a fashion retail buying degree at DeMontfort University in Leicester. During our three-year course we simultaneously studied and planned our business vision. We began Kindred Sole with a business plan and created in-depth customer profiles - understanding who our customers would be gave us the foundation for our business' identity.

The challenge

Managing our intensive university degree while preparing for our business future at the same time.

The solution

We found the solution to studying and working on Kindred Sole was just down to good time-management skills and strong organisational attributes. Beth and I were not only studying and developing Kindred Sole, but also maintaining part-time jobs to assist us financially. We had to work in the evenings and weekends - it was crucial to the development of Kindred Sole.

Key lesson

Having a strict routine and to-do list were crucial in allowing us to multi-task and spread the responsibilities of university, part-time working and Kindred Sole. Without these organisational skills, we would have struggled significantly to make progress with Kindred Sole and finish uni.

Top tip

We found it was extremely important to create a flexible business model and plan to ensure success in multiple areas. For instance, without our flexible attitude to Kindred Sole's business plan we would have been unable to secure a financial loan from the bank.

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