Cameron Botterill

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Placement: Entrepreneurs Circle

I chose to take a placement year to break up the monotony of a regular university degree. Not only that but I knew it would mean I had real world experience and not just the theoretical stuff they teach you in lectures. It was an added bonus that you also got paid!

When I first started with the Entrepreneurs Circle I was helping create the most comprehensive set of resources for business owners online. I learnt technical skills as well as web development stuff I never thought I'd ever need to know. Once that project was done I officially joined the Marketing team. From building sales funnels and organising exhibitions to crafting new product offerings and negotiating advertising, I learnt so much, so quickly. I began writing emails for marketing campaigns and sales letters that ended up bringing in hundreds of thousands of pounds.

I was brought in on a special project around half way into my placement where a group of 8 of us essentially redesigned the entire business model and spent 2 months in a 'War Room' scenario with total authority over everything. After that incredible experience I was put in charge of the entire launch campaign for the new business. It was a huge responsibility. I was writing emails, sales letters, talking with the Daily Mail and Sky News about advertising prices and was in control of a team of 16.

In summary, it seems impossible to describe my role as I’ve had so many— from product development to marketing, copywriting and management... I wore many hats!

I liked the fact that everything was real... At university you read about things and your taught frameworks and theories but in the real world your decisions matter. At the level I got to in my placement, people's jobs depended on my decisions!

After university, I’m returning to Entrepreneurs Circle to head up the International Expansion of the business. So I'll be travelling to India, China, Brazil, USA, etc. to take the brand global. Entrepreneurs  Circle are expected to grow to £100,000,000 in the next 3-4 years and I'm excited to be an integral part of that.