blog | 5min Read

Productive Things Students Can Do During The Pandemic

Published on November 25, 2021

FacebookTwitterWhatsApp
Categories
blog

Productive Things Students Can Do During The Pandemic

When the pandemic struck, all of us were forced to retreat to the comfort of our homes. We spent a year being careful and social distancing. And now, with the new strain of the COVID-19 virus that has erupted in India, we might have to pass another year or so keeping safe in our homes. 

Boredom has grown quite prevalent in this era, especially in the case of teens and kids. We can’t meet our friends, go to the mall or even the park. So, in this time of utter disarray, here’s what students can do in the lockdowns:

Courses/Workshops

Courses are an extracurricular activity that help you keep boredom at bay. Choosing to learn more about a subject you’re interested in only furthers you on the path to success. You can broaden your horizons and have fun at the same time, what’s not to like? Webinars and sessions such as these allow you to learn new skills and ways of thinking, while giving you feedback on your previous shortcomings so you can improve. These courses and workshops let you engage with new people who most probably share similar interests. This way, you can make new friends and further your social skills, too. Plus, furthering your extracurriculars like this shows colleges that you’re actually interested in a subject and are serious about it.

Sparkling up your resume like this is definitely an advantage and could land you in the university of your dreams. One other possible benefit of courses is that they can help you realise whether you truly want to pursue a field of study. Knowing what your passion is is a big part of life, and these realisations could possibly help save you money and time. So, taking part in courses and workshops doesn’t only keep you busy but it also offers you multiple other benefits that are too attractive to ignore!

Internships

Internships for high school students can be considered similar to courses in terms of their benefits, but are different in their own way. An internship is an official programme that is offered by an employer. Internships let high-schoolers and college-students gain valuable work experience that would be otherwise hard to acquire at such an early age. Interns have the opportunity to apply acquired knowledge to day-to-day work experiences, first-hand, fully preparing them to enter the workforce post graduation.

Further through internships, you can explore a career path, and gain confidence in your chosen field of study. They allow you to decide whether the field is right for you and make mistakes in a safe environment, where they are expected. By developing and refining new skills that you gain during the internships, you can give yourself an edge in college applications and in the job market. Even virtually taking part in such experiences, you can learn countless things both from your superiors and your mistakes. Internships provide you with the opportunity to learn from the people around you, ask questions and impress. They are surely a great way to have fun and take advantage of the free time you have available as they will greatly aid you in the future, too.

Hobbies

Finding ways to pass your boredom need not only include extra-curricular activities. Hobbies are a way for you to creatively express what you’re feeling and enjoy your time. They allow you to take a break and carve out time to devote to what you want. Losing yourself in a good book, or immersing yourself in an artwork can keep you productive and instil you with a sense of purpose while having fun. Hobbies benefit you mentally by decluttering your mind and letting you be in the moment. They take you away from stressful thoughts and situations, and their productive nature keeps feelings of guilt at bay. They help you practice mindfulness techniques without even realising it and are a great way of keeping yourself occupied. Physical hobbies such as badminton, yoga, dancing or other sports keep you in shape and provide countless health benefits. These activities keep us active and result in increased confidence and energy levels. Lastly, hobbies can open up your world by stretching the limits of your imagination. They satisfy a curious mind and help you learn new ways to improve. They are one of the best ways to show your passion and leadership in your professional life, and hence are a very advantageous way to chill out.

Social Work

Social work is a way to not only benefit yourself, but also others. Spending even an hour a day focusing on how you give back could possibly change someone’s life. It helps you increase your emotional intelligence by exercising empathy and the practice of giving. You can build unforgettable relationships and learn essential people skills. So how exactly do we engage with it? Well, you can opt to lead a social project . This can provide you with new skills such as long-term commitment and the ability to think on the spot. Even if you only participate in one, it can be highly beneficial as you learn to overcome obstacles and work in a team. Further, doing social work enhances self-esteem as giving back and driving change can make you feel good about yourself. It gives one a sense of accomplishment and is extremely rewarding. Educating yourself in these skills at an early age cements them forever. Occupying yourself by doing social work like this helps everyone learn effectively and is an unparalleled way of passing your boredom.

