Why you should start a business in college?

I remember the day when I first joined Manipal. It wasn't a pleasant experience as it was raining heavily. Little did I know that these rains will become a major part of our lives every odd semester and will always have a special place in my heart.

In spite of being a student, if you have the entrepreneurial spirit then this article is for you. Manipal is a university town with more than 30,000+ students residing here trying to make the most of their college days. This place has that vibe that I’m sure no other college can have.

So, you might be wondering why should you start a business while you are struggling to pass your sessionals? Here's why

1. Age

You are young, energetic, and want to explore the world. You are at a stage in your life where everything is new and you are making new friends and building new experiences. In fact these four years here in college will be the years that will definitely shape you as a person. And being young and free, this is the right time to find out what you like and what you wanna do. Your age gives you the freedom to try multiple things at once and see what suits your interest. So go ahead and make the most of your time here because you’ll never get these days back.

2. Manipal Student Community

As I mentioned earlier, Manipal is a town full of young students and you’ll never ever find a better opportunity to test your idea with the student community in Manipal. The students here are very supportive and the student community is insanely strong. If you have a product that you want to test and bring to the market or even start off with basic research, you already have a target audience ready to welcome your new product with open hands. This also presents an opportunity to get constructive criticism whether it's from your friends or your classmates. The reason I say that the community is a perfect place to test out your idea is because of the way things work in Manipal. Information is very easy to spread if one uses the power of social media. Furthermore, having offline events provide you with a great chance to get the word out fast.

Manipal has one of the best student communities in the country, so if you have a product or an idea that you would like to test out, don't wait, spread the word, collect feedback and keep iterating on the go!

3. Opportunity

Manipal has so many student clubs and organizations that work tirelessly everyday just to get that much needed “experience” or to put “something on their CV”. I have met so many people including my friends who were in a club just to pass time or to get that experience that will apparently help them “secure a job” in the future. This might be partly true but sometimes students mostly do what they are asked to do and are just in it to have fun, trust me if you are a club member there are more people like this than you’d imagine. But if you are part of a club or are planning to join one soon, take this as an opportunity to increase your professional experience. The suggestion here is to try being an innovative leader by exploring new project management tools or by simply having a keen interest to learn from the experiences at your club. If you plan to have a startup one day, you’ll be handling a team that will build your product for you. Somewhere down the line if you envision yourself as a manager, who has the responsibility of handling an entire team, then make sure that you learn from your seniors or try to implement them yourself. Opportunities are endless in Manipal but they will never come knocking on your door, you’ll have to go and grab the reins and take charge.

Lastly, I’d like to say that we’ll cherish our college memories forever. If you have an idea that you've always wanted to explore but have procrastinated your way through it, then there's only one solution. Start TODAY. In my experience you should never wait for the “right time”. Manipal has all the things you need to kick-start your entrepreneurial dream, go ahead and make the most of your time in this beautiful town.

“It's only a crazy dream until you do it