So i got a message on my facebook from a mate of mine, paying his tribute to the now late Jim Rohn.

So i decided to message quickly if i could share it with you guys on the site and he agreed

HERE IT IS

He started off by sharing a nice quote from the great man himself.

“Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.” Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn has inspired millions and even in his passing, his legacy will continue to live on.

Here’s something i’ve written in tribute of the legend that is Jim Rohn… I say is because legends never die.

Rise above it!

You have everything within you to create the life that you’ve dreamed of.
You have been blessed with a brain that far outweighs the computational powers of the most advanced computer.

You have been given opportunities to grow and can overcome any problem you are faced with when you face it with the right attitude.
You are one in a billion and are a born winner!

You have overcome odds far greater than winning the jackpot on any lottery just by being born.

The challenges you face are blessings to a greater life
plant and nurture the seeds of your thoughts and your ideas for they are more powerful than any force in the universe

You were born brilliant and your brilliant life is in your hand!
Keep shining for you are the sun in someone’s life

- Fahad Maniar- Feel free to stop by his website below.
http://www.fahadmaniar.com

Enternships provides ambitious and dynamic students and graduates with an opportunity to learn about business and enterprise through work placements in entrepreneurial and innovative environments, from start-ups to global venture funds around the world.

Enternships was pioneered in association with Oxford Entrepreneurs, a student-run society at Oxford University which encourages and supports student entrepreneurship and is one of the largest in Europe. They now have the support of key enterprise agencies and some of the world’s leading student entrepreneurial societies.

Rajeeb, Glad to be finally doing this interview with you, how are you doing today?

Very well thank you – slightly overwhelmed with the amount of work to do but glad that the Christmas holidays are fast approaching!

So can you give us some background information about yourself?

I am the Founder & CEO of Enternships.com. I recently turned 24 and graduated with First Class Honours in June 2008 from the University of Oxford in Economics & Management. Whilst at University I was the longest serving President of Oxford Entrepreneurs, one of the largest networks of student entrepreneurs in Europe.

I have been heavily involved in social entrepreneurship and youth participation matters from an early age. At the age of 17, I became the Founder & Chairman of the English Secondary Students’ Association (ESSA) – the first national student run organisation empowering secondary school students, giving them a voice in education.

My work in promoting entrepreneurship has led to me becoming one of the first Ambassadors for the Enterprise UK’s “Make Your Mark Campaign”. My other roles include being a Trustee of UnLtd – the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs; Trustee of the Phoenix Education Trust; a Commissioner on the Carnegie UK Trust’s Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society; Education Advisory Board Member for Channel 4; and an Advisory Board Member of the UK-India Business Council (UKIBC).

Wow, Talk about doing a lot.

So what were you doing before you started this business?

I graduated from University in June 2008 and started working on Enternships pretty much straight after graduating.

When did you start your business?

The site was running as a basic listing service for a few years however I started working on the concept of it being a formal recruitment portal after graduating. I registered the company in February 2009; launched the beta website in May 2009 and had our ‘official’ launch party during Global Entrepreneurship Week on 17th November where 900 entrepreneurs & graduates go together to celebrate our launch.

I still can’t believe how i managed to miss out on this experience, I have julian polzella of vouchacha

What made you start your business? How did the idea come about?

Enternships.com started as a simple listing service which I set up as President of Oxford Entrepreneurs (one of the largest networks of student entrepreneurs in Europe). Companies were approaching me to advertise opportunities as they were keen to reach entrepreneurial candidates. Over time it became evident that more and more small companies wanted to reach students and with no proactive marketing, word of mouth led to over 160 placements being advertised. It also became clear that in the current job market with less roles available in large corporations it’s time to look to the ‘long tail’ of industry.

How did you get capital to fund your business?

As an online venture you do not need vast amounts of money to get going. I estimate that it has cost me between £10,000 – £15,000 to get started which has been a mixture of my own savings and financial support from my parents.

What is your business’s USP?

Enternships.com is a portal which connects students/graduates to start-ups and SMEs worldwide who provide entrepreneurial work placements (“entrepreneurial internships”). SMEs struggle to find talent and lack the recruitment budgets of “blue-chip firms” to undertake the traditional ‘milkround’. Enternships therefore provides these companies with visibility on campus and serves as a central place for start-ups to reach out to talent.

