Enterprise Placement Year brings students' business plans to life

A new cohort of business-savvy De Montfort University (DMU) Leicester students have landed a place on the university's Enterprise Placement Year.

Each year, a handful of students are given the opportunity to take a year out to start or develop their own business through one-to-one mentoring from DMU Made and local entrepreneurs, along with financial support from DMU's Placement team.

Unlike traditional placements, the programme is delivered in-house by the DMU Made team and students received a £3,000 bursary towards their business idea along with coaching, site visits and practical workshops.

Law student, Sammy Molloy, Media Production student Ismael Onsa, Fashion Communication and Styling student Jessica McDonnell and Entrepreneurship and Innovation student James Daulby all started their 12-months with the team in July.

As someone who wants to follow in his father's entrepreneurial footsteps, and advocate of Dragon's Den, Sammy has always aspired to create his own business.

He said: "I've always wanted to run my own business. DMU's Enterprise Placement Year programme will give me the chance to be a sponge and soak up as much knowledge as possible."

Sammy's goals are simple yet powerful and aims to grow his network, build connections with experienced entrepreneurs, and learn from any mistakes along the way.

His idea is to build a platform, "created by the students, for the students," to help make the transition into university life easier and better connected for future students.

Ismael's drive is to become his own boss which stems from a passion to pursue a goalbeyond financial gain.

From a young age, Ismael knew that he didn't want to follow the traditional 9-5 job, instead working to change his own ideas into a reality.

His business plan is aimed at helping businesses and individuals create content for social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

He also hopes to help others elevate their digital presence while also achieving personal career aspirations. Ismael believes that the university's Enterprise Placement Year is a crucial stepping stone tobuilding confidence and resilience.

He said: "The business will reflect my passion for contentcreation and media, which I have developed during my university studies so far and I'm excited to see what the Enterprise Place Year offers.

"I'm looking forward to learning about the practical insights into running a business and how to maintain this."

For Fashion Communication and Styling student, Jessica, applying for the Enterprise Placement Year programme was about building a portfolio and launching a magazine.

With a passion for magazines, photography and styling women, Jess hopes to use the year to focus on developing creative ideas for a fashion magazine and increase her social media presence.

Jess said: "I've chosen the Enterprise Placement Year programme to gain experience, meet new people, build connections in the fashion industry and understanding the entrepreneurial industry.

"When I saw the opportunity, I didn't want to miss out. I hope to be able to use DMU's diverse community for support in finding models and building their platform. There's no better place than DMU to do this. I'm looking forward to a year of dedicated focus solely onmy business."

Whilst being on the Enterprise Placement Year programme for a few weeks, James' idea developed from his passion for golf.

Originally starting with a retail-focused business idea, James pivoted early on after doing some research during the first few weeks of the programme.

His love for golf inspired him to launch a travel agency specialising in golfing holidays, allowing him to blend his personal passion with his entrepreneurial ambitions.

James said: "I've always enjoyed golfing, so it felt natural to create something around it. By combining my love for the sport with my business idea, I feel like I can really bring a personal touch to the travel experiences we offer."

James credits his decision to joining the Enterprise Placement Year programme through the guidance of his personal tutor, who encouraged him to take advantage of this rare opportunity.

James added: "Not many students realise what a fantastic opportunity the Enterprise Placement Year is.

"For me, it's about gaining the skills and experiences that will benefit melong after university."

As he progresses through the programme, James' focus is on building his golf travel business and gaining key entrepreneurial skills.

James said: "There's a lot that I can learn through DMU's Entrepreneurship team (DMUMade), and my priority is getting my business off the ground.

"I also want to gain confidencein public speaking, networking, and managing finances-all within the safe environment theprogram provides."

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