Having about three or four test meetings in a youth group behind me, I started this eight-week long procedure with a very basic knowledge of creative entrepreneurship and a much bigger amount of enthusiasm. Participating in a relatively short program which not only matches my future degree in law well, but can be used just as easily in a more artistic way? Definitely sign me up!

I did not have too much of a worry about the whole process, though two things did make me nervous, especially in the beginning: on one hand, the idea of communicating in a multicultural environment seemed a bit complicated at first. I use English on a daily basis – for reading, watching a movie or chatting with my friends from abroad -, still, I have never been exposed to so many different ways of thinking or accents. It did take some time to get used to that all, but everyone on board was very patient and did their best to avoid possible confusions which, if they still happened, led to some fun moments. One of my favourite things about these eight weeks was this: the merging or clashing of cultures, how different and still how similar people are… I learnt a great deal about values, the problems of each society and multiple possible solutions for them.

On the other hand, there was the central figure of this course, the Business Canvas Model itself. I did not know much about it and I do not consider myself too much of a business expert, not if it comes to its details, so naturally, it kind of gave me the heebie-jeebies when I pictured myself fail to keep up with the group. That fortunately did not happen. The “curriculum” was designed to follow each step of this model, having one week to complete each step and to earn the points necessary for graduating. Now, reading about a designing process is one thing but actually doing it is clearly another. I had to rewire part of my thinking to be able to see through it entirely and connect all the dots, exactly why are we doing this first and then that, but once I could do it, it all seemed very logical. There was even some thinking or organizing patterns which I discovered I can use for not business-related purposes as well, which is a bonus without a doubt.

The point system was a good method to keep the participants engaged, because if someone really did want to achieve something with the course, it served as kind of an extra motivation – especially that the moderators did not remove points for not-so-perfect solutions, only keeping the deadlines mattered. This paired with the constant feedback we have received, really made me more attached to my project, which at first was half-baked and way too basic but then it expanded to a realistic idea. It was more than worth it to witness that.

All in all, I did not regret taking part in this program, quite the contrary, because it helped me develop very useful skills, not only in the world of business. I am still not an expert, but I did get a taste of something new and helpful, not only for myself but for lots of people as well. The main thing is to never stop inventing ideas – who knows what might come out of them?

I am grateful that I could take part in all this! 😊