Careers in business, marketing and finance

A 6-year-old boy is told to get out of his mum’s car and walk the rest of the way to his grandparents’ house - alone, slightly lost, with just his wits. Something was forged inside him that day; an unstoppable self-reliance and creative resilience. From that moment on, Sir Richard Branson would find his own direction in life, whether travelling by land, sea, air or even into space.While he still credits his mum, Eve, for the radical (don’t try that at home!) parenting that made him realise his own potential, Richard Branson has continued to push himself beyond his limits, whether launching the world’s first space travel company or his near-fatal trans-Atlantic flight in a hot air balloon!The dare-devil entrepreneur has applied this fearless attitude to his business endeavours, and it’s certainly paid off. With his Virgin group now comprising over 60 companies and employing over 70,000 people in 35 countries, Branson has created a business empire that is surely beyond what even he could have imagined.As a dyslexic child, Branson struggled at school and felt he couldn’t understand anything his teachers gave him to do. Leaving school at 16, having started his first business – a student newspaper – there, he decided not to continue into further education. It’s worth noting that as an adult, Branson feels his dyslexia gives him the ability to understand things differently… it’s a strength, and one that he uses to his advantage.Sir Richard Branson shares his top tips from over 50 years as an entrepreneur here with his secrets to success for young entrepreneurs:

Everything changes - and when it comes to the jobs market, advances in technology are giving people career options their parents could only have dreamed about.The continuing rise of social media and apps, as well as developments in sectors like renewable energy, mean the careers market is changing. And that means opportunities for you.A smartphone app developer? Vlogger? Solar-farm manager? Your folks may not recognise these job titles but they’re popping up in career searches more and more often.To find out about these roles, we caught up with some of the fresh new talent working in thriving industries which barely existed at the turn of the millennium, to hear their stories of cracking their careers.

Can you imagine starting a business in your bedroom before you’ve even chosen your GCSE options? Well, it’s way more than wishful thinking - it’s 100% possible!Brandon Relph is not your typical entrepreneur. He wasn’t born into business: his parents have everyday jobs, and he started early… really early. Brandon started his first business when he was only 13 years old, making custom maps on Minecraft for YouTube stars. He built a team of 35 people operating in 13 different countries, and it was no fluke success. Now at 19, he owns two more companies and has branched out into making original film and TV content.Some people might see Brandon’s youth as inexperience – a negative in business, but he has played his age to his advantage, carving out a niche market. Brandon is a valued expert in the needs and wants of Generation Z consumers and now also works as a consultant to help businesses develop their products for the youth market.Watch Brandon’s story here:

Lacking in experience? Immature? Irresponsible? Clueless?.. “Ok, Boomer.”While this may be how some people see Millennials and Generation Z, many young people are actually taking the future into their own hands and forging new business frontiers.Young people are tired of having their concerns ignored over everything from the environment to securing a stable future for themselves in a world where a job for life no longer exists. And as for being characterised as lazy, or entitled ‘snowflakes?' Well, the clapback has begun.Young entrepreneurs in the UK are on the rise, with the Enterprise Research Centre reporting last year that those aged 25-34 in the UK are “significantly more likely to be involved in early stage activity than 45-64 year olds”. Younger generations are beginning to reject the 9-5 to kick off their own enterprises, with many starting as a ‘hustle’ or bedroom-business.Watch as these business-owners tell it like it is about their experience of being young and in charge:

Entrepreneur. It’s a big, fancy-sounding word, isn’t it? Perhaps even a bit intimidating, especially when you don’t really know what it means. But fear not – we’re here to help you cut through the business jargon!An entrepreneur is someone who starts their own company or business, seeking to make a profit or a difference in the world, or both! Entrepreneurs often take risks, creating or pouncing on new opportunities as they arise and they rarely restrict themselves to just one industry. In fact, many entrepreneurs own multiple companies across a range of different trades.For the language fiends out there, the word entrepreneur derives from the French verb ‘entreprendre’ which means ‘to undertake’. Today, the word sums up what it means to be proactive, innovative and passionate about business - ready to seize the opportunity.Let’s hear it from the experts! Watch successful entrepreneurs as they define the entrepreneurial spirit for us.

Meet Vanessa, 22, and find out more about her life as a digital and marketing assistant at the Millennium Forum Theatre in Londonderry. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.