There are so many things and so many ways to do them, and we’ve only listed a few. Going out there and simply looking for experiences such as the aforementioned is an important way of keeping yourself constructively busy. Co-curricular activities help in the holistic development of students and assist in developing critical skills and abilities to be successful and happy in the 21st century life and workplaces. Plus, you can have so much fun while doing them. Now, it’s your choice whether you want to succumb to boredom or try to be a busy bee.!

The Big Red Group and our Ivy Early Entrepreneur Program

In our entrepreneurial workshop – Ivy Early Entrepreneur, students go through the process of business development and leave the entrepreneur program having completed a business model canvas, competitive analysis, financial model, minimum viable product, and a pitch deck.

Students get an opportunity to learn from successful entrepreneurs who are alumni of reputed universities and are experts in their respective industries.

These experts serve as coaches guiding students through the processes of developing a business concept. Risk-Taking, Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Communication &

Storytelling, Design Thinking & Innovation, and Opportunity Recognition are a few of the key learning areas of our program.

On successfully completing the entrepreneur workshop, the guaranteed internship will be extended to all the students within our partner firms and with most of the mentors teaching the program. Students will be provided with a certificate of participation by The Big Red Group. This certificate can be used for your college portfolio.

Ivy Early Entrepreneur

11th – 17th Jan 2022

Idea Generation | Market Research | Design Thinking | Pitching

Editor's Pick

blog | 5min Read

7 Reasons Indian Students Should Get on the Gap Year Bandwagon

Published on November 15, 2021

FacebookTwitterWhatsApp
Categories
blog

7 Reasons Indian Students Should Get on the Gap Year Bandwagon

A gap year is defined as “a period, typically an academic year, taken by a student as a break between school and university or college education.”

Gap years have been all the rage since the 1960’s. Although popular in Europe, it has become popular in other developed countries like the USA, Australia, Canada, etc.

Students in developing countries, especially India, do not consider gap year as an option due to several reasons such as visa restrictions, access to funds, financial dependence on parents, etc.

However, things are changing fast and students in developing countries with their aspiration, access to funds and the internet are getting educated faster and are looking for different options before the start of their college years.

College applications in India are extremely competitive, however, the competition is concentrated on a single aspect – % of marks. Unlike in the west, where applications are evaluated on GPA, work experience, diversity, achievements, etc.

This aspect of admission in the west challenges young students to be more experimental with their lives before they go to college.

If planned well, a gap year in India can truly provide immense benefits and value that no book or school will teach you. If you get on this journey early on, it will have a profound effect on your life.

Entrepreneurs should have the gift of seeing things in the present, even if they are in the future. To start a
successful start-up three simple things are needed – An idea, people who want your idea, and a burning desire to succeed.

Our top reasons for taking a gap year:

1. Time to think

A gap year will give you time to think about what your passion truly is. A lot of college students who don’t know what they like, end up paying for an education and realising it is too late. A gap year will help you reduce these costly mistakes both in terms of money and time. It will give you opportunities to experiment with different things. Habitually, humans tend to select short term gains over long term impact and education is no exception to this. Don’t be short sighted. Your career will span for over 35 years.

2. Work experience

A gap year will provide you with plenty of opportunities to pick up work experience. You can choose to work for fun, for social causes, to gain actual experience, to learn something new, work an internship or to find out whether you like something or not. Since you will be starting out, you will be open and flexible to a lot of new experiences.

3. Improved performance

Chances are that you have been learning all your life. A break will help you refresh and increase motivation to do well. With a plethora of new experiences under your belt you will be set apart when you decide to start college. Real life experiences will help you imagine situations far better and how to implement your learnings in a more meaningful way. 

4. Financial Management

A year is a long enough time to pick up a hobby or some other skills that will come in handy for your entire life.  Skills like language, cooking, yoga, writing, public speaking, developing a hobby can all result in happiness and/or opportunities to make money part/full time.

