The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre and My Experience with It

by | Jan 21, 2025 | AMBS, Postgraduate | 0 comments

I have been fortunate enough to gain some knowledge as a Master’s Postgraduate student at the University of Manchester in International Business Management. Perhaps nowhere in my educational travels thus far have I found greater potential for development growth that was intensely personal than in my work with the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre. The centre has given me invaluable insights and resources to channel my entrepreneurial aspirations toward building a unisex fashion brand. 

The MEC is the University’s main initiative for promoting entrepreneurship among students, staff, and alumni. It aims primarily to assist anyone, in whatever stage he or she is along the entrepreneurial journey, whether that is the development of an idea, a fledgling idea, or an established business starting the growth process. In its workshops and competitions, mentoring programs, and networking events, the centre has created an inclusive and dynamic environment for innovation and growth. What makes MEC distinctly original is its ability to bring together students of different academic disciplines, pushing cross-disciplinary collaboration and thereby generating new perspectives. 

I first crossed paths with MEC at the startup workshop. It enlightened me with the essence of a structured way in which to analyse and grow my business idea. The workshop was bent on inculcating an entrepreneurial mindset through opportunity identification, risk-taking, and resilient behaviour. I appreciated especially the practical exercises in research, developing a business model, and preparing a pitch. Pitching my unisex fashion brand to my peers and experts was torturously nerve-wracking and exhilarating. The input was incredibly useful for refining my pitch and strategy. 

The support and resources provided by MEC go well beyond workshops into an online portal of guides, templates and toolkits to accompany every stage of business development. The Centre does host regular events featuring guest speakers and industry leaders, thus bringing in a fountain of inspiration and practical knowledge. I’d credit the mentoring program to be one of the most useful for me. Paired with an industry mentor, I got an in-depth insight into market trends, consumer behaviour, and branding strategies. It laid important scaffolding for my approach to starting my business.  

I came to appreciate through MEC that it changed sacrifice student into a serious role in their academic endeavour. MEC opened the door to hands-on experiences in business, providing a much-needed on-the-job orientation to complement my theoretical studies of international business strategy and capability building. Also offered me the opportunity to connect the theoretical knowledge I received with the practicalities of how to achieve success as a globalised entrepreneur. In addition, working with other students on MEC events broadened my horizons and made me receptive to several ideas and solutions that breathe innovation.  
Through my experience at the MEC, I have learned the values of resilience and adaptive learning. Becoming an entrepreneur means grappling with a great many obstacles, and so the program designed by the MEC becomes an invitation to learn from failure and to build on that knowledge. This perception built my confidence in dealing with uncertainty and has given me ways to deal with it as part of day-to-day living in academia and the working environment.  

Masood Entrepreneurship Centre is more than just a place for resources; it is a place for opportunity where one can learn and grow. Whether it’s to start another skill set or build an entire startup from scratch, MEC ensures one does not fall short. It has been the cornerstone of my university life, and I pat myself on the back for not letting such opportunities go by. For those entrepreneurial windows out there, do take the time to see what MEC brings; it still could be that crucial first step in the pursuit of those dreams. 

 

Written by Vanshika, current MSc International Business and Management student in AMBS

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