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Welcome to Inspiring Entrepreneurs and to our brand new mini-series, New Semester, New Foundation.
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Let's start with a question.
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Have you ever felt like everyone else knows what they're doing except for you?
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Maybe you've just arrived at university, or perhaps you're about to begin your final year, and it seems like everyone already has a plan.
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They know what career they want, they know what opportunities they're going to pursue, they know where they're heading.
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And meanwhile, you're wondering if you'll ever get to know the answer that you've been faced with ever since you were just a kid.
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What do you want to be when you grow up?
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The truth is most people are far less certain than they appear, but university can make us feel like uncertainty is a problem.
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Like we're supposed to have our future mapped out before we've even found our lecture theater.
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Today's episode is about challenging that idea.
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Because the students who get the most out of university aren't usually the ones with the perfect five-year plan.
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They're the ones who learn how to move forward without one.
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Over the next five episodes, we'll explore how to build confidence, relationships, opportunities, and a future that you're excited about.
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But before any of that, we need to start here.
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How do you navigate uncertainty?
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How do you make good decisions when you don't know exactly where their lead?
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And how do you stop feeling behind when everyone else looks so certain?
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To help answer those questions, I'm joined by two guests who've each taken very different paths but have one thing in common.
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Neither of them got where they are today by having everything figured out from day one.
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Matthew Adams is a Strathclyde graduate, entrepreneur, and a founder who has spoken openly about feeling lost during university before finding purpose through experimentation, resilience, and action.
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And Abdul Ezener is an accessibility advocate, entrepreneur, and student leader whose journey has shown how challenges can become opportunities to create meaningful change.
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Matthew and Abdul, welcome.
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Abdul.
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Matthew, thank you so much for joining me today.
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Let's start by challenging an assumption that can cause many of us to feel unprepared.
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Matthew, do students really need a five-year plan?
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And if they don't, what do they need instead?
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I love this the topic of conversation today because I think this is something that a lot of us pressure ourselves to have.
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A plan mapped out for our entire lives.
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But um yeah, to straight up answer the question, you don't need a plan.
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I think things change and maybe we'll touch on it throughout today, but what I thought I was going to do when I started university was different by the time I finished it.
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Yeah.
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And did it bother you going through that process of having to reconfigure as you went?
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I think it it bothered me to an extent because I thought I had to have it planned out.
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Um even though a lot of people say to you, you don't need to have it mapped out, have an idea, follow things you're good at and you enjoy.
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I think there's still something when um as students of of a top university are they are super high achievers, so you have these certain expectations and standards you set.
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Um so it was difficult, but I think being able to reflect on that now, it's uh a lot more comfortable to kind of sit with that thought.
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Yeah.
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So thinking about what it actually looks like in real life when you don't necessarily have a plan or you're having to pivot as you go along.
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Abdul, if someone had asked you in first year at university where you'd be today, how wrong would your answer have been?
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Um it'd be a hundred and eighty degrees difference, I would say.
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Um I mean I would have, yeah, like I mean, I'm just currently just finishing up my master's, so five years on.
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I wasn't even planning to do a master's.
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Um but I certainly wasn't certainly was not planning to have a startup um um within that plan.
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Um I would say for me, like I just recognized that it was um within within university environment, it's all about sort of trial and error, and you're sort of within that, you know, wrapped around in a in a protective bubble.
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So I just thought why not just try things out and see what happens.
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Where did you think you would be?
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I thought I would be.
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Um like in the civil service.
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Okay.
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Yeah.
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I thought I would be working for the civil service and I'm uh nowhere near that.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, it's quite a different thing doing a startup than than working in civil service.
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Matthew, you have openly spoken about periods where you felt very uncertain about your future.
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What was the turning point that helped you stop seeing uncertainty as something to fear?
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I I I don't know if I can fully admit to being super comfortable with the uncertainty still.
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Um the the the main thing that I went through was a really tough time towards the end of my university.
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I was sitting doing my dissertation at the time, and my dad has a condition called postystic kidney disease.
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Um that led him to getting a kidney transplant.
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Subsequently, things went wrong, and uh he was left in a coma.
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Um I think at that time I'd always been super money motivated, and I suppose at the start of my university journey I thought I would have a career in finance, and I think that changed my perspective on what I truly value in life to from money to uh freedom of choice, freedom of doing the things that I want to do that fulfil me fully, and I think that's maybe the sort of moment that I really think about when asked a question like that.
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It's a big thing to deal with when you're already going through a period of transformation.
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I think university can be a period of transformation just on a normal day-to-day level, and then adding that on top must have been quite a lot to handle.
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Do you feel like having been through that, they talk about the experiencing the discomfort and realising that you can handle it?
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Has has there been any positives to come out of it?
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Yeah, I I think for me I look back on what Strath Clyde as a university was able to offer me in terms of support.
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I done I went through their their counselling programme, um and that was great help, although it was limited to six sessions.
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I probably could have done done with more.
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Um but that certainly helped, and I think just being able to talk through these things, understand that there's maybe not other people in the exact same position as me, but they're dealing with more above and beyond, kind of just on a university day-to-day level, which as you said is is tough in itself.
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Yeah, for sure.
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Abdul, you have certainly experienced quite a lot of um things to overcome, I would guess, would be fair to say, in your experience of university and life, but you've built this combination of experiences across such a wide range of things, really sort of young in life, I'd say.
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So law, sport, accessibility, and entrepreneurship already kind of tucked under your belt.
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So has there ever been a particular moment when you realised, well, my path doesn't really need to look like anyone else's?
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I don't think so.
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I think I really I think well I'm of the opinion that you get really bored doing something for too long, and therefore try what you can, and then you'll find what you're really passionate about.
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And is it like I feel like I'm always I'm always sort of missing out if I don't try something out.
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Um, and I always have this motto, you know, just risk it for a biscuit and see what happens.
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Um so yeah, no, I just I'm I yeah, I just make random little decisions to try things out and then just see if they work out or not.
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If they don't work out, you know, I mean what when you first when you first sort of make these decisions, certainly, certainly evaluate that the you know the risk of something failing is not gonna harm you too much, but if it was to go wrong, um can you come out of it unscathed and um sort of more um more experienced as a person, more resilient as a person, and that's certainly what I try and do day to day.