5. Learn life skills

A little help, timely advice and encouragement goes a long way in helping you do better. A good mentor  is a critical asset. Mentors share knowledge, valuable contacts and invaluable nuggets from their oodles  of experience that helps you hack through the thickets of start-up struggle. A mentor is your guardian  angel. Every start-up team and every seasoned entrepreneur needs one good mentor. 

6. Awareness to the real world

A gap year provides the opportunity to travel. Something that most people struggle to do once they start college or work. Travelling exposes one to different cultures, languages, problems, people, etc. that you cannot experience in the environment you grow up in. It helps increase awareness and create empathy towards different sections of the society and world in general.

7. Well rounded

With awareness and new experiences you are able to make better decisions and become a lot more considerate about problems faced by others since you might have faced the same issues during traveling or during cultural exchanges. Besides, all the experience that you have had in terms of dealing with people from different sections of the society and culture will also open you up and make you a lot more rounded as a person.

Conclusion:

While we realise that a gap year in India is quite unorthodox and not a natural path for most Indian students. We feel that there are several tangible and intangible benefits if done well. There are definitely pitfalls like everything else, which we will cover in another blog post.

However, if you set out your goals and plan this year well, it will be one of the best decisions that you would have made.

Your turn, what is your opinion about a gap year? Do you feel there are other benefits to it? Do share your thoughts in the comments below

The Big Red Group And Our Entrepreneur Program

In our entrepreneurial workshop – Ivy Early Entrepreneur, students go through the process of business development and leave the entrepreneur program having completed a business model canvas, competitive analysis, financial model, minimum viable product, and a pitch deck.

Students get an opportunity to learn from successful entrepreneurs who are alumni of reputed universities and are experts in their respective industries.

These experts serve as coaches guiding students through the processes of developing a business concept. Risk-Taking, Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Communication &

Storytelling, Design Thinking & Innovation, and Opportunity Recognition are a few of the key learning areas of our program.

On successfully completing the entrepreneur workshop, the guaranteed internship will be extended to all the students within our partner firms and with most of the mentors teaching the program. Students will be provided with a certificate of participation by The Big Red Group. This certificate can be used for your college portfolio.

Ivy Early Entrepreneur

21st June – 29th June 2023

Idea Generation | Market Research | Design Thinking | Pitching

Editor's Pick

blog | 6min Read

10 Reasons Why You Need to Participate in a Model UN Conference

Published on October 22, 2021

FacebookTwitterWhatsApp
Categories
blog

10 Reasons Why You Need to Participate in a Model UN Conference

What Is An MUN?

To begin with the basics,  a Model United Nations (MUN) is a simulation of a real United Nations convention in which students are entrusted with researching, writing, lobbying, and debating a suitable resolution to a global issue. Students assume the roles of delegates, presenters, and chairmen, representing various nations, and collaborate with students from all backgrounds to participate in conversations and find a solution to the agenda they are given.  The agendas or themes addressed at MUNs are a reflection of real-world concerns discussed at the United Nations, and vary from broad topics like religious minority’ rights to specialised topics like improving nuclear plant disaster precautions. Through these dynamic conferences you can harness not one but several of your skills. Some of which are as follows: 

1. Expert On Global Issues

Keeping up with current events by reading news articles or watching television news programmes can be tedious at times. When you represent a nation at a ‘global’ level and engage with delegates from other countries, your understanding of the globe greatly grows. As a delegate, you are expected to conduct extensive study on your assigned nations, analysing and comprehending their foreign policies and determining which variables could impact the country’s international behaviour. Not only this, but students also grow knowledge on the local issues of various countries and cultivate into empathetic adults. This prepares them to tackle problems as well as build a strong EQ at an early age.

2. Surge In Overall Confidence

Meeting new people, engaging with new faces, working in teams to create resolutions, and expressing oneself confidently are all part of an MUN. The entire experience will increase your confidence. From the preparation for the MUN to the deliberations, arguments, and solutions made at the conference. You will feel much more at ease dealing with new people and expressing yourself freely after participating in the same. The confidence you’ll earn will aid you in future conversations where you’ll be required to explain yourself under duress. Hence, attending the MUN hosted in India by The Big Red group might be your first step towards this exciting journey. 

