Undergraduate: Rory Balances Finance Degree and Entrepreneurial Venture
Rory McLaughlan is a BSc Finance student and the entrepreneurial founder of Mystery Shirt in a Box.
We interviewed Rory as part of World Entrepreneurs’ Day 2022.
Rory is 19 years old and currently studying Finance at the School. Alongside his studies he has founded my own business, Mystery Shirt In A Box, and runs this part-time whilst also playing semi-professional football.
Why did you decide to go down the entrepreneurial route?
Being in control of myself has always appealed to me. I like to decide when and how I want to work. I was always inspired by e-commerce brands in general such as Gymshark and Sports Direct.
I started buying and selling second hand football shirts online in school, flipping them on eBay and Depop, which then grew into my first online store rorysfootballshirts.com. When I joined the School to start my undergraduate Finance degree, I decided to rebrand and scale my most profitable product, my mystery football shirts. This became my business, ‘Mystery Shirt in a Box'.
Mystery Shirt in a Box is an e-commerce business that supplies football fans with shirts from around the world through mystery products. Dedicated to disrupting the football industry, our innovative product puts the fan first.
Studying modules such as accounting in my degree course has helped me throughout my business journey, especially when filling in VAT returns!
What top tips do you have for students interested in becoming entrepreneurs?
Find something you’re passionate about, find a problem you can fix, then blend the two together and work your hardest to pull it off. Hard work, determination, passion, initiative and confidence are definitely attributes that a successful entrepreneur should have.
A challenge I came across when starting my own business was the lack of funds to start up with. Some people think you need a few thousand pounds to begin, but I found that the less money you have the better, as you get to be more creative and innovative with how you sell and market yourself.
Rory with his team of staff
Most importantly, read, listen, and consume as much content as possible. Whether you’re reading Forbes magazine and newspaper business sections, or listening to podcasts like Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO and Matt Kelly’s The Midnight Pod, immerse yourself in the business world.
Rory has made over 10,000 sales through his business, alongside his studies. The future is bright for Rory and wish him the best of luck!
Find Rory online:
