On Friday 4th February, David Harkin – CEO of 8 Billion Ideas – visited Burgess Hill Girls to give the Sixth Form students an insight into the world of entrepreneurship.
8 Billion Ideas is an educational company dedicated to helping students to realise their potential. Since being founded, it has worked with 250,000 children from across the globe, teaching them how they can change the world.
During his talk, Harkin addressed what he believes are the key principles for future entrepreneurs: following your dreams, listening to your ‘gut’, personal branding, and understanding your ‘why’.
According to the team working at 8 Billion Ideas, your ‘why’ is your passion. David Harkin summed this up as the thing that “makes you tick. [The thing that] makes you want to get out of bed in the morning”.
David Harkin also talked about the importance of perseverance, especially when running your own business. As an entrepreneur, he found the start of the pandemic incredibly challenging, however his team managed to deal with the difficult situation by adapting to the conditions.
His inspiring presentation was followed by a careers workshop delivered by Learning Facilitators Ellen and Joel, which aimed to help the students to consider their future options.
The workshop discussed the qualities that should be searched for when finding a job, suggesting that the right career should combine your skills and passions. Other important aspects that were highlighted include having a good work/life balance, a supportive workplace and engaging tasks.
The students were encouraged to fill in a “Passion Profile” in order to find the areas where the activities they enjoy and things they care about overlap with their skills.
The afternoon was very engaging and widely enjoyed by the students.