Ever thought about doing something a bit different?

Do you have a vision for a new business?

 
We spoke to Jamie McIvor about his experience of working for a start-up. After a life-threatening accident, Jamie’s perspective on life and his purpose changed. Instead of being in recruitment, a job he didn’t find particularly satisfying, he wanted to follow his passion for renewable energy and do something that he felt made a difference to the world.
 
Jamie graduated from Leeds University with a degree in Chinese & Management. He currently works at Blue Sky Bio, a renewable energy start-up that focuses on the delivery of biologically sourced, sustainable fuel inputs. Reversing rising atmospheric CO2 and global temperatures and producing a Zero-Carbon energy future.

 
Jamie, what can you tell us about your working life?
 
There is no day-to-day structure. That’s why I love it. I don’t need to be in the office 9 – 5, which is a huge plus for me. It’s different for everyone, but as long as I have my computer and I know what it is I need to do, I can work from wherever.
 
As long as I’m continuing to complete the tasks and the benchmarks that I set myself, then I’m making progress. My daily thing is to think about what problems I have to solve and how.
 
At the moment, because this is a start-up, my work is primarily entrepreneurial. So, I’m a man of many hats, a ‘jack of all trades’ (master of none!) and that’s fine! I couldn’t be specialised in this instance because I have to keep going and ride an enthusiasm, or an ambition to make sure I get to where I want.
 
What’s your best piece of advice for starting something new?
 
Close no doors! A potential opportunity for us to demonstrate our work has come through networking. That’s hugely beneficial in business. I can only go as far as I can with what I’ve got, so how I use my network is hugely important.
 

 
 
We will be hearing more from Jamie about what he does, how he got to where he is now & his best advice for new graduates.
 
But for now, if you’re considering doing something a little different, take a look at our self-employment & entrepreneurial section and do something different. We’ve also picked out some great reading material and talks in Useful Sources.