Category: Career research

Working for a Startup

Jenny Woolacott-Scarr Leave a comment

Kellie Wragg graduated from the University of Exeter in 2016 with a degree in Business Management, and then in 2017 with a Masters in International Management. She is currently an Account Manager at HeadBox. 

Kellie Wragg, Exeter alumn and HeadBox Account Manager

During my final years at Exeter I used the Career Zone a lot to get some helpful advice about what my steps should be after my university career was over. They were really helpful and I would definitely recommend paying them a visit if anyone is finding their next steps daunting.

I wasn’t sure which industry I wanted to work in, but knew it was best to get as much experience as possible. Soon enough, I started working for an Estate Agency in London as a member of their Sales department. Although this role taught me a lot and was a great experience, I knew it wasn’t for me. The company themselves was fairly large and the processes they had set up were rigid and very set in stone. I didn’t like the feeling of being just another employee to them and having to stick to outdated and rigid terms. So, I decided to start looking for something else. That’s when I came across HeadBox.

“Being part of startup is always exciting and there are constant developments and new things to learn.”

HeadBox is the UK’s first SaaS enabled marketplace for creative venue and event spaces. The website was the first of its kind that allows you to instantly search, book and pay for a quirky venue online, which was a very exciting concept for the events industry. The more I looked into the company, the more interesting it sounded so I applied for a position as one of their Account Managers. I went through their interview process and eventually landed myself the role in the budding technology start-up. Working for a startup is a great experience, and one that comes with many positive aspects. Here are just a few reasons why I think working for a startup is the right step after you graduate.

Making an Impact

When you work for a smaller company or startup, there’s a lot more room for you to get your voice heard. As you’ll be working in a fairly small team it means each person has the chance to contribute and share their ideas from the beginning. This makes a huge difference to not only your confidence in the workplace but your ability to present your ideas to managers and peers. You can feel real ownership over your successes and how your work impacts a company as a whole. It really makes you feel like all your working efforts are making an impact on the success of the company, which is great.

The Startup Journey

Being part of a company during its adolescence is an invaluable experience, and an exciting one. You’ll definitely learn tonnes about the department you work in, but you’ll also get to work very closely with other departments and see how they work together to make the company great. For example, you may sit right next door to the marketing or finance team which means you can get a great insight into how your role affects them and vice versa. This is something you don’t always get in a larger company. Being part of startup is always exciting and there are constant developments and new things to learn.

Sociable Startups

The third benefit of working for a startup is the social aspect. You’ll usually find yourself surrounded by a group of other recent graduates who all share the same enthusiasm for making their way up the career ladder. Although there’s lots of hard work to do, there’s also a great sense of team spirit which makes it a relaxed environment to work in. You can constantly bounce ideas off of your colleagues and ask them for help and advice.

Progression

Finally, I think that being part of a startup company gives you a lot of opportunities for fast progression through a company. A successful startup grows pretty fast, and if you’ve made a good impression, you’ll be climbing up the ranks a lot quicker than at a larger corporate firm. There will be plenty of opportunities for you, and possibilities to see yourself moving from executive to manager within 6 months.

There are plenty of other benefits to working for a startup, the rewards really are endless and I would highly recommend it to any graduate who is looking to kick start their career.

James Priday – From Undergrad to CEO

Jenny Woolacott-Scarr Leave a comment

James Priday graduated from the University of Exeter in 2011, and is currently the MD at Prydis Wealth and CEO of P1 Investment Management

James Priday, MD at Prydis Wealth, and CEO of P1 Investment Management

After graduating with a First in BA Accounting and Finance, I was invited by the University to stay on for a year to complete a Masters in the same subject and to teach undergraduate accountancy. This meant I could not only get a free Masters degree, but I would also be paid to teach at a University – fantastic at 21 years old! This was an opportunity I therefore enthusiastically took up. However, I had to give up a position in the Corporate Finance team at EY which I had already been offered. This was a decision that I didn’t take lightly but is one I now know was very much the right thing for me to do. At that point I didn’t know if I wanted a career at a big firm, or if I wanted to find my own path; either within smaller companies or my own business. Either way, both degrees would set me up very well for the future.

“I genuinely believe that the base knowledge, skills, and contacts I made at Exeter were the springboard to all of the things I have gone on to do.”

While at University I had also set up my own business developing fitness products. I did this with the help of the University’s Innovation Centre (now Think, Try, Do). The skills I learnt through that process have proved invaluable.

I have to admit; I didn’t have the usual University life. The social side didn’t interest me much, and I was more focused on getting ahead in life. That was far more important to me at that stage. Because of this, I was also completing professional qualifications alongside my degree, and before I had finished at Uni, I was qualified as an investment manager with the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), and as a financial adviser with the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

When I came to finishing the Masters, it had become clear to me that I needed to have full control over my future, and therefore a career at a big firm was not for me. I had a conversation with my father and brother that would change the course of my life.

My brother had just come out of PWC as a Chartered Tax Adviser and started working with my father, who had a small accountancy and financial advisory business. We as a family took the decision that my brother would take over the accountancy firm, and I would take over the financial advisory side, allowing my father to step back from the day-to-day business operations, and enable us to inject some fresh energy and ideas into the business.

We quickly rebranded the firm, and set-up a law firm to complement our accountancy and financial advisory activities. This was only possible because the rules changed in 2012, allowing non-lawyers to own a law firm. During this time I also obtained regulatory permission for the financial advisory business to manage investments. These two developments allowed us to serve clients internally across a number of areas, which was, and I believe still is, something unique in the UK. The new group is called Prydis.

Since 2012, we have grown the business six-fold, with 75 staff and four offices. I have also moved our investment management activities into a separate company, P1 Investment Management. P1 serves not only our clients, but also the clients of other financial advisory firms. Additionally, I have developed a consumer-facing online investment platform, Strawberry Invest, and a new financial advisory offering, Financial Solutions.

Life has turned complicated, but exciting and rewarding. I genuinely believe that the base knowledge, skills, and contacts I made at Exeter University were the springboard to all of the things I have gone on to do.