Business and Management/Economics Personal Statement Example

Creativity is what first drove me to pursue business and management. New business ideas fascinate me. The notion of running a business and the risk involved in business has excited me for years.
Whilst reading the book "How They Started" by David Lester. I came across a quote from Peter Kindersley, who founded Dorling Kindersley which stated "If you have had an idea and everyone says it's mad, that's probably the kind of idea to pursue..." Dorling Kindersley is a hugely successful publishing company that all started with one "mad" idea. This further encouraged me to produce a few ideas of my own.

Two ideas in particular have stood out to me; firstly, starting up an ice cream van business in France. When visiting France I noticed that there is a huge gap in the market for ice cream vans. Secondly, starting up an assault course in Kent. I visited a popular assault course in Cheshire called "The Crocky trail" and I had never seen anything like it in any other part of the country. I exchanged emails with Mr James Wally, the director of and son of the founder of "The Crocky trail" and he offered to meet me. He told me what difficulties he had had faced running the Crocky trail and that health and safety had been a major problem for him to overcome.

In order to help me expand my knowledge and understanding of running a business I obtained two week's work experience at the Bespoke Kitchen Company. Here I observed and assisted in various areas of the business. They stressed particularly the importance of communication, image and advertising. I explained my enthusiasm for maths and handling data so initially they had me filling out spread sheets recording the orders that had been placed. I also gave clients tours of the show rooms to illustrate the quality of the kitchens being produced and to persuade the clients to buy the product. To advertise the company I assisted with a photo shoot of a kitchen which was to be put in the local magazine. My decision to study a degree in business strengthened due to my enjoyment and success in my work experience.

Through studying physics and biology at A level I have gained the ability to interpret data and successfully draw conclusions from it. Consequently this is an aspect of Biology and Physics that I particularly enjoy. Although I have always excelled mainly at science based subjects due to my logical mind I am still a very well rounded person with skills and knowledge in many fields. This is shown by my eleven A's and A*'s at GCSE. I believe this is an important trait of a business person as they need to be able to deal with many different varieties of challenges.

In and out of school I am keen to be involved in extra-curricular activities. I have learned important speaking and listening skills in debating that help me to portray my point of view along with the ability to think quickly in high pressure situations. As well as that I play outside of school for my club rugby team, I have been a member of the school 1st XV rugby team for two years and I am captain of my house rugby team. These activities have also strengthened my abilities to lead and communicate within a team. To play in a top team requires dedication, time management and teamwork. I possess all of these skills. In school I have been awarded the position of senior supervisor. In addition to this I have been the house charity representative for the past year. From these roles I have learned the importance of trust and dependability which are essential for success in business.

I am truly excited and looking forward to furthering my knowledge of Business and Management. This degree will act as a foundation for future success in the fast moving and powerful world of business. I am eager to meet new people, explore a new environment and above all immerse myself in the study of business.