Business Personal Statement

I am determined to become a successful businessman. However, I do not hold this aspiration for selfish reasons of material self-enrichment, but rather because I am aware of the fact that businesses can transform communities by offering opportunities to those who previously had none. The virtuous cycle of free enterprise, for example through expanding businesses creating  employment and the newly employed in turn creating further economic growth as they spend their wages, is a wonderful thing, and I cannot imagine a career path that would be more rewarding than being able to create such opportunities by being an entrepreneur. It has been a pleasure to study business and accounting at college, and I am looking forward to studying business in much greater depth through taking an undergraduate degree in the United Kingdom. It has been very rewarding to learn about the big picture of the overall goals of different businesses and the methods by which they achieve them, and it has equally been very interesting to find out about the minutiae of how businesses operate on a day-to-day basis. The experience of my studies so far has made me highly conscious of the complexities of business and management, which make it essential for any aspiring businessperson to receive an excellent academic grounding before they enter the professional world.

Whilst I recognise the necessity of academic study to gain the skills that are necessary to succeed in business, it also seems clear to me that successful businessmen possess a range of personal attributes that cannot be taught. Reading biographies and memoirs by a range of world-famous business leaders such as Warren Buffett and Bill Gates has made me realise that their astonishing successes are also a result of aspects of their personal characteristics, such as their single-mindedness, their ability to make sound judgements, and their courage to pursue their goals in spite of adversity. Learning about individuals such as these has helped to strengthen my determination to become a noted entrepreneur without sacrificing my ethical principles, such as my belief that business activities must benefit the wider community.

I enjoyed the taste of the commercial world that I gained through working as a sales assistant at a computer store. I believe that no matter how great one’s ambitions or potential, it is vital that anyone who works in the business world gains a taste of life on the shop floor, so that they can understand how businesses operate in the market. My experience of working as a sales assistant gave me a great insight into numerous aspects of business operations, such as the importance of building an effective sales team through training and excellent man-management; the role that each individual plays within the greater whole of the company; and the ways in which sales can be maximized. Reflecting my commitment and graft, I am proud to be able to say that whilst holding this job I surpassed every target that was set for me by my supervisor.

I have also found that playing sports has been a very fulfilling method of putting one of the core ingredients of a successful business, namely teamwork, into practice. I love competing as part of a team in a range of sports, including basketball, swimming, badminton, table tennis and snooker. What inspires me most about playing sports as part of a team is the fact that each individual’s efforts are put towards the greater good of the whole team, meaning each team member has an active interest in helping their team mates and performing in an unselfish manner. I have also enjoyed the teamwork aspects of the voluntary projects I have been involved in in the past, in particular fund-raising for deprived areas of my home country. I enjoy the spirit of self-sacrifice in the name of the less fortunate that lies at the heart of charity work, and I hope to be involved in voluntary initiatives whilst studying at university in the UK.