The world of employment has changed significantly over the last 12 months due to the pandemic. What has felt like months of uncertainty over what the future holds, the prospect of diving into the deep– end and starting your own business might seem daunting.
However, working for yourself and launching a start-up in 2021 can be a great opportunity. Particularly if your enterprise fills a gap in the market, is well researched and it is something you’re passionate about. 
The New Enterprise Competition – Development stage is now open for applications. This stage of the competition awards up to £1,000 to 10 start-ups. Funds can be used towards developing student and graduate start-ups. Historically winners have ranged between social enterprises combating food waste, to sustainable clothing businesses and much more.
We spoke to one of last year’s winners, Fix My Crack- which some of you may know by their previous name Brisfix, to find out what winning this stage in the competition meant to them and how they found the process.
Could you sum up your start-up in a Tweet?
Fix My Crack is a student- to- student technology repair company that champions entrepreneurship. We cut out the process and high prices of repair shops by meeting customers in University or at home, while giving students the framework and resources needed to run their own business.
How did you find the application process for the competition? 
It was a great learning experience! The process of piecing together our vision into something that could be defined and shared with someone else was a great and provided us with a bunch of insights into our longer term plans. Getting to put this into practice and pitching to a panel, as well as answering questions was really exciting and certainly grew us as a team.
What difference has the New Enterprise Competition funding made to your start-up?
The funding from the competition not only motivates us to continue working as a team through the current situation, but also allows us to get the ball rolling for development in the future. Starting the process of acquiring investment for future developments is really encouraging!
Has any other support helped you develop your start-up?
The Basecamp Enterprise Team have been invaluable to our development! Introducing us to other young entrepreneurs has already created network of resources and friends we can discuss ideas with. They’ve also been really helpful in offering us advice and resources, as well as answering any questions we have.
You can apply to the Development stage of the competition now. The deadline for applications is 1 March.
If you would like to discuss your start-up idea with a member of the team, you can book an appointment here.
Being enterprising also demonstrates skills that employers are actively looking for. To develop and recognize your employability skills, you may want to think about taking part in the Bristol Plus Award. Application deadline 14 February.