Up until now small companies have had to rely on adhoc listing services where often they would be spammed or inundated with irrelevant enquiries; Enternships provides them with a centralised system to manage recruitment in a more targeted manner.

How many people are involved in Enternships?

There are 4 of us working in the team

What are the tools that you would subscribe to young entrepreneurs doing businesses online?

LinkedIn as a means to keep in touch with your business contacts and storing the information on business cards. I have a personal (@rajdey) and business profile (@enternships) on Twitter. We also have a Facebook group for Enternships:

It’s important to embrace the free social media tools which are out there and which help promote your business.

What was your biggest surprise in starting and running your business?

How easy it is to officially set up and start trading (although there is a lot of nitty gritty admin e.g. filing accounts, keeping on top of legislation around employment law etc)

Would you have done anything differently if you could?

I don’t think I regret anything (yet); everything has been a learning experience for me – I am a big believer in learning my doing and making mistakes as you go along. I initially entered into arrangements with suppliers in a naive manner whereby I offered equity instead of cash (as I haven’t gone to raise investment as yet). Offering equity is great however it needs to be carefully thought out and the right agreements and arrangements need to be put in place in case things do not work out later down the line.

What is the most valuable lesson that you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

The need to develop a strong and multi-disciplinary team around you; you cannot have all the skills / answers yourself so it’s your ability to have support around you which will help you flourish.

What major obstacles and pitfalls have you had to overcome?

Mostly these have been related to delays with the development of the portal and hitting targets however I’d say that they have been blessing in disguise as the initial delay in “soft launching” the beta portal meant we launched at the peak of the graduate unemployment crisis meaning far more interest and coverage of our launch.

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs who are struggling to achieve success? Especially during this time of recession?

Stick at it; the recession provides lots of opportunities to spot broken business models and new ways of tackling existing problems. Tenacity is a virtue and if you have conviction in your idea and belief in yourself just keep at it. It is also important to have a think about what success really means to you – people have different aims and objectives in life and you shouldn’t measure your success against other people but against where you were when you started, where you are now and where you hope to be. Success doenst happen overnight and the entrepreneurs who can weather the downturn are the ones who will emerge the strongest in the long-run. Ultimately some of the best businesses have historically been started in an economic downturn.

You, have achieved so much and so many accolades such as “Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Award” and also “02 X Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2009” . How does it feel to win all of these awards?

It’s great to get recognised through these awards and I am truly honoured and privileged to have received them. I should say however they are not the be all and end all. It’s a long and tough journey when you’re starting out – these awards provide you with additional impetus to keep going however you cannot lose sight of your end goal and vision.

What are plans for enternships.com? Where would you like to see it in the next five years?

Over the next 5 years I would like the word ‘enternship’ to be widely recognised and become increasingly common parlance to describe work placements in entrepreneurial environments (start-ups and small businesses). I hope that we will become the definitive place for students and graduates around the world to find the hottest work opportunities and just as future lawyers, accountants, bankers etc look for internships I want Enternships.com to be the first port of call for all aspiring entrepreneurs and those who want to learn firsthand about business.

What should we be expecting from you in the future?

Who know?! Lots probably…watch this space!

Thanks for your time, good luck and we hope to hear from you in the future.

Rajeeb Dey – Twitter
– LinkedIN
– Enternships

His Interview on CNN

Ben is a 21-year-old Senior at Washington University in St. Louis, and started BestParking.com which offers a very simple design. The site was inspired by “an episode of Seinfeld in which George refuses to pay for a parking space.”

Motorists can use the site (for free) to compare all parking rates and locations in and around a destination city or airport.

Thanks for your time on YHP Ben, How are you doing?

I’m well, thank you.

Ben, can you please give us some background information about yourself and what you do?

I’m a 21-year-old Senior at Washington University in St. Louis, and started BestParking.com a few years back. Motorists can use the site (for free) to compare all parking rates and locations in and around a destination city or airport. We like to think of ourselves as the “Priceline” of Parking. A handful of parking operators advertise guaranteed rates and parking reservations via our site.

Why inspired you to start a parking site?

I was watching an episode of Seinfeld in which George refuses to pay an exorbitant amount of money for a parking space. Having been born and raised in Manhattan, I knew how stressful parking was for motorists, and there were no good solutions to motorists’ pain. I hopped on a bike and canvassed the city for months, understanding the industry and plotting Manhattan parking facilities.

