One thing many of the most successful entrepreneurs have in common is their early start in business. While Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, is likely the most famous university student turned corporate genius, there are many more examples out there. From FedEx to Microsoft, and even Google, there are lots of companies you might encounter daily which were thought up and started by someone at university. If you’re considering launching your own venture, here are seven things you should do to help run a successful business while you study.

  1. Choose The Right Course

Most studying entrepreneurs assume they should keep their venture and school as two separate entities. However, taking a course related to your business plan or the business world in general is a great way to become a more effective entrepreneur. By widening your skills and knowledge in this way, you are given time to practice for both school and your new startup, allowing you to save time in both areas. You are also provided with the additional support of your professors.

  1. Always Have A Plan

Anyone wanting to achieve anything in life needs to have a plan. With that in mind, you have to sit down and set realistic targets for your business. These could include how many sales you make, how many email list subscribers you gain, or something else entirely. You should also set smaller goals to help you meet these targets. It can also be beneficial to stick to study and work schedules, as well as write down any appointments, dates, or assignments that you can’t miss.

  1. Learn To Make Sacrifices

Running a business while studying is far from impossible, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy. When you attend university, you have more free time than ever, but you can’t waste these precious hours at a bar or watching television. You’ll need to learn to sacrifice these fun, yet unproductive activities and get your head down instead. It can feel like the end of the world at first, but it is a very small price to pay when you get to run a successful and lasting business.

  1. Don’t Do Everything Alone

While most entrepreneurs begin their businesses alone, they don’t do all of the work themselves for long. Rather than trying to tough it out, you should ask for help when you need it. In time, you may need to contact a recruitment agency, like https://www.aandsrecruitment.co.uk/, but for right now there are lots of people willing to lend a hand, including your fellow students and professors. Letting the reins go can be stressful, but for the health of you and your business, it is necessary.

Of course, it’s not always easy to take on employees while you’re just starting out yourself. If you’re not quite ready to hire your own team, but you could definitely still use someone to take the load off your shoulders, working with a virtual assistant for small business could be the solution for you. It allows you to manage your workload more effectively, freeing up energy and time for the efforts that really help your business grow without letting anything vital slip.

  1. Use The Available Resources

Whenever you need anything, whether it be equipment, information, or just guidance, you should ask your university for help. After all, they want their students to be as employable as possible after graduation, so they’re likely to do everything that they can to help you. Your school can also be a great place to secure startup capital. If they can’t help you in any other the way, you can still take advantage of your student discount to purchase cheaper business equipment and supplies.  It’s also a good idea to look up relevant support places online. You could find facebook groups such as Fiduchi Group which have events and networking opportunities.

There are plenty of resources out there for learning about how to grow a business. You can pick up the basics of everything from SEO to accounting, and even grow your skills further too. Do your research to discover what makes internal linking important for SEO or how long you need to keep your financial records for. You might add more people to your business as it grows, but it’s common to go it alone when first starting out. Getting the right information and support is crucial.

In some cases, it might be better to outsource parts of your business to other companies and people. For example, if doing your taxes takes up more time and energy than you can afford to spend, it would be beneficial to use accounting and bookkeeping services. This way, you can rest assured that your business’s financial needs are being met. You might even find that a professional can find potential tax breaks and ways to save money, essentially paying for itself while saving you that precious time you need for work and study.

  1. Take Care Of Yourself

No one can study or work efficiently when they’re physically and emotionally drained. In fact, if you feel this way, you probably struggle to do anything at all. Because of this, you need to make sure that you take proper care of yourself. This means prioritising sleep and eating three healthy meals every day. You should also try to exercise regularly too. If your busy schedule makes this tricky, check out https://www.theactivetimes.com for some helpful tips.

  1. Don’t Fear Your Failures

Those studying at university usually have many fewer responsibilities than other adults. They don’t have children to take care of, a permanent job to contend with, or a mortgage to pay off. This gives you much more freedom to take risks, as the failures you face will be so much smaller. Even if your new venture doesn’t work out, you’ll still have your whole life ahead of you and a career path that can take you places. This means there’s no point in being scared.

Running a successful business while studying can be tough, but it isn’t impossible. As long as you manage your time well and take advantage of the resources available to you, the sky truly is the limit.