3. Expert Problem Solving Skills

The MUN is focused on problem-solving abilities at its heart, since it positions you at the core of an organisation tasked with resolving global concerns.  Thus, problem-solving is an art that you will get to refine from the start of the MUN, by understanding how to identify the critical components of a theme, evaluating factors to consider while contemplating on a solution, and placing it all together to come up with a final negotiated settlement that is acceptable to all parties involved.

4. Logical Thinking

Insightful analytical skills can help you overcome difficulties via analysis at any stage of life in any vocation. The MUN is an excellent place to practise analytical abilities because you will be challenged and expected to solve the issue after considering the apprehensions of other countries, previous precedents, and viable solutions in a simulated environment.

5. Young Professional Diplomat

Diplomacy, or the art of negotiation, is a tremendously useful talent to have because it applies to any meaningful interaction between the two parties, not only conversations between two countries. You will gain more training and information on how to conduct diplomatic negotiations between subgroups in a polite and result-oriented manner by participating in MUNs. Students interested in becoming professional diplomats can practise and groom themselves for the industry by participating in Model United Nations, which are a good demonstration of the lives and work of professional ambassadors.

6. Negotiation Skills

The importance of health cannot be overstated. With the obvious workload of running a fledgling start-up  comes the added buIn these conferences, students learn how to negotiate, argue, and achieve a consensus. Each student, while portraying a nation, needs to stay true to the sentiments and political stances of that country. They  must collaborate to provide answers to global issues while remaining compliant with their country’s policies. This requires good negotiation skills that you can only polish further by practicing. And for High School students, an Model UN conference might just be the best place to meet like minded people who want to learn the same skills as you. rden of hopes, aspirations and expectations of many. All this can create a very  stressful environment that has the potential to impact your health adversely. But remember, your health  is what is keeping everything afloat. Take care of your health and everything else will take care of itself.  Eat healthily, take time-offs, exercise regularly, and meditate.

7. Effective Communication Skills

It takes practice to develop effective communication skills, and MUNs are an excellent place to test and improve your abilities. You get a chance to voice your opinions and discuss them before an assembly. Because you’ll be giving several presentations throughout the MUN, you’ll have plenty of chances to hone your public speaking skills. After successful workshops on communication, The Big Red group’s MUN will help you refine your communication skills even further. 

8. Early Network Building

Attending a MUN is a great way to meet new people, network, and develop connections that will help you later on. You’ll meet fellow delegates, senior participants, organisers, co-sponsors, judges, and event chairmen at a MUN. You can expand your network for future usage by making new contacts and meeting potential mentors.

9. Professional Writing Skills

There is a hefty amount of writing involved at MUNs, including writing for speeches, writing position papers on the topic given for resolution, possible amendments, and finally, writing the resolution itself. It is different from the writing that one does in High School as it is much more formal and requires creativity. Each document that you present will require hardcore research and analysis that will prepare you for writing much longer documents and assignments at university. 

10. Boosting College Applications

MUNs are known for their excellent caliber, professional integrity, and varying degrees of difficulty, and participation in one will help you stand out when applying to colleges and/or jobs. Students who have participated in Model United Nations have been reported to receive preferential treatment from top Ivy League universities such as Yale and Harvard.

Even Indian universities (such as Liberal Arts colleges) are starting to use profile-based admissions, which give extra-curricular activities a lot of weight. Admissions committees and job recruiters look for candidates who have discipline, assertiveness, strong analytical, and problem-solving skills, all of which are demonstrated via MUN participation.

All in all, attending your first MUN in India might just be your door to success in many different arenas. All you have to do is register yourself for the biggest upcoming conference in Asia to get started!

The Big Red Group and our Ivy Early Entrepreneur Program

In our entrepreneurial workshop – Ivy Early Entrepreneur, students go through the process of business development and leave the entrepreneur program having completed a business model canvas, competitive analysis, financial model, minimum viable product, and a pitch deck.

Students get an opportunity to learn from successful entrepreneurs who are alumni of reputed universities and are experts in their respective industries.