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Um whether that's you know, I think there's a lot of challenges with like whether it's traveling to different cities as a as a blind person or um just trying to work with completely different concepts or different software um and things.
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So um yeah, just yeah, I just try to uh embody that motto in every every sort of thing that I try and do.
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It's interesting though, uh that phrase you said, coming out unscathed, and I picked up on that because I think that can be something that holds people back, this fear of like, well, will I come out of this unscathed?
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And so I wondered, Matthew, if there's something you think students think that they need to know, or think that this sense of safety they think they need that maybe they don't, and how to arrive at that perspective if you're the kind of person listening who really finds it hard not to think about the worst case scenario.
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Yeah, it's uh it's a difficult one to answer.
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I think from a student's perspective, um, and being able to just kind of throw yourself into something when when there seems like there's a risk can can kind of be difficult.
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But I always try and use my own experiences from that.
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Like I was fortunate enough to go and study in Hong Kong as a part of my degree.
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Very nerve-wracking going halfway around the world away from family and friends, and I think that's one of the things that I look at as one of the best experiences of my life, and if I looked at that from the opposite of the potential negative sides of that, then I wouldn't have had that experience.
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So it's it's a difficult one to really um say precisely you need to do that, but I look at it from a business perspective a lot more, and there's a lot of statistics and studies that show, particularly in Scotland, that we are uh have this massive fear of failure.
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So I think throwing yourself into it is where you see the kind of rewards, and the people that are doing successful things, whether that's within careers or within businesses, they're taking that leap.
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Yeah.
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Having that confidence of, well, I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm willing to give it a try and to be seen to be giving it a try.
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Leaning into that not knowing, it's not really a flaw, it's kind of a starting point to an extent.
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So I think one thing that students might hear quite constantly is this think about where you want to be in five years.
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And as we talked about, that can cause maybe more pressure than clarity, this idea of trying to work out where you're going to be in five years.
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Abdul, I wondered if there was any advice you have for moving forward when you don't know exactly what you want.
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What has helped you move forward when you don't know exactly what you've wanted?
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I don't I I generally think the five-year plan is redundant um in our sort of volatile graduate world um with with you know um new jobs coming to the surface and and and um how sort of volatile um the graduates move about.
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Um so I think I think for me it's just I I don't know.
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I I suppose for me it comes from my disability that like actually my cane is only a metre, it can only allow me to find what's a metre in front of me, and therefore I only need to know what is sort of the next three steps, and therefore that's that's the sort of thing that I'm thinking about.
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Like I know what I'm gonna be doing in the next sort of year, but doesn't really matter what happens after that, I'll find that out next year.
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Um and I think like Yeah, I think for sure, like find out what you're passionate about in terms of the five the five-year plan, and but but don't don't be don't be sort of super closed-minded because like if you like always be open to change in that five-year plan and be open to pivoting, yeah.
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I suppose.
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Yeah.
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I absolutely love that perspective.
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It's not one that you would get every day, I don't think.
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This idea of, well, I have this cane, it's this long.
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That's how much I can have of knowledge of what's coming next.
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I'm gonna step out anyway.
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That is definitely a way of thinking about the world that I think really only someone like you can provide to others.
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So thank you so much for like sharing that as an idea.
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You said that your view of entrepreneurship has changed dramatically during your time at Strathclyde because when you started you had no concept that you would start a start-up.
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What experience challenged your assumptions the most?
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Um I suppose I didn't really think that entrepreneurship existed within the university sort of bubble system.
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I thought everyone has head sort of be really academic, um, go on, get a grad job, and you know, so so so it goes.
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That's until that's until um a job at the student union came up, and I was doing some um collaborative work between Strath Inspire and the union, um sort of organising entrepreneurial events.
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And uh yeah, that's really when I found out about the entrepreneurial ecosystem within within the university and completely sort of detached my myself from ever sort of being part of it, but rather helping people to be part of it for the first year while I was doing that job, um, and then sort of took a little step back um after that and um had after I completed my dissertation, I was just like it was while my dissertation was working looking at this uh piece of legislation that was coming into force back then, and I was just like, well, how are they gonna you know how they how our companies are gonna um make sure that they're compliant and there wasn't any sort of you know uh premium tools to make sure that they are fully compliant for providing image descriptions, and I just thought, you know what, let's just go and try and give it a go within what I've been telling people to do over the last year.
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So I went and had a little chat um with the startup advisor at the UNE.
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And uh here we are, 12 months later.
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Because it is like a different way, I guess, of solving problems than you might have approached in the past because you had definitely a background in advocacy, you had been someone who had very much brought yourself forward to explain you've got these systems in place and they're not working, here is why.
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And now you've taken it to through the entrepreneurial lens of, well, actually I'm going to help you fix it.
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Yeah, I think it's um if you can't if you can't sort of fix it from the outside, come and make a case for them, um sort of you know, make a business case for the inside sort of thing.
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So if the thing of you know, you should be doing this is not working, go and go and go and offer them something that's ready to eat and to take on straight away and without any hassle.
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So this whole thing, this whole project really for me started chat with chatting to um a couple of um organizations with international presence, understanding them like how everything about the brand is awesome.
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Um however in practical terms you are not providing um screen readers with any information of what you're selling or what you know what what makes you stand out.
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Um so as a stranger to that brand, I wouldn't I wouldn't really know what what you're trying to to do here, even though I think it's really great.
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And then try to make it work for them on the inside um didn't work.
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Um the sort of the the the devs and the the marketing departments had other priorities, so I just took a little step away and thought, why don't I go and do it myself and then come back to them and tell them when it's ready?
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And actually one of them we're you know, we're starting pilot conversations with now.
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So hopefully that that all works out.
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Absolutely.
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It sounds like you had a goal in mind and you've tried a few access points, if you like, and when each one didn't necessarily bring you the result you were hoping for, you just tried another and you've sort of entered through the entrepreneurial access point now, and it's that idea of it might not have been your idea five years ago, but everything you've done up until now leads you to that.
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So if students wanted to replace what do I want to do with the rest of my life with a better question, what would be the better question, do you think, either of you?
