Ever dreamed of starting your own business?
Young Enterprise, the national financial and enterprise education charity, and AAT (The Association of Accounting Technicians), the UK’s leading qualification and professional membership body for vocational accountants, have teamed up to talk to you about entrepreneurship!
We are showcasing opportunities for young people to develop enterprise skills while still in school, as well as, how school leavers can access practical next steps into entrepreneurship by considering financial careers with support from AAT.
Meet Lucy Cohen, a Young Enterprise and AAT alumna, who started her entrepreneurial journey at just 16…
Lucy explains how her Young Enterprise experience gave her a first taste of business and sparked an entrepreneurial passion which still drives her today. She values the critical skills she learned on Company Programme, which made her more employable.
Lucy started a business in 2006 with her friend Sophie Hughes. Best friends since the age of 11, the pair have created a business with a £3million annual revenue which operates across the UK.
“I probably wouldn’t have believed you if you told 16-year-old me that I’d be running a multi-million-pound company.”
Want to run your own student business in school?
Are you at school or college, and interested in finding out what makes a business tick and practising your financial skills? Young Enterprise offers a range of programmes for young people, including the one Lucy, above, took, Company Programme, which is aimed at those aged 13-19.
The programme empowers young people to set up and run a student company under the guidance of a volunteer. Students make all the decisions about their business, from deciding on the company name, managing the company finances, and selling to the public. You can gain practical business experience and key skills.
Are you at school or college, and interested in finding out what makes a business tick and practising your financial skills? Young Enterprise offers a range of programmes for young people, including the one Lucy, above, took, Company Programme, which is aimed at those aged 13-19.
The programme empowers young people to set up and run a student company under the guidance of a volunteer. Students make all the decisions about their business, from deciding on the company name, managing the company finances, and selling to the public. You can gain practical business experience and key skills.
Hear from Tayla about her Company Programme experience.
Young people get real and relevant opportunities to apply their financial skills and make real world decisions about their business. It’s a great CV-builder as well as a good way to take a step towards other opportunities such as those offered by AAT.
Ask your teacher about Company Programme and find out more here and here.
Leaving school and want to be an entrepreneur? You can start your own business in finance.
If you’re drawn to the freedom of starting your own business, gaining an AAT professional designation allows you to apply for a licence to offer services and build your own practice.
Whether it’s a side-hustle or a large enterprise, AAT supports new business owners at every stage, increasing earning potential. The average annual income for full-time AAT Licensed Accountants who are purely self-employed was £74,500.*
*Source: AAT Salary Survey 2023.
Hear from AAT entrepreneurs who share their own personal journeys…
If you’re drawn to the freedom of starting your own business, gaining an AAT professional designation allows you to apply for a licence to offer services and build your own practice.
Whether it’s a side-hustle or a large enterprise, AAT supports new business owners at every stage, increasing earning potential. The average annual income for full-time AAT Licensed Accountants who are purely self-employed was £74,500.*
*Source: AAT Salary Survey 2023.
