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Sarp Metin
Mizansen Limited
2015 Graduate Sarp Metin set up this consultancy business. It's focused on textile sourcing as well as providing manufacturing direction.
Meet the founder
Name: Sarp Metin
Location: London, UK
Studied: International Marketing MSc
Graduated: 2015
Connect with Sarp on LinkedIn >
What inspired you to start your own business?
My father and my connections in fashion and music.
What is the best part of running your own business?
Flexibility, making your judgment without any outside influence and bearing both the positive and negative outcomes of your decisions. It's a great learning experience. Teaches you the basics of Accounting in the UK too, which I believe is a must-have for every self-employed person.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced running your own business and how did you overcome it?
Weathering the storm that was the coronavirus pandemic right when I was setting up my company. Patience, time, and savings have helped while I kept my costs to a minimum until Fall 2020. I believe online networking is essential and is miles better than in-person networking. However, the best combination would be to make the intro through online means to then convert it to a series of face-to-face conversations to build rapport.
What is your 5 year vision for the business?
I might turn the consultancy into a design agency with a focus on artist representation and capsule garment collections.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to anyone wanting to start their own business?
I'd tell them to take their time and weigh their options in multiple roles under companies of varying scales before they bite the bullet - and make sure to have some savings the business can use as a Director's Loan or equivalent.
Were there any key moments during your time at NUBS which ignited your entrepreneurial spirit?
We had a module sponsored by Greggs plc where they requested NUBS students to come up with new product proposals. Thanks to our international backgrounds, all groups were able to suggest products and flavours that were new to the UK at the time. Can safely say that not only this module, but the entirety of the International Marketing MSc programme had ignited my entrepreneurial spirit to return home at once to familiarise myself with garment manufacturing under my father’s tutelage.
About Mizansen Limited
I founded London-based Mizansen Limited in January 2020. This was right before the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's a consultancy business focused on textile sourcing. It also provides manufacturing direction. I made use of my father's manufacturing contacts that he has been fostering in Turkey for over 35 years. I also leveraged my knowledge from my undergraduate degree in economics and my International Marketing MSc from NUBS. I wrote write business plans for SMEs. At the same time I prepared digital marketing assets for companies. I'm now an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.