They say life begins at forty. In my case, this is a very apt cliche. I worked as a fashion stylist for 6 years and then ran my own accessories business for 9 years and found myself needing a new challenge. Never ever would I have thought that I might start a post graduate course at the age of 41. But here I am. This blog is a reflection of my new journey, what I am learning, as well as what I have experienced previously. Enjoy!
Having run my own business, Babatunde, for the past nine years, I was really excited to get started with the Design Thinking for Start-ups module. Running my own business has been an experience with many ups and downs. I had no formal business training previously, and I’d run my business more or less on instinct.Continue reading “Note to Future Self”
Design thinking for startup’s module required our group team to enter the bright ideas competition. This competition is for young entrepreneurs or people with start up ideas and offers some great cash prizes. After entering the competition, we were invited to attend the Sprint weekend. This weekend was a workshop to help us develop ourContinue reading “Bright Ideas Competition”
Trade fairs are an important part of marketing as well as business networking. These events give businesses the opportunity to display their brands and products or services in an environment where trading occurs. Not only is this a great platform to market your brand and display your product or service, but it is also aContinue reading “Trade Fairs”
Branding and forming a brand identity is extremely important for entrepreneurs and start ups. Branding is not only about convincing your target market to choose your product or service rather than your competitors. It’s also about encouraging your potential customers to see you as the sole provider of a solution to their problem or need.Continue reading “Branding for Start Ups”
One of my key learnings of the Design Thinking for Start Ups module has been the understanding potential customer’s needs and aspirations in order to discover gaps in the market or how products or services can be improved. Later in the module I was taught about the customer journey. The complete sum of experiences thatContinue reading “The Customer Journey”
Raising capital for start apps can be crucial for the survival and growth of a new business. Traditionally, entrepreneurs would look to investors or business partners to help boost the seed capital or to make the start up financially secure. However, finding a business partner or investor has no guarantees and can take a longContinue reading “Crowdfunding”
The best business ideas have not always been brand new ideas. Often, an existing product or service is redesigned or improved. Our Course Director, Janja Song had a very immersive class activity to help us learn and understand ways of redesigning products or services. In groups of three, we had to go to the toilet.Continue reading “User Experience and the Empathy Map”
Presenting is an integral part of the Design Thinking for Start Ups module. Our class is being equipped with the best tools for effective presentations that have the intended impact on the target market. From when we started the model up until now, it has been wonderful to see how a lot of our classmatesContinue reading “Dragons Den”
A very helpful tool when starting a business is being able to identify problems that people experience. If you can provide a solution for problems people face regularly, then there’s a good chance that you have a strong business idea as a market exists for this potential product or service. The Hackathon we were involvedContinue reading “Give n Go Luggage Transporters”
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