Angels Den Blog

Unemployment is on the rise, corporate recruitment is plummeting and new graduates are facing tough decisions when it comes to finding employment after university. Of course, this isn’t the first time that the world has faced an economic crisis during which graduates have been expected to make difficult choices, and it’s sure not to be the last. But with conventional employment prospects looking decidedly dim, now, more than ever, entrepreneurial graduates need to embrace this opportunity to shine.

Each year, as graduation nears, students begin to explore the employment opportunities open to them and generally assume that, after graduation, they will move from student to entry-level employee in their field of choice. Historically, this assumption has been correct and graduates have moved from the classroom to the boardroom (or at least the post room) via paid internships, corporate recruitment, and good, old-fashioned applications and interviews. But, now, times have changed—and what used to be a fairly streamlined path into the business world is fraught with obstacles and stymied by hundreds, or even thousands, of applicants for each vacancy.

In the light of this economic downturn and diminishing recruitment levels, graduates are confronted with a critical decision: do they face a daunting job market and hope for the best, or do they seek out small business funding, create their own jobs and go it alone?

This, of course, begs the next question—one that is directed at the rest of the business world: should it provide small business funding to these young start-ups and encourage this entrepreneurial shift, or will hundreds of small businesses, with some destined to fail, only worsen an already precarious economic situation?

On the one hand, we will have a generation of young business owners struggling to swim in an unfamiliar sea. But while some will undoubtedly sink, others will rise to the occasion and prosper—and all will learn valuable skill sets and gain important experience that will help them later in life. On the other hand, then, it is possible that by providing the small business funding that will get these endeavours off the ground, we will be working to build a new business model that will bring young professionals with fresh ideas into the fold—a model that will stabilise and strengthen the economy over time.

Really, what do we have to lose? The jobs simply aren’t out there and graduates have to explore other income-earning options, one of which is starting their own businesses. Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, but the idea is becoming more appealing as conventional job opportunities diminish and graduates are faced with stiff competition, even for the most menial jobs.

Graduates with a ‘go-getter’ entrepreneurial spirit are moving to Plan B and creating their own income opportunities by starting businesses. From creating a business plan and seeking out small business funding, to devising a marketing scheme to increase brand awareness, starting a business allows graduates to use the knowledge that they have gained over the past few years to jump-start their careers and stay off unemployment benefits.

By supporting these efforts with small business funding, business angels have the opportunity—some may even say ‘privilege’—of being on the ground floor of a growing movement with investments that could very well be safer than the present-day stock market. Graduates will gain marketable skills, which will increase their employment prospects when the economy turns around (should they decide to go in that direction); investors who supply small business funding can rest easy in the knowledge that they are doing a good deed and might just see a nice return on their investment.

If you are leaving university this year and have a killer idea that you are passionate about launching on the unsuspecting British public, then why not come to www.angelsden.co.uk to see how small business funding from our investor angels could help make that dream a reality?