“Santander Open Academy didn’t just provide me financial support, it offered my business the very first financial support which would launch my career”. - Dr. Shelly-Ann Brown

19/08/2021 | Shelly-Ann Brown

A member of the 2018 Napier University alumni cohort, Dr. Shelly-Ann Brown, is the founder of Economic Lead Global Limited (ELGD), a market and intelligence research company that helps guide universities, as well as businesses, in private, public and third-party sectors. 

Through having a thorough understanding of clients’ institutional context, sector dynamics and macroeconomic environment, locally, regionally and internationally, Dr. Brown’s company enables its clients to confidently make the type of informed decisions needed to grow and lead.

While ELGD is invested in the success of its clients, it’s equally as invested in supporting university students with research projects and high-level journal article writing. 

Dr. Shelly-Ann Brown, founder of Economic Lead Global Limited (ELGD).

Santander Open Academy’ impact on the entrepreneurial journey

Upon graduating, Dr. Brown spent the first year of her career working full-time in consultancy. However, remaining passionate about freelancing, she continued to fuel her passion by freelancing on a part-time basis and the Santander UK Freelancer Scheme helped.

Santander Universities UK is committed to providing financial assistance to self-employed workers severely impacted by the current pandemic and businesses to start rebuilding. Dr. Shelly-Ann Brown has benefited so greatly as a student from the Santander UK Freelancer Scheme and is grateful for the opportunity to help mold a new cohort of Santander scholarship recipients. 

Through taking advantage of the connections she had made with Santander officials and growing those relationships on places such as LinkedIn, Dr. Brown was regularly notified by her connections about unique freelance opportunities to consider. It’s something she attributes to the professional success she enjoys today. The Santander experience taught her the power in growing strong professional relationships. 

“My professional career has changed greatly. Given the Santander experience, I went from part-time freelancing with solo operations, to expanding my work base and client reach on a full-time basis, leading a small team of employees with prospects to expand even further in the near future.”

Dr. Shelly-Ann Brown

What she learned in the Santander program helped her realize she could pair her industry experience and academic background in subjects like economics, business and logistics to make a difference. 

“The demand for my expertise began to progressively grow which earned me a much higher salary. Additionally, I got to lead on what I love to do and serve my clients to the best of my abilities.”

Dr. Shelly-Ann Brown

The Santander experience boosted her reputation and the demand for her service with client retention. Grateful for everything it did for her career, Dr. Brown is committed to providing future scholarship recipients with the same kind of professional support she received.

“My Santander scholarship experience remains nothing short of professional and rewarding. We are growing, and the Santander scholarship will support us during this time, by bringing to the team a marketing and social media executive, which we are currently recruiting for. Definitely, this experience has made me feel like I am a part of the Santander cohort and family.”

Dr. Shelly-Ann Brown
Dr. Shelly-Ann Brown, student from the Santander UK Freelancer Scheme.

Some important freelancing tips

Dr. Brown has some tips for anyone starting their freelance career. First, she says freelancers should follow their passions. She adds, “it will impact your success.”

Along those lines, she believes they should explore topics of interest and get a feel for the demand of those same topics. Beyond finding their freelancing niche, Dr. Brown explains freelancers must nurture business networks and maintain strong client relationships.

In addition, she suggests that freelancers find opportunities to diversify their services. It’s important to discover new niche audiences and innovative ideas to help differentiate themselves and their services.

Last, but certainly not least, Dr. Brown says freelancers must “put themselves out there.” It can be daunting to enter the freelance market at first, but going all-in is crucial to growing a strong identity

The opportunity to push forward your idea

As you have read, the financial assistance provided by Santander Universities UK helped Dr. Shelly-Ann Brown to grow her business, so what are you waiting for? Now it’s time to write your own success story. 

Banco Santander, through Santander Open Academy, over the past 25 years, has awarded 630,000 grants and scholarships to students from almost 1,000 different universities and institutions in 19 different countries. In addition, Santander Open Academy are aimed at helping professionals in developing their project. They are directly impacting their lives and businesses by empowering them to grow. 

To achieve this goal, Banco Santander is committed to boost employability through lifelong learning. Take a look at Santander Open Academy website and you will find hundreds of opportunities for the acquisition of new knowledge in different areas, such as technology, languages, studies, research, internships or women's leadership, and training in the transversal skills most in demand by companies.

 

Do you want to grow your business, like Dr. Brown, improve your employability or reorient your professional career? Check out the Santander Open Academy website and boost your career!

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shelly-ann-brown

Dr. Shelly-Ann Brown, member of the 2018 Napier University alumni cohort and founder of Economic Lead Global Limited (ELGD).

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