These experts serve as coaches guiding students through the processes of developing a business concept. Risk-Taking, Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Communication &

Storytelling, Design Thinking & Innovation, and Opportunity Recognition are a few of the key learning areas of our program.

On successfully completing the entrepreneur workshop, the guaranteed internship will be extended to all the students within our partner firms and with most of the mentors teaching the program. Students will be provided with a certificate of participation by The Big Red Group. This certificate can be used for your college portfolio.

Ivy Early Entrepreneur

11th – 17th Jan 2022

Idea Generation | Market Research | Design Thinking | Pitching

Editor's Pick

blog Personal Finance | 6min Read

Five Games to Sharpen Financial Literacy Skills in High School

Published on

FacebookTwitterWhatsApp
Categories
blog Personal Finance

Five Games to Sharpen Financial Literacy Skills in High School

Ever Wondered How And Where You Learned To Excel At The Most Important Life Lessons?

If you’re thinking about education, yes that’s correct. But more than that, games and activities foster excellence and give you lessons of a lifetime. Think about it! Your soccer match taught you so much about team spirit, your Xbox lets you drive maximum results with all your attention in one place, and so on. Be it outdoor games or board games or even digital games, every game brings challenges and every challenge forces you to become a better version of yourself. Don’t believe us? Research suggests that student performances can level up to 89.45% more than usual if they’re educated on challenge-based gamification.

How and Why Games Will Play a Pivotal Role in Helping You Gain Finance Literacy? 

Now that you know how games can help you sharpen your skills, let’s understand how they can help you learn money management. Game-based learning is considered one of the most effective techniques to discover finance and make decisions wisely. As compared to the traditional dry and dull method of teaching finance, gamification instills skills and concepts about money management in people of all ages.

Speaking of financial literacy games, some of the classic money management games have been popular for years. There has been a continual revision in these games as the finance world has evolved, but the radical goal of teaching the players on building wealth and minimizing debts has remained the same.

Are you aware of such games that will teach you some important things from the finance world? If not, then let’s dig into some top choices we have for you –  

Best Financial Literacy Games Handpicked For You

1. Monopoly

Undoubtedly the most popular board game in families, Monopoly teaches you the concepts of the real estate business of buying, selling, and renting properties. From mortgages, banking, purchasing, and strategic thinking, the game has some of the most necessary financial skills to offer. 

Monopoly also provides a simulation on how to deal with financial blows, emergencies, and balance cash flow through earnings and savings. As the cash flow improves and properties grow, you can also learn about financial negotiations while playing this game. Try this for yourself and the next time your parents are having a serious discussion about properties, you won’t get bored for sure!

2. The Game Of Life

This is indeed a game of life as it involves complexities of financial situations and decisions one faces from the beginning, till the retirement stage. It’s a great way to get introduced to the challenges to be faced in college, buying a home, raising and taking care of family, and much more. 

Considered as one of the best budgeting games, it also focuses on the impact due to taxes, debt, overspending, and the importance of investing early. Ultimately, you win the game by accumulating the highest net worth by making the right real-life choices, and overcoming the challenges. 

3. Cashflow 101

‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ fame Robert Kiyosaki created Cashflow 101 to build up financial intelligence and have fun while learning money management. As the name suggests, the game focuses majorly on cash flow principles, personal accounting, and advanced investment strategies. 

The game excellently defines the basics of investing, understanding financial statements, assets, liabilities, and develops your confidence to make your investment and real estate decisions. 

4. Money Bags

Money Bags is a game involving currencies and helps you discover the real value of every coin and bill. You have to collect, count, and exchange money with other players to have the maximum money left with you at the end of the finishing line. This is a great game for you and your friends to learn about coin counting and coin value skills. 

Turn your peer group into fellow investors and try your hands at this game. The quest of getting to the finish line and gaining the bonus will keep adding fuel to the thrill for sure!

5. Payday

Payday is a game that helps you learn how to manage the salary you are paid at the end of every month while working. It has a calendar month wherein you have to deal with different expenses, bills and also earn money from property deals.

