Student Enterprise Workshop Series
From idea to action: Practical, hands-on, collaborative workshops to turn your business idea into reality.
Express Interest or Book WorkshopEnterprise Workshops
Our workshops will give you the tools, confidence, and know-how to take your entrepreneurial ideas and turn them into successful businesses.
Each session focuses on a core entrepreneurial skill, from testing your idea and building your brand to finding your first customers.
Workshops run in small, supportive groups of up to 8 students, creating space for discussion, collaboration, and peer learning. They’re hands-on and practical — you’ll be expected to bring your own ideas to work on, experiment with tools, and share experiences with others.
With a mix of expert guidance, interactive activities, and group feedback, you’ll walk away with resources and insights you can apply straight away to grow your idea.
Ready to take action? Explore the upcoming workshops below and book your place.
Student Enterprise Workshop Series – Autumn Semester 2025
Will Your Idea Fly? Business Validation 101
Test, prototype, and validate your business idea before you commit.
Got a business idea? Before you dive in, make sure it’s the right one. In this session you’ll learn how to stress-test your idea using the Lean Business Model Canvas, create quick-and-dirty prototypes, and gather real feedback from potential customers. Walk away with the tools to figure out what works — and the confidence to pivot fast if it doesn’t.
Why attend?
Avoid wasted time and money by validating your idea early. You’ll gain practical tools to test assumptions and the confidence to pivot quickly if needed.
What to expect:
A 60–90 minute interactive workshop (depending on group size). You’ll get pre-reading on the Lean Business Model Canvas, a worksheet to capture your assumptions, and starter questions to think about ways to test your idea.
Upcoming Dates:
Stand Out and Sell: Defining Your Value Proposition & USP
Get clear on the value you bring and how to communicate it.
Why should people buy your product or service? This workshop will help you uncover the real value you bring to your customers, pin down what makes you different, and learn how to shout about it. You’ll craft a clear value proposition, identify your unique selling point (USP), and practise how to communicate these in a way that connects — whether you’re talking to customers, collaborators, or investors.
Why attend?
If you can’t explain your value clearly, no one else will. This workshop helps you sharpen your value proposition and USP so your audience quickly understands why your business matters.
What to expect:
A 60–90 minute session. You’ll receive a value proposition canvas template, a short reading on how to spot and articulate your USP, and reflection questions about the value your business creates.
Upcoming Dates:
Know Your People: Understanding Your Customers
Uncover insights that will shape your product, brand, and growth.
The best businesses start with the customer. In this interactive workshop, you’ll step into your audience’s shoes and discover what they really want. Using simple tools like personas, empathy maps, and customer journey mapping, you’ll uncover insights that will shape your product, marketing, and overall success.
Why attend?
The better you know your customer, the stronger your product, brand, and marketing will be. This workshop helps you move beyond assumptions to real insight.
What to expect:
A 60–90 minute interactive workshop. Before the session you’ll receive a persona template and a short guide on empathy mapping, with prompts to think about your customer’s needs, motivations, and frustrations.
Upcoming Dates:
- Monday 3 November 2025, 2.00 PM – BOOK
Brand Like a Boss: Build a Strong Identity on a Student Budget
Create a professional look and feel quickly and without overspending.
Think branding means big budgets and fancy agencies? Think again. This session will show you how to build a stand-out brand with limited time and money. From visuals to voice, you’ll learn quick hacks, free tools, and smart strategies to make your business look and feel professional from day one.
Why attend?
A strong brand makes you memorable and credible. This workshop gives you practical hacks, free tools, and smart shortcuts to get your business looking sharp fast.
What to expect:
A 60–90 minute session. You’ll get a short guide to free/low-cost design tools (e.g. Canva), plus prompts to reflect on your brand’s personality and tone of voice before the workshop.
Upcoming Dates:
Your First Customers: How to Attract, Win & Keep Them
Learn simple strategies to start growing your customer base.
How will you find your first customers — and keep them coming back? In this workshop, we’ll break down the customer journey into simple steps, from first discovery to long-term loyalty. You’ll explore low-cost strategies to attract attention, build trust, and create experiences that turn curious browsers into happy buyers.
Why attend?
Getting your first sales is one of the biggest hurdles for any founder. This workshop gives you simple strategies to build awareness, trust, and loyalty from day one.
What to expect:
A 60–90 minute workshop. In advance you’ll get a simple customer journey mapping template and a reading on customer acquisition basics, plus reflection questions about where your first customers might come from.
