Entrepreneurial Marketing Workshop

Over 50 second-year BA Marketing students from the University of Southampton took part in an interactive workshop on 23 February 2026 that brought entrepreneurial insight directly into the classroom. Hosted at the Student Enterprise Junction (City Centre Campus), the event titled “The Entrepreneurial Marketing Playbook: An Interactive Workshop with Students & Entrepreneurs” was a collaboration between Student Enterprise and the Southampton Business School.

The session was designed for students studying the Entrepreneurial Marketing module, a course developed two years ago to explore the distinctive marketing approaches used by founders, startups and early-stage ventures. A core feature of the module is the emphasis on co-creation of knowledge, bringing students and practitioners together so that entrepreneurial marketing can be explored and tested in real-world contexts rather than solely in the classroom.

During the event, students heard from a panel of entrepreneurs and industry practitioners who shared their journeys and discussed how marketing strategies have shaped the growth of their ventures.

Speakers included:

• Sean Larsen, director of Labl.it, who shared first-hand insight into scaling a specialist commercial kitchen label printer brand. By outlining how Labl.it strategically positioned its commercial kitchen label printer solutions within the foodservice and hospitality sectors, he provided students with a practical case study in niche B2B marketing and sustainable business growth.
• Lloyd Attrill, founder of The Pickleball Store, took students through his entrepreneurial journey of transforming a niche opportunity into the UK’s leading retail destination for pickleball equipment. He spoke candidly about the marketing challenges of launching a business in a relatively unknown sport within a rapidly growing market – from educating new audiences and building trust, to establishing a strong digital presence.
• Harri Nicholson, co-founder of Askmargo.ai, explored the opportunities and challenges surrounding artificial intelligence in business, discussing topics from energy consumption and ecosystem partnerships to the evolving landscape of AI-driven services. She highlighted how these factors are shaping the way businesses adopt AI and innovate for the future.
• Students also heard from Semih Yilmaz, a Mechatronic Engineering student at the University of Southampton and operator of Jinger Drinks, who shared his journey of building the brand’s presence as a current student. He discussed growing awareness, connecting with customers, and finding creative ways to expand the business in a competitive market.
• James Hamstead, Enterprise Consultant with Student Enterprise, shared insights from founding ventures including musical equipment brand Hamstead Soundworks. He emphasised the importance of building strong industry networks, particularly relationships with influential musicians, and collaborating with sector media – from specialist magazines to YouTube reviewers – to build credibility, extend reach, and drive growth in a competitive market.

Following the panel discussions, students worked in breakout groups with the entrepreneurs to explore key entrepreneurial marketing themes in more depth. Guided by questions prepared by module leaders Philip Alford and Karen Clinkard, the discussions allowed students to reflect on how each business applies marketing to grow, innovate and build its customer base.

The workshop also feeds directly into the students’ individual coursework. Each student will be assigned one of the participating businesses as a case study, applying their entrepreneurial marketing learning to analyse the company’s strategy and propose recommendations for future development.

By connecting students with founders and practitioners, the event highlighted how experiential learning can inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs while giving students a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurial marketing works in practice.

If you would like to collaborate with Student Enterprise or get involved with future events, please reach out to the team directly at [email protected]