Why a Side-Hustle Can Work For You – Even if it Fails

| 27 Nov 2020

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UNSW alumnus Michael Liang started his business Tribespot after an inkling that there was a gap in the market, and his side hustle has become his career. After enrolling in business courses, he realised that he wanted to use his knowledge of coding to launch an app that streamlined processes within student societies. 

Michael received the support of the UNSW Founders Program, where he worked with a network of coaches to reframe his business model and long-term growth strategy. Tribespot is now a fully-fledged company and Michael is glad he started it when he did.

Michael Liang

“University is the least risky time to experiment with projects. With so many free resources provided by the university, it’s the best time to try, fail and learn,” he says. 

Michael Liang, Founder of Tribespot & Co-Founder of Culturestride, UNSW Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Information Systems Alumnus

 

A side hustle while you’re still at university can set you up for career success whether you’re aiming for entrepreneurial stardom or corporate conquests. There’s no better place to put thought into action, with UNSW ranked five stars for teaching, employability, facilities and innovation. And who knows? You may even make some money as you nurture your creative flair.

The Founders Program is just one way we support students to build entrepreneurship skills and found real companies. UNSW Founders offers a range of programs to build businesses from networking to seed funding, coaching to software engineering support. Recognised as the #1 institution attended by Australian start-up founders, UNSW makes the perfect launching pad for entrepreneurial vision.  

UNSW Business and Law alumna Sapna Patel is the founder of ImmiAdvisor, a unique global platform that streamlines the immigration process.  She believes candidates who’ve started a business or side hustle stand out to employers. 

Sapna Patel

“Starting your own business provides you with invaluable insights and skills that you may not get to develop when working for someone else,” Sapna says. “It helps to develop leadership capabilities, unconventional thinking, innovation and creativity and as a result a side hustle is viewed favourably by employers.” 

Sapna Patel, Founder & CEO of ImmiAdvisor and UNSW Bachelor of Commerce/Law Alumna 

 

Setting up your own business provides value to prospective employers, regardless of the long-term outcome. Tech Entrepreneur Nicolas Chu has interviewed countless candidates since founding Sinorbis and co-founding Piloroo, the first B2B marketplace for the hairdressing industry. “From my viewpoint, if someone has tried to do something and it doesn’t work, I don’t view it as a failure” Nicolas explains. Sapna agrees, saying she values experience, struggle and growth. As a business founder herself, she believes you learn more from your hardships and obstacles than you do from your successes.

UNSW is ranked 5th in Australia for graduate employability, so you're already best placed to find a job after uni, and a "failed" business idea under your belt can only boost your credentials to potential employers. When Nicolas Chu was asked about choosing between two candidates with identical attributes, one trying to set up a business that didn’t work, the other having never tried, he didn’t hesitate.

Nicolas Chu

 

“Now that I know how difficult it is to launch a business, I’d be more likely go with the person who tried to set up a business.”

Nicolas Chu, Founder & CEO, Sinorbis and Professor of Practice, UNSW Business School UNSW AGSM MBA Alumnus 

 

If you want to join our many successful alumni who’ve found entrepreneurial success and are now on the AFR Young Rich List or recipients of AFR Top100 Future Leaders Awards, you may want to give yourself time for your business to become profitable. “I have learnt that there is no such thing as overnight success,” says Sapna. “Starting and growing your own business requires hard work, sacrifices, dedication and determination.”

Michael’s experience sums it up best. Tribespot continues to thrive alongside his second start-up, Culturestride. Reflecting on how his start-up shaped his future, Michael says his business turned the theory he learnt at UNSW into a reality. “Overall, the side hustle was the link that took the classroom to the real world.” And what is uni best for if not taking the classroom to the real world?

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