At the end of every month, you have to pay the outstanding bills and also repay loans taken from banks. The players have to fix the number of months, and in the end, the player with the most money wins. From totaling expenses, bill payments, budgeting basics, and understanding emergency funds, Payday has all the moves to teach you more about finance. 

6. Financial Football

Yes, you guessed it right! We’ve saved the most fascinating game for last! If you haven’t already hopped onto the search for the game, you should know that this game is power-packed with amazing features and enhancements to keep you hooked. 

The game focuses on major lessons you should learn about saving, spending, and budgeting while giving you a world-class experience powered by the National Football League. Don’t fall into the trap of it sounding easy as the game is filled with nail-biting challenges for you and your friends to ponder upon.

Other Online Games And Mobile Apps

Along with these financial literacy games, you can always seek various online games and tools that will help you to leverage financial skills and money management. Many games like TimeForPayback, SPENT, Financial Football, Wise Pockets, Credit Clash, SimCity, etc. aim to improve personal financial capability and build a fundamental understanding of investing. 

Final Words

While these are just a handful of finance games for students, there are plenty of more interactive games and online tools wherein you can learn everything about finance in a fun way over the traditional boring way. Playing such games with your elders can definitely help you to learn about some real-life financial experiences, while if you’re playing with your friends you can understand the issues they are facing to learn more about the finance world.   

Looking forward to acquiring more such financial skills through unique, exceptional, and unorthodox ways? Join the Smart Money Camp now – a sublime student financial literacy course for you and your friends to learn the A to Z of finance!

Ready to challenge yourself and your friends with these exciting games, are you?

The Big Red Group and our Ivy Early Entrepreneur Program

In our entrepreneurial workshop – Ivy Early Entrepreneur, students go through the process of business development and leave the entrepreneur program having completed a business model canvas, competitive analysis, financial model, minimum viable product, and a pitch deck.

Students get an opportunity to learn from successful entrepreneurs who are alumni of reputed universities and are experts in their respective industries.

These experts serve as coaches guiding students through the processes of developing a business concept. Risk-Taking, Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Communication &

Storytelling, Design Thinking & Innovation, and Opportunity Recognition are a few of the key learning areas of our program.

On successfully completing the entrepreneur workshop, the guaranteed internship will be extended to all the students within our partner firms and with most of the mentors teaching the program. Students will be provided with a certificate of participation by The Big Red Group. This certificate can be used for your college portfolio.

Ivy Early Entrepreneur

11th – 17th Jan 2022

Idea Generation | Market Research | Design Thinking | Pitching

Editor's Pick

blog Entrepreneurship | 5min Read

9 Tips From An Entrepreneurial Workshop for a Successful Start-Up

Published on October 7, 2021

FacebookTwitterWhatsApp
Categories
blog Entrepreneurship

9 Tips From An Entrepreneurial Workshop for a Successful Start-Up

Entrepreneurial workshops have one thing in common – they are run by a set of successful  entrepreneurs. During the program, each of them has experiences to share, failures they encountered,  and how they made a start-up possible. They teach students of this century, how to actually mitigate  risks and elevate them to success.

Ideas are easy, implementation is hard.

An entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a ‘want’ to create it. The best start-ups generally come from someone who dares to convert a perceived risk into an asset. But there is a reason why some start-ups take off while others crash and burn. Just passion and a clever idea are not enough to build yourself a great story. Diligence, hard work, efficiency, and resources all play a significant part in turning an idea into an epic success story that inspires others. And then there’s that secret ingredient.

It is not about ideas. It is about making ideas happen.

Entrepreneurs should have the gift of seeing things in the present, even if they are in the future. To start a
successful start-up three simple things are needed – An idea, people who want your idea, and a burning desire to succeed.

Here are 9 tips from an Entrepreneur Workshop that will help you in your entrepreneurial journey:

1. Time Management

Managing time efficiently is the hallmark of a successful venture. Judicious allocation of time and  resources implies a well-thought-out plan and a smooth-oiled work culture. Prioritizing time, resources,  and personnel based on the tasks at hand will also ensure that important tasks will get done.  Remember, time is money! 

