Business student builds own firm while completing degree studies

Entrepreneur Frank Northridge is already forging ahead in business by setting up a social media marketing firm while completing his Teesside University studies.

Franklin, 21, of Middlesbrough, who graduated from the BA (Hons) Business Management, said: “I always knew I wanted to run my own business, I just didn't have a fixed idea of what that would look like.

“The Business Management degree gave me the framework to take that ambition seriously. It mapped straight onto what I was already doing day to day, managing accounts, handling finances, pitching to clients, so the degree never felt separate from the work.

“I chose to study at Teesside University as it’s home. I'm from Teesside, my clients are from this area, and it never made sense to go elsewhere when the right opportunity was on my doorstep. I wanted to invest in a university that's part of the same community I'm building my business in, and Teesside has that local character running through everything.

“I really enjoyed the exposure to real business owners during my degree;, hearing from entrepreneurs who had actually built something, made it feel possible. The visits for students to Flok in Middlesbrough for business seminars did the same. The course kept opening doors to experiences.”

Franklin added: “I want to build Social Summit Marketing into the go-to agency in the North of England, scaling the model we've built around funnels, automation and paid ads. Longer term, I'm interested in where AI meets local business growth, and I think the North is one of the best places in the country to make that happen.

“My business partner Oliver and I built Social Summit using the campus to work, film content and run Zoom meetings, and that's what set us up to eventually get our own place in the Victoria Building. We made full use of the spaces, and Launchpad's start-up support was the facility that mattered most to getting the business off the ground.

“Being able to run a real business while I studied and having the University actually back that rather than treat it as a distraction really helped.”

He added: “I’d say to anyone thinking of studying Business Management to not wait until you graduate to start doing things. Use your time as a student to experiment, build and fail safely. The stuff you learn in lectures lands far better when you're applying it to something real.”

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