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The better question would be for me, what do you love or what are you extremely passionate about?
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And I think just heard that in terms of what's something that you want to advocate for that you can tell that there's maybe a a problem with or that can be done better.
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Um and I think that's just a fantastic example of that.
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Clear passion, clear drive, you know, something that's that's gonna change lives.
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And I think that's a great place to start, whether that's uh a career or a business venture.
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Sounds like you might have something to add.
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For me, it really very similar to it, but you want if you want to make um any one change in the world, and you think you may have the resource to to do it, um yeah, what what sort of one change you would like to have um in the world around you that you would regret not doing um twenty, thirty years later?
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That's how I sort of looked at it.
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I think that's both a shorter term plan and a longer term plan rolled into one.
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And if the goal isn't necessarily to predict the future, because like you've quite rightfully said, the change of pace right now, in terms of entering university, graduating, what the environment is going to look like, the working environment, what the future is going to look like, the change of pace is huge.
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So if the goal is not to predict the future, it's to become someone who can adapt to it.
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So let's talk about resilience because no matter how carefully we might plan, things don't always work out.
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So applications get rejected, opportunities disappear, confidence might take a dip.
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Matthew, what is a setback during university that taught you something you couldn't have learned any other way?
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There's probably countless for me.
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Um the biggest one that that comes to mind was is probably I I remember sitting on one of the benches, really, really struggling with kind of my mental health.
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I really didn't know if I was doing the right thing um in terms of being at university um I broke down like completely broke down it was a university staff member that came over and was like you okay do you want to chat and I was like nah nah I can't I can't I'm pure bubbling away um but I I I think back back to that moment and being able to talk to people to then kind of take that and overcome is is like a big thing for me and I think just chatting about these different things like whatever whether it's like a a a family challenge a personal challenge whether it's mental health like I'm I'm super big on on talking about these things because then it get releases a stigma it helps you actually kick forward it helps you understand what maybe the people around you could do with from a support side so hopefully that kind of answers the question.
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I think it does in terms of resilience Abdul what has resilience taught you about how to adapt to challenges that you can't necessarily control um I don't I think I I think for me I think I just I don't I don't think you can really be doing anything at all day to day as a blind person with that if you if you haven't built any sort of resilience so that you know things go wrong all the time you may feel bus stop because there's no announcements on the bus and the driver forgot to tell you or um and you know you just have to kind of go f like just just keep going.
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Like it's not I I I heard this quote once I don't know if we're allowed to swear but um we can adapt there's like there's limited limited F set exist and you need to choose what what ones you you you will use when and that's sort of how I look at it is like is this something that I should care about is it big enough that I should really care about it or should I let it go and and use my tokens for something else um that are sort of bigger and I think that's how you know I think day day to day there will be you know street furniture that is shouldn't be there.
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And or if you know the minute it's uh grant grant rejections for for the business um application seasons back then um and I think you sort of re instead of attaching value your sort of worth and your you know completely evaluing yourself um and measuring yourself against that uh whether you've been accepted into the next stage or if you've managed to got a job get a job through this really competitive uh process um but rather just completely detaching yourself from it and just um really um sort of realizing the bigger picture of like how many people are trying to go for this and how how amazing of an opportunity it is that there'll be very similar you know very similar um people to you who are um going going through the same thing and I think like as well really um getting feedback and not getting upset about the feedback but really taking it as really constructive and building on it rather than get like because I've seen so many people whenever you get feedback through whether it's you know um line management or through um sport or through they get they get really upset and you know um think that is something something with them and or get upset with everyone else around them and then basically give up and I just think I just think like you cannot be improving if you don't fail.
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And like failing is something you should be aiming to do every day.
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For me if I if I don't fail at something two days in a row I know that I've not been productive enough.
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Yeah this idea of I'm not going to give up my tokens for that something went a bit wrong there.
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I was disappointed I wasn't chosen that's not worth the tokens this idea as well of being chosen because so much people can put so much store I think on I went for this opportunity I wasn't picked I wanted to get into this team I didn't make the lineup I was hoping that I could have this grant, this book published whatever it is that you're aiming for and you haven't quite got there, this feeling of not being chosen can be really hard to deal with if you're looking at it from that perspective of you're waiting to be chosen and what it seems to me that entrepreneurially minded people do in that scenario is well they find another way.
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They find another way around it.
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They do it themselves or they choose themselves.
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And we see it happening over and over again.
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Matthew has there been ways you've found to stop difficult periods in your life making you just want to give up like Abdul says this this thinking of oh I just that's not for me I'm gonna give up probably not no I think I think it's just very much just roll with the punches.
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I really love the kind of saying of like if you were if you were 30 failures away from success how fast would you fail?
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And if that means like turn trying to turn your hand to stuff and it doesn't work out or you know it means you need to build up this resilience and I think that's kind of my method of kind of coping with it and getting over things is just constantly thinking right this might not work but maybe the next thing will or the next thing and I think that's been like throughout my life to date like I've had multiple different businesses like they've worked and I've I've lost interest because I've not had passion or they've not worked or something bad's happened or personally I've had to step back or you know and I think that it's almost the fun of it once you realise it in that way that you've only got one life one shot just give it all a go give it your best go absolutely I think I I could completely agree with that I think like um one one thing sort of came to um to my um head when just saying that I think there's a lot of emphasis on keep trying but there's there's a difference between keep trying the same thing over and over again and pivoting and adapting and trying in another way or just slightly changed changing changing approach and changing tack because I think like on you know on social media you get a lot of sort of motivational speeches but like just keep you know guess up keep going do it again over all over and over again but I I completely I don't think that is always the right approach um I think yeah I mean it's about knowing when to pivot though isn't it I think there's a lot a lot of credibility that's built within that that you know sometimes the thing that you're doing might need a small tweak but it might need you to just go do you know what hold my hands up this is not the right thing for me I need to to change path and that's something that I've had to get comfortable with through my kind of life so far.
00:30:48.240 --> 00:31:30.240
Which is why feedback is super important and acting on the feedback and completely you know like getting getting it down to a T what's what it is that is preventing you from going to the next stage of a job interview or getting to the line up or whatever it is getting that down to a T and for me for me my my thing is like try something three times if it doesn't work with me sort of applying all the all the all the feedback and all the um constructive criticisms on board um then that's when I know that I need to try something else.
