How Preparation at LSST Shaped My Entrepreneurial Journey
By Andrei Barbu, DET (Diploma in Education and Training) student and Student Ambassador, at LSST Birmingham
I am a former student who turned LSST into my career launchpad. Two years ago, I was balancing my time between classes and trying to build something of my own. I already had experience in social media management and was working with small businesses that needed support with online promotion. Like many early-stage entrepreneurs, I had ambition but I was still learning how to translate this into a stable and scalable business.
Today, I lead Chill Art Studio UK, a digital marketing agency working with entrepreneurs, creators, and communities across the UK and internationally. In less than six months after completing the DET (Diploma in Education and Training) course at LSST, the company’s revenue grew from approximately £600 per month to £10,000 per month.
For me, the course represented a launching point – not only because of the academic content, but also because of the mentors, the opportunities to connect with other students, the trust placed in us, and, most importantly, the chance to work as a Student Ambassador within LSST’s Marketing Department. It was here that I began to see communication, professional relationships, and the process of building something meaningful around an idea in a very different way.
During my studies, I became a Student Ambassador and began engaging more deeply with the university community. It was through this environment that one of the most meaningful early collaborations in my entrepreneurial journey began: meeting Oana Bindar, an LSST student doing the same DET course as I did, who is the founder of a women’s community, and she was willing to help me extend my digital marketing portfolio.
What started as a simple connection between two students gradually grew into something far more meaningful – a professional collaboration. Looking back, I now see it as a clear example of how ideas, relationships and ambition can evolve into real-world impact when the right environment supports them. In my case, it also reflects how two successful businesses founded by LSST students can develop side by side, each growing in its own direction while still being shaped by the same foundation.
LSST gave me access to people – to a network – but it also gave me confidence and visibility. I genuinely believe that’s what makes the difference. It’s not always just about information or technical knowledge – sometimes what matters most is being placed in an environment where you feel encouraged to actually test your ideas in the real world.
Today, my agency intentionally moves away from a traditional and templated approach to digital marketing. Before any campaign, design, or strategy is created, I always start by understanding the person behind the brand – who they are, how they think, and how they want to be seen.
I don’t believe in copy-and-paste messaging. If you don’t understand a client’s personality, their tone of voice, and the values they genuinely hold, then communication quickly becomes generic and ineffective. Real connection is what makes marketing work.
Alongside social media management, my agency also provides business consultancy, growth strategy, copywriting, and tailored digital campaigns built entirely around each client’s identity and long-term goals.
Even while building my business, I’ve remained closely involved with LSST initiatives, continuing in my role as a Student Ambassador and contributing to the wider LSST community and its development.
Recently, I also had the opportunity to deliver training sessions as part of LSST’s Youth Trailblazers Programme at LSST Birmingham, where I spoke about content creation, personal branding, artificial intelligence, copywriting, and the wider opportunities the digital world offers to the next generation.
It wasn’t a formal lecture or a theory-heavy presentation. It felt much more like a conversation – honest, practical, and grounded in reality – about the world young people are stepping into, and why it matters that they learn how to create and communicate.
I spoke to them about starting with very limited resources, and how something as simple as a laptop and a phone can genuinely become powerful tools for building something real. And above all, I wanted to reinforce that professional independence is no longer something reserved for large organisations or people with decades of experience.
Digital marketing is no longer the future – it is the present. And students who understand that early will always have a significant advantage.
When I reflect on my journey, it really comes down to this: what becomes possible when a student finds the right environment to develop their ideas, the right people who believe in them, and the right opportunities that can change their direction completely.
For me, LSST was where all of those elements came together. Success truly does happen when preparation meets opportunity – and I was fortunate enough to find both at LSST.
My journey also reflects the wider mission of LSST. LSST is more than a provider of high-quality education; it is an institution that actively supports students and provides growth opportunities, and enables individuals to build meaningful connections that translate into tangible, real-world success. At LSST, education is not simply delivered – it becomes the foundation for genuine and lasting transformation.
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