Did you have any doubts when you started?

I didn’t have any idea how I was going to monetize the idea.

What was the most important lesson you have learnt?

Build something that you and at least five of your friends or family would actually use. If only you think an idea is worthwhile, be careful before investing in it.

Who is your role model/influence?

My father started a legal publishing venture while I was in middle school. My mom’s side of the family owned a business selling men’s pajamas. So my parents would be my role models/influences.

Who has been your key figure in the progress of your business?

My father – he has helped me out tremendously and is a partner in the firm.

Anything you would like to have done differently if you could go back in time?

Taken more risks that, looking back, would have paid off. Of course, it’s easy to say after the fact.

Did you ever think it would turn out to be as popular as it is?

It’s been over 3 years since we launched, and our growth is still linear. So we’re still waiting for the hockey-stick growth curve.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

It’s cliché – if at first you don’t succeed, try try again.

How many hours do you work daily and what are your daily tasks for your sites?

I manage our programmers, content team, and graphic designer. My workday varies depending on the amount of schoolwork I need to complete. Some days I work 8 hours, while other days I work 3 hours. I’ll step it up after I graduate in May.

Have you any plans (personal or business) that you can share with us about your future plans / goals / lifetime goals?

I’m going to see this idea through completion. It will either succeed or fail.

What do you like best about the Internet?

Everything is real-time. I can post an advertisement on AdWords and immediately see my return.

Do you have any suggestions for coping with set-backs, negative experiences?

I failed at my first venture, ezdtrade.com. Rather, I was unable to market it. But, instead of sticking with an idea that wouldn’t succeed, I focused all my effort on BestParking.com.

Have you had to make any changes because of current financial situation?

The business has done better since the recession. More motorists are interested in saving money on parking and parking facilities are no longer near 100% capacity.

What advice would you give to a Young Entrepreneur setting up their first business?

If it’s an online business, spend the few hundred bucks on a good domain name.

Thanks for your time Ben

Thank you.

Contact: BestParking

Birmingham-based jewellery designer Lora Leedham talks to YHP about her life and journey as an entrepreneur.

Lora creates ethical, contemporary jewellery, all handcrafted or finished, making each piece unique and subtly different to the next. She uses high end materials such as sterling silver, gold, platinum, conflict-free gemstones, Kimberley diamonds and handmade Venetian glass.

Hello Lora, How has been your day been so far? Thank you for taking time to be on YHP

Absolutely no problem, and I am very well thank you, at the moment, it’s Christmas season with the orders, so everyday is extra busy!

Can you give us some brief background of yourself?

I started off believing that interior design would be the field which I would go into, however for my final project at college I had to base it on something which had no relevance to interior design. Something else which I really enjoyed doing was metal work and working on small scale pieces, so jewellery seemed like the obvious choice for me. I absolutely loved it from day one and knew that this was what I wanted to pursue.

What inspired you to start your business?

I wanted to create my own designs and be free to create what I wanted, as oppose to other peoples designs. My dad had his own business so I had an insight into what it involved. It seemed perfect for to set up my business and be known as an independent designer.

Can you explain to us what your company does and the roles you play in it?

I design and handcraft ethical and bespoke jewellery. I currently have 7 collections with a new collection being released soon. I supply stockists around the UK and sell internationally also. My sales come through my website but I also have my own gallery in Stratford-upon-Avon. I have a lot of roles in the business, I not only have to design and make the jewellery (although, I do have staff helping me with finishing on the metals, stone setting etc when I don’t have time) I also do all of my own PR, which means working on press releases and keeping an eye out for potential features, and I also do all of the day to day admin work. I have staff in the gallery but I also have to keep and eye on that side and work on press with that too. I meet with customers and discuss their requirements and I work on a very one-to-one basis to create a very special and personal piece.

What are your process in making sure your jewellery are unique?

All of the jewellery is handmade and therefore has the designers own style added to it. I particularly take my inspiration from my hobby of photography. I enjoy photographing nature and looking at the textures and forms which I find, the jewellery therefore has a very organic feel to it.

How did you get finance to fund your business?

I was set up with the help of the Prince’s Trust and was awarded £2500 to get started, I had to prioritise where to use the money and buy materials, business literature etc. A lot of the funding went into equipment and raw materials to produce my first collections.