00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:30.880
Okay.
00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:41.279
So you have a bit of a system to get you through those periods of uncertainty you're gonna try something three times and then you're gonna make a change would that be fair to say I think so.
00:31:41.519 --> 00:32:36.640
Yeah yeah is there anything in your life that has only happened because you've kept going those three times or however many times you thought was relevant at the time helped you through that uncertain period for me I think it's everything everything on a day-to-day basis like there's plenty of times where you go I don't feel like getting out of bed but you're gonna not crack on with your life at that point and I I I think there's big things that happen and small things and it's just suppose that's going to be the making of the type of life that you want to really live for me it's about exploring and building something and building relationships with people and creating something worth worth value not even in a a financial sense but something that people want to stand behind and believe in.
00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:37.599
Yeah.
00:32:38.240 --> 00:33:36.480
Anything to add um I would probably say I mean I would probably say like a couple of things really so like with with sort of future job plans that was a three time thing where I was like oh if I don't get this this third time I will not try it again um so but thankfully thankfully I've managed to do well and secure that role for the future um and it was the same thing with narrow site really because I had approached two organisations um to try and prove a concept um internally and then that that didn't that didn't work and then the third time I tried to do it well I'm trying to do it myself myself so I'll let you know how I get on there.
00:33:37.279 --> 00:33:57.599
It's an interesting thing to add on to that was before I started Focus on Founders I spent about 13 ish months in recruitment and um one of the statistics that kept on coming up was that for every 20 job applications you you put in you probably get one interview.
00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:09.519
And I think like if you if you're if you read into these things then you know the sort of volume that you've got to do to be able to land the thing.
00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:14.239
But that comes back to you like I suppose how how badly do you actually want it?
00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:15.440
For sure.
00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:19.280
Yeah how how many tokens are you willing to hand over to this task.
00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:40.960
It would be great if we could turn our attention to thinking about people who are term is starting it's a kind of chance to start again and for the people who are joining for the first time to the people who are coming for their final year a quick fire survival guide if you like one sentence answers if you can.
00:34:41.599 --> 00:34:46.000
Matthew we'll start with you what's one thing students should ignore this semester?
00:34:47.119 --> 00:34:54.159
Other people's opinions great Abdul one thing students should pay more attention to this semester.
00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:06.400
Matthew if a student only remembers one thing from today's episode what should it be?
00:35:11.119 --> 00:36:02.800
Have a plan be ready to have it fabulous outs one small action someone could take this week to make their future self proud write down three changes that you'd like to see in the world anyone complete the sentence the students who get the most out of university are usually the ones who have fun and in that case this one is being assigned to you Matthew in one sentence what would you say to someone who's listening right now and they're worried they're not doing university properly Whatever's worrying you that you're not doing go and do it.
00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:12.480
That sounds like a really good way to leave it absolutely whatever is worrying you is probably a sign that's the thing you need to turn to right now.
00:36:12.960 --> 00:36:19.840
Exactly so with that in mind thank you so much for all of your insight and your conversation today.
00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:23.199
It's been a great chat to have Abdullah Matthew appreciate you.
00:36:23.599 --> 00:36:29.440
Thanks for having me as we wrap up today's episode I want to leave you with just one thought.
00:36:29.760 --> 00:36:40.880
The people who seem like they have everything figured out probably don't and that's okay because university isn't about having all the answers it's about asking better questions.
00:36:40.960 --> 00:36:49.519
It's about exploring experimenting learning changing your mind and slowly becoming someone you couldn't have predicted when you first arrived.
00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:56.639
Throughout today's conversation we've heard that uncertainty isn't something to eliminate it's something to navigate.
00:36:56.880 --> 00:37:04.239
The people who build exciting careers meaningful lives and unexpected opportunities rarely follow a perfectly mapped out route.
00:37:04.480 --> 00:37:06.480
Instead they stay curious.
00:37:06.639 --> 00:37:20.320
They keep moving they learn from what works and what doesn't and they trust that clarity often comes after action not before it so if you're starting this semester feeling a little overwhelmed here's what I'd like you to remember.
00:37:20.880 --> 00:37:21.760
You're not behind.
00:37:22.239 --> 00:37:25.519
You do not need a detailed plan for the next five years.
00:37:25.760 --> 00:37:39.119
You do not need to know exactly what your future looks like you only need to take the next step because confidence comes from action momentum comes from action and even purpose often comes from action.
00:37:39.679 --> 00:37:42.400
This series is all about helping you take those steps.
00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:49.920
In our next episode we'll tackle one of the biggest anxieties students can face making friends and networking without it feeling awkward.
00:37:50.079 --> 00:38:01.519
We'll explore why relationships are built through curiosity rather than confidence, how to start conversations that don't feel forced and why one conversation can completely change your university experience.
00:38:01.760 --> 00:38:07.840
I love to thank Matthew and Abdul again for joining us and to thank you for listening to Inspiring Entrepreneurs.
00:38:08.000 --> 00:38:13.840
Until next time remember you don't need a perfect plan you just need the courage to begin
00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:12.480
Welcome to Inspiring Entrepreneurs and to our brand new mini-series, New Semester, New Foundation.
00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:14.240
Let's start with a question.
00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:18.879
Have you ever felt like everyone else knows what they're doing except for you?
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Maybe you've just arrived at university, or perhaps you're about to begin your final year, and it seems like everyone already has a plan.
00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:32.880
They know what career they want, they know what opportunities they're going to pursue, they know where they're heading.
00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:39.600
And meanwhile, you're wondering if you'll ever get to know the answer that you've been faced with ever since you were just a kid.
00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:41.759
What do you want to be when you grow up?
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The truth is most people are far less certain than they appear, but university can make us feel like uncertainty is a problem.
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Like we're supposed to have our future mapped out before we've even found our lecture theater.
00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:57.920
Today's episode is about challenging that idea.
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Because the students who get the most out of university aren't usually the ones with the perfect five-year plan.
00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:08.239
They're the ones who learn how to move forward without one.
