Why did I start the EGZ podcast?
I started working for Wing in August of 2021. I was thinking about what on earth I was
going to put on my personal statement, and I thought that to apply for a business course (which I was applying for), I would probably need some experience working within an organisation.
I was scrolling mindlessly through TikTok later that day and I stumbled across Wing. I saw the concept of a contactless business card, and this really struck a chord with me, as it matched personal values of sustainability and bringing business into the 21st century. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the product.
I looked up Wing on Instagram, and send a message.
"Hi, my name is Sam and I’m a 17 year old student, and I’ve seen your product on TikTok and I thought it was amazing. I’ve recently broken up for the summer, and I’m looking for work experience. I’ve done some work experience before, and I was a social media handler for quite a large company called Forefront Group during the first lockdown. I also did marketing such as posting content on their website via their CMS system. I have a CV with all my experience, qualifications and skills which I am happy to send to you. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you."
My message was replied to that day. They would have me on for work experience for three weeks! "Great!" I thought.
6 months later, looking back, there has been so much I have achieved with Wing, in terms of personal achievements, like brokering a deal with a billion-pound insurance company, or presenting at networking events to top industry professionals and investors - totally out of my comfort zone!
This work I was doing spread to my friends, who quickly turned to making fun of what I was doing with Wing. I didn't understand this.
Why did they have this reaction?
This exchange between my friends and I made me think. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that it wasn't normal for me to be ok with doing work experience to develop my skills and bolster my personal statement and my CV, with no financial remuneration at the time.
This made me want to create a platform where young people could tune in and listen to other young people's success stories and get the motivation to get started and get involved from a young age, just like I did.
I researched different types of media, like videos, blogs, and podcasts, and with more and more digging, I found that there were few if any podcasts that not only focused on young entrepreneurship, but also focalised on advice and tips for young people that would help them as young entrepreneurs.
The next day, I bought a microphone, and wrote up a document with my brand guidelines, before even deciding on the name.
Even though the podcast has been available for such a short time, it has been a huge success, with listeners in 8 countries around the world.
Even in this short time, my podcast has somewhat achieved what it has set out to do. I get messages and Instagram stories sharing my show, explaining the valuable insight EGZ gives into young entrepreneurship.
If I only help one person become a better entrepreneur, I can feel content with myself. So far, I think I have achieved just that.
Sam Watson
21/3/22