Ett porrättfoto på Tova Larsson, entreprenör och tidigare student vid Jönköping University.

Tova Larsson

Tova Larsson, got her entrepreneurship game on while studying economics at Jönköping University. In this interview she tells us how she feels about starting her own business while studying.

How come you decided to start your own business while studying?

I had felt that business and running different projects was fun, for a long time. When I began my studies at the University, I realized that it was a good opportunity to give entrepreneurship a go.

You’re young, get student grants and your schedule is flexible. It was also a good way to get the business perspective on things I was learning in class.

Tova Larsson

Tell us a little bit more about your business idea!

My business started as an idea that changed along the way. Now I run a company that offers lectures, classes and challenges about shares and savings, within the brand ”Learn & Earn”. My business is very flexible.

I don’t have a lot of fixed costs and therefore I can teach as much or little as I want or need to.

What are your thoughts on combining your own business with your studies? Any tips on how to master the combination of work and studies?

I think it is a good opportunity, but I have also realized that it takes a lot of time to work proactively with your business. The more focused you are, the better and bigger it gets.

I think it a great strategy to strictly schedule time to work with your business.

For example: every morning I dedicate one hour of my time to work with my business, which helps me to continuously take small steps forward. That’s a strategy that has been working out good, and sometimes less good, for me in different periods.

Tovas top 3 things about being a student entrepreneur

1

The possibility to manage your own time and tasks.

2

The experience you get (regardless of if you want to be employed or self-employed in the future.)

3

Even if you don’t have the time to work with your business for some time, you’ll still have an income through CSN.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an entrepreneur?

On a daily basis the biggest challenge lack of time and to prioritize what I want to do. When I started my business I also experienced some difficulties with registration and taxes in Germany that devoured time, energy and money.

Any final tips to aspiring student entrepreneurs out there?

Dare to try! Building something takes time but it’s fun and you learn a lot on the way. Once you get started you have no clue of where it might take you.

Henning Lindberg, affärsutvecklare i Science Parks inkubator, går genom affärsutvecklingsmodellen Business Model Canvas.

Have you been in contact with Science Park at any point through your journey? Was it helpful? If yes, in what way?

Yes, I’ve been in contact with Science Park many times. We had contact through a class I was taking at school, but I have also attended different lectures and events that Science Park has hosted. I also joined Science Parks Kickstart program that helped me prioritize my entrepreneurship.

Science Park provides a great network!

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