Working for yourself
Explore your options to be your own boss and how entrepreneurial skills can help you in any career.
Working for yourself is a popular career choice, with over 4.2 million self-employed people in the UK. Self-employment can include creating a start-up, running your own business (you may even employ others) and freelancing (delivering work, projects or contracts on a self-employed basis to specific clients). Being self-employed requires not only business acumen and a valuable product or service, but it also takes a specific set of skills – we call these entrepreneurial skills. These skills are vital if you want to work for yourself, and many are also important transferable skills that are highly sought after by employers.
Choosing self-employment
There are lots of reasons why people choose self-employment. For example, you might found a start-up because you have a unique idea that you want to bring to market or you might become a freelancer because it gives you more flexibility with your working hours. You could even be employed and self-employed at the same time, for example working in your free time on your own business or start-up. Whatever your motivations for choosing self-employment, it’s important you consider the benefits and negatives involved – Prospects has a handy guide to help you decide if self-employment is right for you.
Developing entrepreneurial skills
Enterprise and entrepreneurial skills are essential if you want to become self-employed, and they’re also highly desired by graduate employers! They are a set of skills we often associate with entrepreneurs, but in fact anyone can develop and demonstrate entrepreneurial skills. They include things like creativity, the ability to innovate and problem solve and resilience.
“Students and graduates often think that they only require entrepreneurial skills if they intend to become an entrepreneur and set up their own business as a graduate. But employers often seek an entrepreneurial mindset in their graduate recruits. These graduates are an asset because they will be able to spot gaps in the market and innovate, and because they are commercially minded. Graduate job seekers can showcase their strengths in this area by demonstrating a capacity for independent work and original thinking, as well as sound business sense and an interest in the market that their potential employer operates in."
Entrepreneurial skills include:
- Problem solving and innovation – being able to identify problems and develop innovative solutions is key in any career, especially if you want to start your own business. This could include spotting gaps in the market, identifying where your business or the employer you work for can stand out and coming up with creative solutions or improved processes
- Teamwork and leadership – being collaborative and demonstrating strong leadership traits are essential if you want to work for yourself, as well as if you want to work for an employer. You may need to work with others and as part of a team to make your business work but you will also need to lead effectively, especially if you employ others. Entrepreneurial leadership is a useful skill-set to develop, and combines lots of other important transferable skills
- Adaptability and resilience – we all face rejection in our careers, but entrepreneurs can experience setbacks more than the average person, especially when launching a new business or start-up. Being flexible and taking setbacks as learning opportunities are vital career management skills for everyone, not just entrepreneurs
- Networking and building relationships – building a network of contacts and maintaining relationships is essential when starting out in any career, and especially so if you are starting your own business or becoming self-employed. Your network can provide advice and support, as well as leads for new clients. Read our more comprehensive advice on networking and social media to help you get started
You will notice that many of the entrepreneurial skills listed here are some of the top skills sought after by employers. Spending time developing these skills whilst at university will allow you to excel in any career you choose, not just self-employment. Being innovative, enterprising and commercially aware is also one of the six graduate attributes you are actively developing whilst at Cardiff University.
Enterprise support from Student Futures
We have lots of support to help you develop your entrepreneurial skills and work for yourself, from starting a business to becoming a freelancer.
You can work through our comprehensive online pathways at your own pace. Join our start-up and freelance pathway via your Student Futures Account and unlock subsequent pathways on building your start-up business and becoming a freelancer.
We also offer:
- Networking events
- Bootcamps
- Start-up awards
- Skills workshops
- Competitions and prizes throughout the year to encourage innovation and develop your social enterprise ideas, such as the Inspire programme and 100 Big Ideas
- 1-to-1 support from a business adviser
Find out more about the support we offer to current Cardiff University students on the intranet and for our recent graduates on the Cardiff University website.