1 in 4 students has the ambition to start their own business

BUSS stands for BUas Startup Support. The team helps students who want to start their own business get into the swing of things. Not everyone within BUas knows this, so a little BUZZ can't hurt. Especially since the percentage of students who want to become self-employed has grown exceptionally.

‘I have been doing this research on the entrepreneurial ambitions of our first-year students for six years and the 2023-2024 survey shows a 43% growth rate compared to last year's outcome,’ says colleague and data nerd (as he himself puts it) Adriaan van Liempt. ‘The survey shows that 23% of our current first-years have the ambition to start their own business, almost one in four, in other words. Of those students, 3.1% have already started a business alongside their studies, 15.1% intend to start a business after their studies, and 4.8% are considering starting a business during their studies. We see this ambition within all areas of BUas. An explanation for this exceptional growth needs further analysis. It seems to be a trend that young people have a greater need for autonomy and flexibility.’

‘And we have to do something with that, because it doesn’t stop at being an ambition,’ adds Tijs van Es. Tijs is the linchpin both inside and outside BUas when it comes to entrepreneurship education. ‘We’ve seen that in recent years many students have started up for themselves during or after their studies. This is happening even as we continue to emphasise the ‘M’ for Management in our study programme names. Management is crucial, of course, don't get me wrong, but the need for entrepreneurial skills has never been greater, given the ever-evolving landscape, particularly within our dynamic fields.’

‘Back in 1994, I started one of the first web design companies in the Netherlands,’ Adriaan says, ‘one of eight that were in the Yellow Pages; a web design category didn't even exist yet! So I suppose I failed big time, because as a pioneer, I should have been a major player by now,’ Adriaan laughs, ‘but I didn't dare take the leap of hiring staff.’

So in that sense, those management skills are very important after all? 
‘I won’t deny that,’ says Tijs, ’but Adriaan’s example shows exactly what it’s all about. Being entrepreneurial is not the same as being an entrepreneur. The former has long been part of our DNA and thus also of our education, as well as our pioneering and experimenting. The latter is about the practical skills you need to be able to start and grow your own business successfully. Those skills are covered in our Building Your Own Business minor, which is well integrated into our curriculum. What the BUSS team offers is extracurricular, you don’t get study credits for it. It is available to all BUas students, so anyone with an idea for their own business can ask us for help.’

They have never heard of the Yellow Pages, but they are definitely working very hard to establish their business in the market. Jarno (20) and Tammo (22) are studying Leisure & Events Management and with their company ‘You Make the Moment’, they organise business events that focus on stories. And they are about to graduate with their own company (as you are reading this, they have hopefully succeeded!).

How did the BUSS team help you as student entrepreneurs? 
‘Most importantly, we got a piece of experience as a gift, because the coaches at BUSS have years of experience,’ Jarno notes. ‘All the coaches have an affinity with entrepreneurship or are entrepreneurs themselves and this is evident in their approach.’

‘We match the idea a student has for a business with the coach's experience,’ Tijs explains. ‘Above all, that has to be a good match. Students are not always assigned a coach from their own study programme. This is a deliberate choice, because not every student necessarily starts a business in their own field of study.’

‘We had Gerben Beijneveld from Hotel Management as our coach,’ says Jarno. ‘I really liked that different perspective. Gerben is not only a lecturer, but with his meeting venue and ‘bag factory’ he is also an entrepreneur. For example, he told us how he conducted an analysis to climb to the top of search engine rankings like Google. Our learning from Gerben was primarily in marketing and sales, focusing on how to effectively promote ourselves. I missed that bit in my studies; it tended to be about traditional jobs anyway. He also taught us job application skills.’  

‘So we have to stay vigilant in ensuring we’re offering the right things,’ says Tijs. 'This is a very clear must, as the outcome of the survey showed. We need to delve deeper into the struggles faced by startup entrepreneurs. And maybe it’s also time to rethink our placements. Are they outdated, overly focused on big companies? There’s a wealth of knowledge to be gained from smaller startups, perhaps even more so. This aligns well with our culture of failing forward.’  

What does the BUSS team need to provide even better support to student entrepreneurs? 
‘It would be tremendously helpful if our classroom colleagues became even more aware of self-employment. You may want to consider that, as the survey shows, entrepreneurship is a viable, serious option for five out of every 20 students in your class. Make sure to highlight not only the success stories of the well-known large corporations, but also the journeys of startups. Integrating local networks in your classes on stakeholder management would also be useful.’

‘That's something we missed,’ says Tammo, ‘when you're just starting out as an entrepreneur, you don’t have a network yet, and that’s a genuine struggle. By joining the BUSS community, we have made great strides in this, because there is always a networking event being organised, for example alumni events, the NAC Business Club event or the BUas Industry Day.’

‘And by regularly going to such events, you also learn to present yourself better and better,’ Jarno adds. ‘In the beginning, we were somewhat reserved, but now we confidently engage with everyone and everything.’  

You dreamed of having your own business even as a child, I read on LinkedIn. Does it run in the family? 
‘Not at all!’

Is it that need for autonomy then? 
‘It’s more the need to do new things, which is something I have been pursuing since I started studying. The slow climb up the corporate ladder doesn’t really appeal to me – I’m way too impatient for that. I want everything fast. And above all, I want to do something I enjoy!’

And what about you, Tammo? What was your motivation to start your own company together with Jarno?
‘I found out during guest lectures by CEOs that it's actually really good to try new things, I also felt I needed to get out of my comfort zone more. That became a goal for me, that's what I wanted to focus on. And with the facilities I have here at BUas, I can achieve that goal. I realised very well that I would soon no longer have access to those facilities and the support of the BUas Startup Support team – bye bye, safety net - so it has to happen NOW, I thought.’

‘Fortunately, more and more students think so,’ laughs Tijs, ‘we are still seeing the number of students coached by BUSS grow. There are about 100 now, from different years and courses. It really is a very diverse group. There are first-year students who already have a brilliant and elaborate plan, and also master's students who are still struggling with a fledgling idea. Everyone is welcome!’

Do you know any students with entrepreneurial ambitions? Refer them to BUSS! This is the e-mail address: [email protected].

Want to know more about the research into the entrepreneurial ambitions of our first-year students? Then click here. Or just contact Adriaan at [email protected].