RESILIENCE AND MENTAL WELLBEING OF THE STUDENTPRENEUR

The Studentpreneur Series

It’s not your fault. Trust me, I no blame you! It’s not your fault that you were made to believe that school is all fun learning with little or no stress. It’s not your fault that you were made to believe that naija students don’t go broke because of allowee with small small tips here and there. It’s not your fault that you were made to believe you can multitask as a student without burning out because of occasional free lecture periods. It’s not your fault that a lot of university experiences you looked forward to and the exploration you desired did not turn out as expected.

It’s the fault of those who were not open and upfront with you, they heightened your expectations so much that they became unrealistic especially in a Nigerian university system.

Dear studentpreneur, thank you for holding on, thank you for not giving up on both your business and school. Do you know what is most amazing about you? It’s the fact that as you try to stay academically sane and do your best with your education, you still have it in you to provide solutions to human problems through your business. Be it fashion, scent care, tutoring, baking, catering, content creation, an e-commerce store or basically any service based business you own, you are are helping humanity and the universe is grateful.

However, the big question is, how are you doing really? How are you handling balancing business with school? Do you even find time to rest and take care of yourself? I need you to understand that your mental health is of paramount importance, therefore you need to set up a structure that will sustain the longetivity of your business and a balanced academic life. How can this happen?

Just like Thomas Edison did not consider his thousands of trials to create the light bulb as failure but a thousand ways to not create it, remember that you can withstand pressures and challenges. Yes you can! Learn not to ignore problems but embrace them, learn from them and endeavour they don’t happen again. Also learn to be optimistic and trust your instinct. That way you can build resilience and be quick to move on from unfavourable situations. Gather strength from your challenges!

Mix Confidence and Humility without compromise. The mistake you would make as an entrepreneur is beg potential customers to patronise you. The major reason interest is shown in your business in the first place is because they perceive that you are providing solution to a problem they have. Be confident in your service please and learn to communicate the value of what you have to offer. Another way to be confident is investing in knowledge on how to scale your business, learn branding and marketing strategies that can be applied to your business. Don’t worry, TFS will help you with that as this STUDENTPRENEUR series continues. Additionally, be humble in your quest for knowledge, in communicating the value of your product or service and in networking with partners and customers. Remember that humility is not weakness but an estimate of your own importance.

Do not underestimate the power of networking and honour. As a Studentpreneur looking to scale your business to become a global brand, always make consistent effort to connect with people in your niche at all levels. This means the beginners, those on your level of influence and those that have gone ahead of you in the business. This is important because you get to rub minds with people of like interest, get ideas, collaborate and learn from those ahead of you. Humility also has a role to play here because when you extend your heart of honour and willingness to learn to these people, you tend to have an edge above your contemporaries. However, it doesn\’t stop at just knowing them but building a relationship with them so much that you can be trusted.

You and I know that you do not necessarily have to show up to every class before you pass every course. This is why it is necessary to study the pattern of operation of your lecturers, build a relationship with your course reps and make friends in your department. Your ability to discern what should be of priority to you during academic activities will come from your observations and the quality of relationships you have. This is so important such that you have people that are willing to give you quick updates, fill in for you and assist you when you need help. This will help you create time for your business and time to rest so you won\’t feel overwhelmed and burn out.

It goes without saying that time management and prioritizing  is of topmost importance as you journey through school and business growth. By now you should know that the road to success is not smooth but with the right systems, structures and strategies put in place, academic and business success is inevitable. Your mental health is just as important as your Studentpreneur activities. Only an healthy student can successfully run a thriving business.

As this STUDENTPRENEUR series continue, TFS will be giving you business visibility and branding tips to help you stay at the top of your game as a student and brand owner. Join us at 6om on TFS Instagram live on Saturday 11th of May as we teach you THE MAGIC OF BRAND STORYTELLING. You will be chances to ask questions and win giveaways that will help scale your business. Don\’t worry, TFS dey for you 😉

If you’re just finding out about TFS, TFS (The Family of Students) is a community of university students; we connect university students and bring the best out of their university experience.

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