What’s your USP?

The USP for my jewellery is that it is all individually handcrafted, care and attention go into every one of my pieces and I create the jewellery so that the customer is completely happy with their piece. I also use conflict-free diamonds and have an ethical ethos to my work, even the packaging is from recycled materials. Another USP would be that the jewellery is bespoke, you can change designs to your own requirements and change gemstones, etc. I also work on customers own designs or take old jewellery and create something new with it for the customer.

What do your range consist of?

I have 7 ranges of jewellery which are my main ranges. The collections are varied in themselves, one collection focuses on intricate wire work, whereas other collections are more solid, involving components making up the piece and have gemstones added for detail. The collections all use precious metals with gemstones and Venetian glass

Who are your competitors?

There are a lot of fabulous designers out there; however each designer creates something so different to the next. Every designer goes down a different route, depending on what they want to achieve

Who is your target market?

My target market is quite broad, the jewellery is purchased by all age groups and although women may buy the pieces for themselves, I have a lot of male customers buying for wives, girlfriends etc. The jewellery is very individual and anyone who loves and appreciates handcrafted jewellery are my ideal customers! I have created jewellery for the Royal Family and various celebrities, so this is also a target market and getting my pieces into catwalks, etc is vital for raising my profile.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy?

Generally talking to people, I find out what it is that people want and approach that area. I market the jewellery in higher end galleries and magazines as this is what my customer will be reading or going. My story usually is a great marketing strategy and gets a lot of PR, so it saves me paying for advertising, I have jewellery worn by celebrities, who the media are always interested in and so I get to market my work with a story.

What plans do you have now to expand your business further?

I hope to carry on raising my profile as a designer, I want have more celebrities wear my jewellery and then eventually create jewellery for celebrity events. I don’t necessarily want to become famous, but just respected as a designer, I want my name to be known for jewellery design and the unusual designs which I create. On the retail side, I hope to build up the website and also open more galleries around the country.

Apart from your company, what other company do you admire the most and why?

I can’t say that I have a company which I particularly admire, but I do hear of business people who have either started with absolutely nothing or lost everything by becoming bankrupt, and then picked themselves up and started again to then become successful. I admire any businesses who can overcome problems and difficulties and I think they are an inspiration to us all.

Do you have any favourite business related books that you can recommend to other entrepreneurs?

I have recently read a book called ‘Self Promotion for The Creative Person’ by Lee T. Silber. He is an American author and talks about how he promotes himself, usually for little money too. This is great for creative businesses, I always find that artists are fabulous at what they do, but when it comes to promoting themselves and generally the business side, they tend to lack business acumen. This book demonstrates the importance of promoting yourself and getting your name out there.

What advice would you give to a Young Entrepreneur starting their first business today?

I have some sayings which I always stick to, one is that ‘you get out what you put in’ and I definitely agree with this, sometimes you may need to motivate yourself, or get out there and sell, but basically if you put in as much hard work as you can, the rewards will follow. Another mistake which I often see is that people open a business to suit their lifestyle, whereas your lifestyle should suit your business. Don’t open a business for the wrong reasons, if you can put in the hard work, especially when it is new, then put in the extra hours, keep working hard and don’t forget to have fun!

What was the most important lesson you have learnt so far?

It’s a bit of an obvious one, but really just to not give up. You take a lot of knock backs with a business and especially in the fashion industry. You have to learn not to let your confidence suffer, because it is a key feature which you can have. You have to get up dust yourself off and go again. Persistence can be difficult at times, but there are times where your hard work pays off and it makes it all worth it.

What is been your proudest moment so far?

There have been a lot of proud moments so far, such as seeing my jewellery on live television being worn by a member of the royal family, but winning the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Award was a moment which I was really proud of. You don’t often get time to stop and think about what you have achieved, but when someone nominates you for an award, it is very flattening and winning the award makes you realise all of the hard work which you put in and being recognised for that is fantastic.

What should we be expecting from you in the future?

Hopefully a lot more! I hope that my designs will be seen in large high street stores soon, and I hope that my name becomes known as a designer. As I mentioned, I don’t personally want to become famous, but I would for my designs to. I would like to take part in more catwalks and get my jewellery at some really high profile events.

Thanks for your time Lora.

Contact Lora Leedham
Website