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“Running over the course of a year, the Wellington Future Founders programme celebrates youth entrepreneurship, and I’m glad that I got the chance to take part. Even though I had thought about starting my own business, I hadn’t taken any actionable steps until we were given a seed fund of £20 in March last year. I had no idea how the project would go but decided to start despite my inexperience.
“I started by selling second-hand merchandise and practiced negotiation at a car boot sale. It felt like I wasn’t making much progress, so I pivoted to selling study materials and tips for revising. The product was well received, and I was glad to contribute, but I knew that demand wouldn’t last. This led me on to my current venture, tutoring in Mandarin and French. I’ve always been passionate about languages with an interest in communication! It’s been especially rewarding to hear students feeling more comfortable and seeing visible results. As the business continues growing, I will continue to deliver high-quality education for an accessible price, not only to the youth but to all age groups. The older generation seems neglected in the market, and I hope to offer my services to them too.
“The programme itself has brought me insight outside of business, most notably, the importance of trust. We had an opportunity to practice in negotiations not to win, but to keep doors open. Sustainable agreements need mutual benefit, and in the real world, you can’t work with someone if it feels like you cheated them. Our philanthropy project writing resolutions has also encouraged me to think critically. We all chose a global problem to solve, and mine was on political education. The activity in the course has helped me condense a complex issue into something practical, and I’m currently developing an initiative with my school on a local scale. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned the value of a network. To broaden your outreach, lower costs, and most importantly, help you connect with others. I’m immensely grateful to Wellington Future Founders for connecting me to my peers and mentors.
“Overall, the programme strengthened my confidence in salesmanship and interacting with others. I’ve learned to adapt and handle rejection. With the needs of customers constantly changing, I hope I can continue supporting my community and the students around me. I would like to thank sincerely the staff at Wellington College for organizing everything and giving me this opportunity, especially Mr Roundell, Amanda Thomson and Lindsay Gowland. I’m looking forward to using the skills I retained in my projects throughout my career & business ventures.”
Constance, The Holt School, Wokingham