00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:18.239
Over the next five episodes, we'll explore how to build confidence, relationships, opportunities, and a future that you're excited about.
00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:21.680
But before any of that, we need to start here.
00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:25.120
How do you navigate uncertainty?
00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:29.840
How do you make good decisions when you don't know exactly where their lead?
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And how do you stop feeling behind when everyone else looks so certain?
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To help answer those questions, I'm joined by two guests who've each taken very different paths but have one thing in common.
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Neither of them got where they are today by having everything figured out from day one.
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Matthew Adams is a Strathclyde graduate, entrepreneur, and a founder who has spoken openly about feeling lost during university before finding purpose through experimentation, resilience, and action.
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And Abdul Ezener is an accessibility advocate, entrepreneur, and student leader whose journey has shown how challenges can become opportunities to create meaningful change.
00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:11.680
Matthew and Abdul, welcome.
00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:12.800
Abdul.
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Matthew, thank you so much for joining me today.
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Let's start by challenging an assumption that can cause many of us to feel unprepared.
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Matthew, do students really need a five-year plan?
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And if they don't, what do they need instead?
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I love this the topic of conversation today because I think this is something that a lot of us pressure ourselves to have.
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A plan mapped out for our entire lives.
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But um yeah, to straight up answer the question, you don't need a plan.
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I think things change and maybe we'll touch on it throughout today, but what I thought I was going to do when I started university was different by the time I finished it.
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Yeah.
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And did it bother you going through that process of having to reconfigure as you went?
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I think it it bothered me to an extent because I thought I had to have it planned out.
00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:18.879
Um even though a lot of people say to you, you don't need to have it mapped out, have an idea, follow things you're good at and you enjoy.
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I think there's still something when um as students of of a top university are they are super high achievers, so you have these certain expectations and standards you set.
00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:40.240
Um so it was difficult, but I think being able to reflect on that now, it's uh a lot more comfortable to kind of sit with that thought.
00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:41.199
Yeah.
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So thinking about what it actually looks like in real life when you don't necessarily have a plan or you're having to pivot as you go along.
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Abdul, if someone had asked you in first year at university where you'd be today, how wrong would your answer have been?
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Um it'd be a hundred and eighty degrees difference, I would say.
00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:13.280
Um I mean I would have, yeah, like I mean, I'm just currently just finishing up my master's, so five years on.
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I wasn't even planning to do a master's.
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Um but I certainly wasn't certainly was not planning to have a startup um um within that plan.
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Um I would say for me, like I just recognized that it was um within within university environment, it's all about sort of trial and error, and you're sort of within that, you know, wrapped around in a in a protective bubble.
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So I just thought why not just try things out and see what happens.
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Where did you think you would be?
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I thought I would be.
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Um like in the civil service.
00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:04.319
Okay.
00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:04.959
Yeah.
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I thought I would be working for the civil service and I'm uh nowhere near that.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, it's quite a different thing doing a startup than than working in civil service.
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Matthew, you have openly spoken about periods where you felt very uncertain about your future.
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What was the turning point that helped you stop seeing uncertainty as something to fear?
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I I I don't know if I can fully admit to being super comfortable with the uncertainty still.
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Um the the the main thing that I went through was a really tough time towards the end of my university.
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I was sitting doing my dissertation at the time, and my dad has a condition called postystic kidney disease.
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Um that led him to getting a kidney transplant.
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Subsequently, things went wrong, and uh he was left in a coma.
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Um I think at that time I'd always been super money motivated, and I suppose at the start of my university journey I thought I would have a career in finance, and I think that changed my perspective on what I truly value in life to from money to uh freedom of choice, freedom of doing the things that I want to do that fulfil me fully, and I think that's maybe the sort of moment that I really think about when asked a question like that.
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It's a big thing to deal with when you're already going through a period of transformation.
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I think university can be a period of transformation just on a normal day-to-day level, and then adding that on top must have been quite a lot to handle.
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Do you feel like having been through that, they talk about the experiencing the discomfort and realising that you can handle it?
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Has has there been any positives to come out of it?
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Yeah, I I think for me I look back on what Strath Clyde as a university was able to offer me in terms of support.
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I done I went through their their counselling programme, um and that was great help, although it was limited to six sessions.
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I probably could have done done with more.
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Um but that certainly helped, and I think just being able to talk through these things, understand that there's maybe not other people in the exact same position as me, but they're dealing with more above and beyond, kind of just on a university day-to-day level, which as you said is is tough in itself.
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Yeah, for sure.
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Abdul, you have certainly experienced quite a lot of um things to overcome, I would guess, would be fair to say, in your experience of university and life, but you've built this combination of experiences across such a wide range of things, really sort of young in life, I'd say.
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So law, sport, accessibility, and entrepreneurship already kind of tucked under your belt.
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So has there ever been a particular moment when you realised, well, my path doesn't really need to look like anyone else's?
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I don't think so.
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I think I really I think well I'm of the opinion that you get really bored doing something for too long, and therefore try what you can, and then you'll find what you're really passionate about.
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And is it like I feel like I'm always I'm always sort of missing out if I don't try something out.
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Um, and I always have this motto, you know, just risk it for a biscuit and see what happens.
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Um so yeah, no, I just I'm I yeah, I just make random little decisions to try things out and then just see if they work out or not.
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If they don't work out, you know, I mean what when you first when you first sort of make these decisions, certainly, certainly evaluate that the you know the risk of something failing is not gonna harm you too much, but if it was to go wrong, um can you come out of it unscathed and um sort of more um more experienced as a person, more resilient as a person, and that's certainly what I try and do day to day.
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Um whether that's you know, I think there's a lot of challenges with like whether it's traveling to different cities as a as a blind person or um just trying to work with completely different concepts or different software um and things.
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So um yeah, just yeah, I just try to uh embody that motto in every every sort of thing that I try and do.
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It's interesting though, uh that phrase you said, coming out unscathed, and I picked up on that because I think that can be something that holds people back, this fear of like, well, will I come out of this unscathed?
00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:29.519
And so I wondered, Matthew, if there's something you think students think that they need to know, or think that this sense of safety they think they need that maybe they don't, and how to arrive at that perspective if you're the kind of person listening who really finds it hard not to think about the worst case scenario.
