Hey my name is Stephen and I’m out in Hungary for a 6 month exchange, from February to August. I’m originally from the UK and I kinda had a huge turn around in my life which led me to the path I’m on now.
I studied Technical Arts & Special Effects at university. I always envisioned working in the arts industry and film was something I loved the idea of. After a year of working as a freelancer, I came to the realisation that it wasn’t everything I thought it would be. I took a break from working and left on an 8 month trip around Europe and Asia. The feeling of freedom was incredible and the experiences I had are ones that I keep with me forever. You never forget the first time a baby elephant tries to eat you. When I arrived back in the UK, I knew that I was on the wrong path. Film just wasn’t for me and I needed something I could really get behind.
I came to the realisation that gaming is a passion that has always been at the heart of my life. It’s a huge industry that touches the lives of people every day and as I dived deeper, I uncovered that so many people were trying to turn that passion into an income stream. But in truth, they were using terrible strategies to do so which would leave them with absolutely no hope of achieving their goal. This spurred me into a decision. I was going to create the best support community for gaming content creators that exists and actively help them to achieve their income goals.
I couldn’t do this alone. Although I do have some experience in growing communities, networking and sales from my freelance and voluntary work, I didn’t have enough business knowledge at my disposal. I came across the EYE programme and decided that having a mentor was the fastest way I could develop those skills that would help me with my idea. I chose Daniel since he has a lot of experience in new startups. Since my idea is something very new to the gaming industry, his experience would be invaluable and I was excited to get my concept off the ground.
The first part of my exchange has been great. Daniel has made a massive difference to not only my business concept, but also to my personal growth. I used to think that entrepreneurship was all about strategy and knowing the right techniques, but Daniel has shown me that a huge part of it is also about self development and establishing the right foundations to begin with. I’ve already begun changing my daily habits and routine with his help, to get me prepared for the challenges of the day. Some of our most productive days have been the ones where we get outside and clear out minds. I’m looking forward to the rest of this exchange and have great expectations for the direction of my business concept.