2. The Right Work, By The Right Person

Working on the right thing, by the right person is probably the only thing more important than working  hard. Trust your instincts and do not hesitate to delegate when the situation calls for it. Do not be afraid to  assert yourself. Have confidence in your abilities. Every time you state what you want, it is a message to  both you and the others about what you think is possible. In the end, nothing should deter you or your  team from giving the best. Each member of the team should work to understand exactly where their  strengths are and work together to ensure that every task gets completed by the person with the best  expertise.

3. Grow Intelligently

All that goes up must come down – but the time you spend staying up is always in your hands. Even  if you do not have the perfect idea to begin with, you can likely adapt. Invent and reinvent. Constantly. 

Grow intelligently and not just rapidly. Setting high expectations, especially of oneself, and living up to them is the key to success. Plan your growth, chart out your goals, and work towards achieving them.

4. Meet, Network, Share

 

 

The start-up community is a close knit group. Seek out fellow entrepreneurs and talk to them about the challenges and thrills you are facing on your entrepreneurial journey. Networking events and social media is a great platform to meet entrepreneurs and learn about their experiences. Networking also provides an opportunity to form valuable partnerships or collaborations. And an Entrepreneur Workshop like Ivy Early Entrepreneur is the best place to grow your network and find mentors.

5. Mentorship

A little help, timely advice and encouragement goes a long way in helping you do better. A good mentor  is a critical asset. Mentors share knowledge, valuable contacts and invaluable nuggets from their oodles  of experience that helps you hack through the thickets of start-up struggle. A mentor is your guardian  angel. Every start-up team and every seasoned entrepreneur needs one good mentor. 

6. Health Is Wealth

The importance of health cannot be overstated. With the obvious workload of running a fledgling start-up  comes the added burden of hopes, aspirations and expectations of many. All this can create a very  stressful environment that has the potential to impact your health adversely. But remember, your health  is what is keeping everything afloat. Take care of your health and everything else will take care of itself.  Eat healthily, take time-offs, exercise regularly, and meditate.

7. Look After Your Finances

While it is important to chase the vision and not the money, managing your finances is of paramount  importance. With increased revenue generation comes many temptations – increase the office space, hire  more resources, buy new machinery etc. But decide on the wants with a very level-headed why. Ensure that  your earnings can absorb the cost of growth. 

8. Execute, Execute, Execute

 

Preparation is important, but the execution is even more important. What sets apart a successful venture is the ability to execute an idea rather than just pitch the idea alone. Execution of an idea tests the concept and helps to critically analyze the plan. Execution also serves as a reality check and helps you to fine-tune your initial idea and incorporate improvements into the model. The best execution geared with the perfect timing results in a successful business.

9. The Secret Ingredient...

The value of an idea lies in the use of it. There are plenty of resources and technological support to help  budding entrepreneurs bring their idea to life. Start-up accelerators, specialized courses, mentorship  programs, and workshops help you to run before you even learn to walk.  

Entrepreneurial Workshops’ curriculum will help you develop an understanding of the major functional  areas of a business. They will also train you in managerial decision-making in a business simulation and  teach you important lessons on success and failure from an integrated case study. 

The Big Red Group and our Ivy Early Entrepreneur Program

In our entrepreneurial workshop – Ivy Early Entrepreneur, students go through the process of business development and leave the entrepreneur program having completed a business model canvas, competitive analysis, financial model, minimum viable product, and a pitch deck.

Students get an opportunity to learn from successful entrepreneurs who are alumni of reputed universities and are experts in their respective industries.

These experts serve as coaches guiding students through the processes of developing a business concept. Risk-Taking, Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Communication &

Storytelling, Design Thinking & Innovation, and Opportunity Recognition are a few of the key learning areas of our program.

On successfully completing the entrepreneur workshop, the guaranteed internship will be extended to all the students within our partner firms and with most of the mentors teaching the program. Students will be provided with a certificate of participation by The Big Red Group. This certificate can be used for your college portfolio.

Ivy Early Entrepreneur

11th – 17th Jan 2022

Idea Generation | Market Research | Design Thinking | Pitching

Editor's Pick