00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:34.320
Yeah, it's uh it's a difficult one to answer.
00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:47.279
I think from a student's perspective, um, and being able to just kind of throw yourself into something when when there seems like there's a risk can can kind of be difficult.
00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:52.799
But I always try and use my own experiences from that.
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Like I was fortunate enough to go and study in Hong Kong as a part of my degree.
00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:20.799
Very nerve-wracking going halfway around the world away from family and friends, and I think that's one of the things that I look at as one of the best experiences of my life, and if I looked at that from the opposite of the potential negative sides of that, then I wouldn't have had that experience.
00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:45.759
So it's it's a difficult one to really um say precisely you need to do that, but I look at it from a business perspective a lot more, and there's a lot of statistics and studies that show, particularly in Scotland, that we are uh have this massive fear of failure.
00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:59.840
So I think throwing yourself into it is where you see the kind of rewards, and the people that are doing successful things, whether that's within careers or within businesses, they're taking that leap.
00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:01.279
Yeah.
00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:12.399
Having that confidence of, well, I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm willing to give it a try and to be seen to be giving it a try.
00:12:12.639 --> 00:12:17.519
Leaning into that not knowing, it's not really a flaw, it's kind of a starting point to an extent.
00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:25.440
So I think one thing that students might hear quite constantly is this think about where you want to be in five years.
00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:35.600
And as we talked about, that can cause maybe more pressure than clarity, this idea of trying to work out where you're going to be in five years.
00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:42.960
Abdul, I wondered if there was any advice you have for moving forward when you don't know exactly what you want.
00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:46.399
What has helped you move forward when you don't know exactly what you've wanted?
00:12:46.799 --> 00:13:09.919
I don't I I generally think the five-year plan is redundant um in our sort of volatile graduate world um with with you know um new jobs coming to the surface and and and um how sort of volatile um the graduates move about.
00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:15.440
Um so I think I think for me it's just I I don't know.
00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:36.240
I I suppose for me it comes from my disability that like actually my cane is only a metre, it can only allow me to find what's a metre in front of me, and therefore I only need to know what is sort of the next three steps, and therefore that's that's the sort of thing that I'm thinking about.
00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:44.879
Like I know what I'm gonna be doing in the next sort of year, but doesn't really matter what happens after that, I'll find that out next year.
00:13:45.200 --> 00:14:11.840
Um and I think like Yeah, I think for sure, like find out what you're passionate about in terms of the five the five-year plan, and but but don't don't be don't be sort of super closed-minded because like if you like always be open to change in that five-year plan and be open to pivoting, yeah.
00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:12.480
I suppose.
00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:12.720
Yeah.
00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:15.759
I absolutely love that perspective.
00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:18.000
It's not one that you would get every day, I don't think.
00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:21.919
This idea of, well, I have this cane, it's this long.
00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:26.000
That's how much I can have of knowledge of what's coming next.
00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:27.840
I'm gonna step out anyway.
00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:34.399
That is definitely a way of thinking about the world that I think really only someone like you can provide to others.
00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:37.279
So thank you so much for like sharing that as an idea.
00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:47.120
You said that your view of entrepreneurship has changed dramatically during your time at Strathclyde because when you started you had no concept that you would start a start-up.
00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:51.519
What experience challenged your assumptions the most?
00:14:54.159 --> 00:15:02.399
Um I suppose I didn't really think that entrepreneurship existed within the university sort of bubble system.
00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:13.200
I thought everyone has head sort of be really academic, um, go on, get a grad job, and you know, so so so it goes.
00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:30.799
That's until that's until um a job at the student union came up, and I was doing some um collaborative work between Strath Inspire and the union, um sort of organising entrepreneurial events.
00:15:31.039 --> 00:16:42.159
And uh yeah, that's really when I found out about the entrepreneurial ecosystem within within the university and completely sort of detached my myself from ever sort of being part of it, but rather helping people to be part of it for the first year while I was doing that job, um, and then sort of took a little step back um after that and um had after I completed my dissertation, I was just like it was while my dissertation was working looking at this uh piece of legislation that was coming into force back then, and I was just like, well, how are they gonna you know how they how our companies are gonna um make sure that they're compliant and there wasn't any sort of you know uh premium tools to make sure that they are fully compliant for providing image descriptions, and I just thought, you know what, let's just go and try and give it a go within what I've been telling people to do over the last year.
00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:46.960
So I went and had a little chat um with the startup advisor at the UNE.
00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:49.679
And uh here we are, 12 months later.
00:16:50.240 --> 00:17:08.319
Because it is like a different way, I guess, of solving problems than you might have approached in the past because you had definitely a background in advocacy, you had been someone who had very much brought yourself forward to explain you've got these systems in place and they're not working, here is why.
00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:16.640
And now you've taken it to through the entrepreneurial lens of, well, actually I'm going to help you fix it.
00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:33.920
Yeah, I think it's um if you can't if you can't sort of fix it from the outside, come and make a case for them, um sort of you know, make a business case for the inside sort of thing.
00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:51.119
So if the thing of you know, you should be doing this is not working, go and go and go and offer them something that's ready to eat and to take on straight away and without any hassle.
00:17:51.359 --> 00:18:07.839
So this whole thing, this whole project really for me started chat with chatting to um a couple of um organizations with international presence, understanding them like how everything about the brand is awesome.
00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:21.680
Um however in practical terms you are not providing um screen readers with any information of what you're selling or what you know what what makes you stand out.
00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:30.640
Um so as a stranger to that brand, I wouldn't I wouldn't really know what what you're trying to to do here, even though I think it's really great.
00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:38.480
And then try to make it work for them on the inside um didn't work.
00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:56.000
Um the sort of the the the devs and the the marketing departments had other priorities, so I just took a little step away and thought, why don't I go and do it myself and then come back to them and tell them when it's ready?
00:18:56.160 --> 00:19:01.359
And actually one of them we're you know, we're starting pilot conversations with now.
00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:04.400
So hopefully that that all works out.
00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:05.599
Absolutely.