Upcoming Dates:
- Monday 24 November 2025, 2.30 PM – BOOK
Get Noticed Online: Intro to Social Media & Content Marketing for Businesses
Build your presence and connect with customers without paid ads.
You don’t need a huge ad budget to get noticed online. This session covers the basics of using social media and content marketing to grow your business organically. You’ll learn how to choose the right platforms, create content people actually care about, and use storytelling to build a brand that connects.
Why attend?
Social media is a powerful (and free!) way to connect with your customers. Learn how to pick the right platforms, create content people care about, and use storytelling to grow your presence.
What to expect:
A 60–90 minute practical workshop. Beforehand, you’ll receive a short guide to different social platforms, plus prompts to reflect on where your customers are most active and what content might resonate.
Upcoming Dates:
- Tuesday 25 December 2025, 2.30 PM – BOOK
From Idea to Official: Business Set-Up Essentials
Understand the practical steps to register and launch your business.
Ready to get started but not sure where to begin? This practical workshop will walk you through the nuts and bolts of setting up a business — from choosing a legal structure to registering your company, sorting out tax, and setting up simple systems. By the end, you’ll know exactly what steps to take to get your venture off the ground.
Why attend?
Sorting out the formalities can feel daunting — but it doesn’t have to be. This session demystifies the essentials and helps you feel confident about getting started.
What to expect:
A 60–90 minute workshop. You’ll be sent a short guide comparing different business structures, a checklist of set-up steps, and questions to reflect on your goals for the business before we meet.
Upcoming Dates:
How to Fund Your Business: The Student Enterprise Fund and Beyond
Discover the different ways to fund your venture — and how to nail a winning Student Enterprise funding application.
Got a brilliant idea but wondering how to pay for it? You’re not alone — funding is one of the biggest hurdles for new entrepreneurs. In this workshop, we’ll demystify your options, from bootstrapping and crowdfunding to grants, competitions, and investment. Then we’ll zoom in on the funding streams available through Student Enterprise, giving you the inside track on what makes a strong application. Expect plenty of practical tips, examples, and the chance to shape your own funding plan.
Why attend?
Because the best ideas still need fuel to fly. This session will help you understand the funding landscape, boost your confidence, and give you the tools to secure money that helps your business grow.
What to expect:
A 60–90 minute hands-on session. Before the workshop, you’ll receive a funding overview guide and a sample Student Enterprise application form, along with prompts to think about what kind of funding would work best for your idea.
Upcoming Dates:
- Monday 10 November 2025, 2.00 PM – BOOK
Spaces are limited — book your place and start building today.
| Day | Date | Time | Topic | Format | Spaces (Max) | |
| Wednesday | 29-Oct | 2.00pm | Validation 101 | Online (Teams) | 8 | |
| Friday | 31-Oct | 2.30pm | Business Set Up Basics | Online (Teams) | 8 | |
| Monday | 03-Nov | 2.00pm | Understand your customers | Online (Teams) | 8 | |
| Tuesday | 04-Nov | 2.30pm | Value Proposition & USP | Online or F2F | 8 | |
| Monday | 10-Nov | 2.00pm | How to Fund your Business | Online (Teams) | 8 | |
| Tuesday | 11-Nov | 2.30pm | Brand Like a Boss | Online or F2F | 8 | |
| Monday | 24-Nov | 2.00pm | Get your First Customers | Online (Teams) | 8 | |
| Tuesday | 25-Nov | 2.30pm | Organic Social Media | Online or F2F | 8 | |
| Monday | 01-Dec | 2.00pm | Value Proposition & USP | Online (Teams) | 8 | |
| Tuesday | 02-Dec | 2.30pm | Validation 101 | Online or F2F | 8 | |
| Monday | 08-Dec | 2.00pm | Brand Like a Boss | Online (Teams) | 8 | |
| Tuesday | 09-Dec | 2.30pm | Business Set Up Basics | Online or F2F | 8 |
Express Interest or Book Workshop
Workshops taking place on Tuesdays will be multi-format and students can either join online via Teams or join in person at the Student Enterprise Junction, Sir James Matthews Building, Guildhall Square, Southampton City Centre.
Can’t make any of these sessions? Or can’t see the help you need? You can still register your interest by completing this form. Alternatively, you can Book a 1:1 or email us at [email protected].
