How To Run A Thriving Business While Studying? Focus On A Global Mindset!

Starting or running a thriving business is a noble ambition supported by many students.

Let's start by defining what a thriving business is. It's a business that generates revenue, of course, otherwise, it's not a business. But it is also an entrepreneurial project that drives you, motivates you, and makes you grow. It is also a business that impacts the world and inspires!

Put these three elements in the order of importance that concerns you: income, personal growth, and positive impact on the world.

What obstacles prevent you from creating it, and what solutions can you find to remedy them?

1. Procrastination
2. Lack of experience and understanding of the entrepreneurial world
3. Lack of resources (time, money, network)

1. How to stop procrastinating and create the life you dream about?

Let's be straightforward. Human beings are lazy by nature. Sometimes it takes a good kick in the butt to start the day and start projects, but procrastination is also a signal to listen to, as it's a symptom of many things:

• Vitamins or mineral deficiency?
• Lack of alignment in what we do... the fact that perhaps we are pursuing a goal that we think is personal, but that is not what we want.

Our first piece of advice is to take the time to understand why you do what you do. The "Why" is not something artificial to build. It is not an external idea. It is your internal engine. Discovering it will allow you to make more relevant, aligned, and better choices.

How can you discover your why if you don't know it?

• Journaling methods are so efficient for introspection! You can find billions of journaling resources online.
• Talking with other people is also promising. Confronting others, when done well, is very educational. You can participate in or create a club in your university to train each other to develop your respective entrepreneurial projects. Think together.
• Opening your horizons is more than important. We can only dream about what we know. Sometimes, to find what drives us internally or to have strong ideas, we need to get out of our usual context and discover other ways of thinking. This is the strength of the intercultural encounters that we promote at ST Sicily.

We organize internships abroad, bringing together young people from Europe (and soon from all over the world), at the same period and in the same place. Our goal? Encourage exchanges and encounters that transform and open one's mind to new things.

2. How to act like a wise entrepreneur?

You don't become an entrepreneur overnight, especially if you didn't grow up in an entrepreneurial environment and don't have a role model to refer to. Creating a business starts with a sense of responsibility. The responsibility to bring your business idea to life. It also requires resilience and creativity to solve problems. It is something that requires experience, time, and an understanding of the business world.

How can you develop these points? Get experience, as early as possible, for as many hours as possible. Take jobs aligned with your why and what you want to do. Or day jobs from which you will inevitably learn insightful lessons because after all, business is business whether you sell shoes, Spanish courses, or NFTs. Do exciting internships in positions close to the business leaders to see their work. Find mentors in your company or school that you can assist in understanding how they think and solve problems.

The Internet and libraries also offer you plenty to grow on. Read interesting business books. Go to seminars or watch free videos of online summits. Find out what problems exist in the world and think about solutions. You may end up as a startup or with bundles of lessons and experiences.

At ST Sicily, we offer internships in small and medium-sized companies that allow you to understand the reality of business and access the head of the company to share his or her vision of the business. Whether with us or elsewhere, develop your vision of the business.

3. How to build a business with the right resources?

To make and run a business, you need time, energy, money, knowledge, materials, software, and sometimes even people who work with or for you. When you are a student, you don't necessarily have the time, money, or network necessary to start a business. It is true that we do not all start from the same reality and that some have more than others. But your current situation should not prevent you from trying.

If you have a well-defined reason, a big Why (see point 1.), you already have the necessary energy. If you build up the experience that you may lack (through internships or jobs or mentoring), you should have the means to come up with promising ideas and develop a good understanding of the business world.

If your why is so strong, you will have a much easier time getting people to help you, whether they are mentors, colleagues to exchange ideas with, future business partners, or even clients.

Plus, you always find the time when you have a strong Why. Otherwise, little time, but regular actions or the possibility to delegate allow you to advance your business as a hustle job.

Regarding money... You can start by making it or take a casual job that gives you the security you need to get started. A sense of urgency may even lead you to act smarter than others.

As for the network, build it from the people you already know and through social networks. The key word is "communicate." Tell the world about your project, and your network will grow. If you want to be more strategic, a marketing plan will help you.

This short list of examples is to show you that your ability to mobilize what you already have and the people around you is part of your role as an entrepreneur. Your success depends on your mindset and skills. If you have a gap, you can develop the necessary talents or look for someone having what you need.

Nowadays, it is still possible to create a thriving business. Start strengthening your mindset of success, and your problem-solving capacity, and develop your knowledge of the business world.

At ST Sicily, we can help you develop your vision of the international business world: in Sicily, in Tuscany too (still Italy so), in Germany, Spain, Malta, and soon in India. Believe in your dreams, believe in your ability to make them come true, and act in their direction, and they will come true.

What is holding you back from creating or running a thriving business right now? Is it procrastination, lack of knowledge, lack of resources, or is it something else? Tell us in the comments!