00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:31.680
It sounds like you had a goal in mind and you've tried a few access points, if you like, and when each one didn't necessarily bring you the result you were hoping for, you just tried another and you've sort of entered through the entrepreneurial access point now, and it's that idea of it might not have been your idea five years ago, but everything you've done up until now leads you to that.
00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:42.240
So if students wanted to replace what do I want to do with the rest of my life with a better question, what would be the better question, do you think, either of you?
00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:49.599
The better question would be for me, what do you love or what are you extremely passionate about?
00:19:49.759 --> 00:20:01.599
And I think just heard that in terms of what's something that you want to advocate for that you can tell that there's maybe a a problem with or that can be done better.
00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:05.599
Um and I think that's just a fantastic example of that.
00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:12.319
Clear passion, clear drive, you know, something that's that's gonna change lives.
00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:18.480
And I think that's a great place to start, whether that's uh a career or a business venture.
00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:21.920
Sounds like you might have something to add.
00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:52.319
For me, it really very similar to it, but you want if you want to make um any one change in the world, and you think you may have the resource to to do it, um yeah, what what sort of one change you would like to have um in the world around you that you would regret not doing um twenty, thirty years later?
00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:54.559
That's how I sort of looked at it.
00:20:55.519 --> 00:21:00.000
I think that's both a shorter term plan and a longer term plan rolled into one.
00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:15.359
And if the goal isn't necessarily to predict the future, because like you've quite rightfully said, the change of pace right now, in terms of entering university, graduating, what the environment is going to look like, the working environment, what the future is going to look like, the change of pace is huge.
00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:20.799
So if the goal is not to predict the future, it's to become someone who can adapt to it.
00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:27.519
So let's talk about resilience because no matter how carefully we might plan, things don't always work out.
00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:33.359
So applications get rejected, opportunities disappear, confidence might take a dip.
00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:40.559
Matthew, what is a setback during university that taught you something you couldn't have learned any other way?
00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:43.680
There's probably countless for me.
00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:57.839
Um the biggest one that that comes to mind was is probably I I remember sitting on one of the benches, really, really struggling with kind of my mental health.
00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:58.079
I really didn't know if I was doing the right thing um in terms of being at university um I broke down like completely broke down it was a university staff member that came over and was like you okay do you want to chat and I was like nah nah I can't I can't I'm pure bubbling away um but I I I think back back to that moment and being able to talk to people to then kind of take that and overcome is is like a big thing for me and I think just chatting about these different things like whatever whether it's like a a a family challenge a personal challenge whether it's mental health like I'm I'm super big on on talking about these things because then it get releases a stigma it helps you actually kick forward it helps you understand what maybe the people around you could do with from a support side so hopefully that kind of answers the question.
00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:56.079
I think it does in terms of resilience Abdul what has resilience taught you about how to adapt to challenges that you can't necessarily control um I don't I think I I think for me I think I just I don't I don't think you can really be doing anything at all day to day as a blind person with that if you if you haven't built any sort of resilience so that you know things go wrong all the time you may feel bus stop because there's no announcements on the bus and the driver forgot to tell you or um and you know you just have to kind of go f like just just keep going.
00:23:56.240 --> 00:24:44.720
Like it's not I I I heard this quote once I don't know if we're allowed to swear but um we can adapt there's like there's limited limited F set exist and you need to choose what what ones you you you will use when and that's sort of how I look at it is like is this something that I should care about is it big enough that I should really care about it or should I let it go and and use my tokens for something else um that are sort of bigger and I think that's how you know I think day day to day there will be you know street furniture that is shouldn't be there.
00:24:46.160 --> 00:26:52.880
And or if you know the minute it's uh grant grant rejections for for the business um application seasons back then um and I think you sort of re instead of attaching value your sort of worth and your you know completely evaluing yourself um and measuring yourself against that uh whether you've been accepted into the next stage or if you've managed to got a job get a job through this really competitive uh process um but rather just completely detaching yourself from it and just um really um sort of realizing the bigger picture of like how many people are trying to go for this and how how amazing of an opportunity it is that there'll be very similar you know very similar um people to you who are um going going through the same thing and I think like as well really um getting feedback and not getting upset about the feedback but really taking it as really constructive and building on it rather than get like because I've seen so many people whenever you get feedback through whether it's you know um line management or through um sport or through they get they get really upset and you know um think that is something something with them and or get upset with everyone else around them and then basically give up and I just think I just think like you cannot be improving if you don't fail.
00:26:53.440 --> 00:27:00.240
And like failing is something you should be aiming to do every day.
00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:08.079
For me if I if I don't fail at something two days in a row I know that I've not been productive enough.
00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:14.000
Yeah this idea of I'm not going to give up my tokens for that something went a bit wrong there.
00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:56.640
I was disappointed I wasn't chosen that's not worth the tokens this idea as well of being chosen because so much people can put so much store I think on I went for this opportunity I wasn't picked I wanted to get into this team I didn't make the lineup I was hoping that I could have this grant, this book published whatever it is that you're aiming for and you haven't quite got there, this feeling of not being chosen can be really hard to deal with if you're looking at it from that perspective of you're waiting to be chosen and what it seems to me that entrepreneurially minded people do in that scenario is well they find another way.
00:27:56.799 --> 00:27:57.920
They find another way around it.
00:27:58.000 --> 00:28:00.079
They do it themselves or they choose themselves.
00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:02.559
And we see it happening over and over again.
00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:22.880
Matthew has there been ways you've found to stop difficult periods in your life making you just want to give up like Abdul says this this thinking of oh I just that's not for me I'm gonna give up probably not no I think I think it's just very much just roll with the punches.
00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:30.720
I really love the kind of saying of like if you were if you were 30 failures away from success how fast would you fail?
