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Don?t play job odds, change the game

It’s graduate week on Bdaily and we are looking at the state of play for graduates and SMEs, as an alternative to large corporate schemes. Here, Iraa Kadchha, managing director of rgb media ltd, shares her experience of setting up her own business as a graduate.

If someone would have told me that at the age of 25 and only 2 years after graduation I’d be the director of an award winning company I wouldn’t have believed it. With global entrepreneurship week next month it got me thinking; the term entrepreneur may seem daunting to the fresh cohort of graduates entering the professional world this summer. To me however, it simply boils down to an individual with a vision, a point of view and the drive to create change.

It was with this drive to shift perspectives that I setup RGB MEDIA. Having graduated with a Journalism BA Hons in 2009 I entered an industry facing major cuts and bleak prospects and so I went onto do an MA in public relations hoping to increase my employability. I re-entered the job market with a variety of experience under my belt and still it seemed impossible to find a job that would develop my career and push me creatively. And so I decided rather than running in the graduate race for jobs, I’d change my route altogether and opt for self employment.

Like many others out there, I had the idea. I knew the service, the brand and my target market, however its turning a concept into reality that is the biggest leap for any budding entrepreneur out there. The key to success, well my success anyway, was knowing where to get support and when to delegate. In many cases under graduates and graduates need only to turn to their University for support and guidance.

I was no exception to this. The University of Sunderland offers its students and alumni schemes that give you an office space, business mentor and all the tools to get your business started. I soon learnt that one person alone could not handle every element of the company. It is essential for the growth of your business to have objectivity. Evaluate where your own strengths lie and know when its in the company’s interest to step back and delegate certain responsibilities to better equipped individuals. A great productor service alone does not equal success and profits. It is essential to build a team that share your vision for the company as it is the staff that create the foundation for the business to grow and succeed from.

Start ups and SMEs are the key to developing the UK economy. Its about creating jobs and opportunities. If you have an idea don’t be afraid to take the leap into self employment, all you need is a passion for what you do because that can’t be taught, other things can be learnt on the job. And who knows, a young graduate turned entrepreneur today could be creating job opportunities for the new 2015 class of graduates.

Take a look at some of the other Graduate Week articles: Clegg makes a visit to a Teesside graduate business; Bringing graduates into a small business; Graduate X: The truth behind the graduate scheme.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by RGB MEDIA LTD .