Running a project independently - by Robert Lynam, second year student, International Relations and Spanish

I was part of a group of 6 undergraduates to help Sandra Green at Co-wheels Birmingham with her

marketing strategy - to attract more customers to join the car club. I opted to help this social enterprise because of its environmental sustainability, which is a something I’m really passionate about.

I had no previous marketing experience, but I was keen to learn. What I didn’t realise was that the project would be completely run by us, in the direction that we wanted. This was very daunting at first, but proved extremely valuable and satisfying at the end, having put in lots of time and effort!

Over the course of the 12-week project, our group produced a social media campaign for the Christmas period. Flyers were created which could be used in the future for specific events or general marketing. We conducted both primary and secondary research to provide recommendations in the form of a report and presentation for how we thought Co-wheels could move forward. This included producing a questionnaire and analysing the results in order to suggest potential demographics of customers to target specifically.

Doing a social science degree, the research and recommendation part of the project was something that I was particularly interested and involved in, and it was fantastic to be able to put my skills into practice towards a very worthy cause! The hardest part was undoubtedly dealing with the ambiguity of the needs of the company.

At the very start of the project, it was made clear to us that the project was very much what we wanted to make of it. As a result, my project management skills definitely developed because we had to use our initiative when trying to establish exactly what Co-wheels was looking for and create and see through an original project independently as a group. 

I’ve learned a great deal about commercial awareness and how to influence customers which is something that I’d not had much experience with previously. It has also made me think about my career more seriously. I'm now taking into consideration working for or setting up my own social enterprise, which was again something that I had not really considered. 

When I unquestionably face situations similar to the one that the 'Up Our Street' programme  provided me with, I will be much more prepared for the uncertainty and sheer scale of the challenges that come with them. Efficient organisation, commitment, enthusiasm, creativity and a clear plan are some of the things which I will now be able to provide much more confidently.

The feedback we received from Sandra was very positive. It’s a great feeling to know that your work is valued and that you’ve potentially helped make a difference!

Robert Lynam,

Second Year, BA International Relations and Spanish 

University of Birmingham

Participated on the 'Up Our Street' programme from 7th November - 31st January 2019