00:28:31.039 --> 00:30:47.920
And if that means like turn trying to turn your hand to stuff and it doesn't work out or you know it means you need to build up this resilience and I think that's kind of my method of kind of coping with it and getting over things is just constantly thinking right this might not work but maybe the next thing will or the next thing and I think that's been like throughout my life to date like I've had multiple different businesses like they've worked and I've I've lost interest because I've not had passion or they've not worked or something bad's happened or personally I've had to step back or you know and I think that it's almost the fun of it once you realise it in that way that you've only got one life one shot just give it all a go give it your best go absolutely I think I I could completely agree with that I think like um one one thing sort of came to um to my um head when just saying that I think there's a lot of emphasis on keep trying but there's there's a difference between keep trying the same thing over and over again and pivoting and adapting and trying in another way or just slightly changed changing changing approach and changing tack because I think like on you know on social media you get a lot of sort of motivational speeches but like just keep you know guess up keep going do it again over all over and over again but I I completely I don't think that is always the right approach um I think yeah I mean it's about knowing when to pivot though isn't it I think there's a lot a lot of credibility that's built within that that you know sometimes the thing that you're doing might need a small tweak but it might need you to just go do you know what hold my hands up this is not the right thing for me I need to to change path and that's something that I've had to get comfortable with through my kind of life so far.
00:30:48.240 --> 00:31:30.240
Which is why feedback is super important and acting on the feedback and completely you know like getting getting it down to a T what's what it is that is preventing you from going to the next stage of a job interview or getting to the line up or whatever it is getting that down to a T and for me for me my my thing is like try something three times if it doesn't work with me sort of applying all the all the all the feedback and all the um constructive criticisms on board um then that's when I know that I need to try something else.
00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:30.880
Okay.
00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:41.279
So you have a bit of a system to get you through those periods of uncertainty you're gonna try something three times and then you're gonna make a change would that be fair to say I think so.
00:31:41.519 --> 00:32:36.640
Yeah yeah is there anything in your life that has only happened because you've kept going those three times or however many times you thought was relevant at the time helped you through that uncertain period for me I think it's everything everything on a day-to-day basis like there's plenty of times where you go I don't feel like getting out of bed but you're gonna not crack on with your life at that point and I I I think there's big things that happen and small things and it's just suppose that's going to be the making of the type of life that you want to really live for me it's about exploring and building something and building relationships with people and creating something worth worth value not even in a a financial sense but something that people want to stand behind and believe in.
00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:37.599
Yeah.
00:32:38.240 --> 00:33:36.480
Anything to add um I would probably say I mean I would probably say like a couple of things really so like with with sort of future job plans that was a three time thing where I was like oh if I don't get this this third time I will not try it again um so but thankfully thankfully I've managed to do well and secure that role for the future um and it was the same thing with narrow site really because I had approached two organisations um to try and prove a concept um internally and then that that didn't that didn't work and then the third time I tried to do it well I'm trying to do it myself myself so I'll let you know how I get on there.
00:33:37.279 --> 00:33:57.599
It's an interesting thing to add on to that was before I started Focus on Founders I spent about 13 ish months in recruitment and um one of the statistics that kept on coming up was that for every 20 job applications you you put in you probably get one interview.
00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:09.519
And I think like if you if you're if you read into these things then you know the sort of volume that you've got to do to be able to land the thing.
00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:14.239
But that comes back to you like I suppose how how badly do you actually want it?
00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:15.440
For sure.
00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:19.280
Yeah how how many tokens are you willing to hand over to this task.
00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:40.960
It would be great if we could turn our attention to thinking about people who are term is starting it's a kind of chance to start again and for the people who are joining for the first time to the people who are coming for their final year a quick fire survival guide if you like one sentence answers if you can.
00:34:41.599 --> 00:34:46.000
Matthew we'll start with you what's one thing students should ignore this semester?
00:34:47.119 --> 00:34:54.159
Other people's opinions great Abdul one thing students should pay more attention to this semester.
00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:06.400
Matthew if a student only remembers one thing from today's episode what should it be?
00:35:11.119 --> 00:36:02.800
Have a plan be ready to have it fabulous outs one small action someone could take this week to make their future self proud write down three changes that you'd like to see in the world anyone complete the sentence the students who get the most out of university are usually the ones who have fun and in that case this one is being assigned to you Matthew in one sentence what would you say to someone who's listening right now and they're worried they're not doing university properly Whatever's worrying you that you're not doing go and do it.
00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:12.480
That sounds like a really good way to leave it absolutely whatever is worrying you is probably a sign that's the thing you need to turn to right now.
00:36:12.960 --> 00:36:19.840
Exactly so with that in mind thank you so much for all of your insight and your conversation today.
00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:23.199
It's been a great chat to have Abdullah Matthew appreciate you.
00:36:23.599 --> 00:36:29.440
Thanks for having me as we wrap up today's episode I want to leave you with just one thought.
00:36:29.760 --> 00:36:40.880
The people who seem like they have everything figured out probably don't and that's okay because university isn't about having all the answers it's about asking better questions.
00:36:40.960 --> 00:36:49.519
It's about exploring experimenting learning changing your mind and slowly becoming someone you couldn't have predicted when you first arrived.
00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:56.639
Throughout today's conversation we've heard that uncertainty isn't something to eliminate it's something to navigate.
00:36:56.880 --> 00:37:04.239
The people who build exciting careers meaningful lives and unexpected opportunities rarely follow a perfectly mapped out route.
00:37:04.480 --> 00:37:06.480
Instead they stay curious.
00:37:06.639 --> 00:37:20.320
They keep moving they learn from what works and what doesn't and they trust that clarity often comes after action not before it so if you're starting this semester feeling a little overwhelmed here's what I'd like you to remember.
00:37:20.880 --> 00:37:21.760
You're not behind.
00:37:22.239 --> 00:37:25.519
You do not need a detailed plan for the next five years.
00:37:25.760 --> 00:37:39.119
You do not need to know exactly what your future looks like you only need to take the next step because confidence comes from action momentum comes from action and even purpose often comes from action.
00:37:39.679 --> 00:37:42.400
This series is all about helping you take those steps.
00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:49.920
In our next episode we'll tackle one of the biggest anxieties students can face making friends and networking without it feeling awkward.
00:37:50.079 --> 00:38:01.519
We'll explore why relationships are built through curiosity rather than confidence, how to start conversations that don't feel forced and why one conversation can completely change your university experience.
00:38:01.760 --> 00:38:07.840
I love to thank Matthew and Abdul again for joining us and to thank you for listening to Inspiring Entrepreneurs.
00:38:08.000 --> 00:38:13.840
Until next time remember you don't need a perfect plan you just need the courage to begin
