Stanley Willett

Stanley Willett, a 2020 graduate of Kent Business School in Management (Business Analytics), began his career as a Business Analyst in London. He later co-founded Atlas Project, a sustainability-focused start-up, where he currently serves as COO alongside his full-time role.

Stanley attributes his entrepreneurial spirit to his university education, highlighting the 'New Enterprise' module as pivotal. He advises aspiring entrepreneurs to leverage university resources and dive into the challenges of starting a business.

Tell us about your career path since graduation.

Since graduating from Kent Business School, my career path has been nothing short of a whirlwind!

After graduating, I managed to secure a role on a graduate scheme to be trained as a Business Analyst for a consulting firm in London. I spent 2 years with this company, from home may I add, due to COVID, and decided that I wanted to make a real difference to the world rather than stay in a comfortable job and not achieving something to be proud of.

Firstly, I found myself a new job as a fully qualified Business Analyst, for a Wealth Management firm in central London, where I still work today, heading up various projects in their business change team.

Having drinks with my best friend from secondary school, I was talking about my ambitions to start my own company that could actually make a difference to the world, when, by pure chance, he revealed he was having thoughts about starting his own sustainability focused business. There and then our business partnership was formed and our company, Atlas Project, was born.

Now I am working full time as a Business Analyst and growing my start-up in all of my spare time! 

What does a typical work day look like for you?

My typical workday tends to be extremely busy, fast paced but most importantly, fun! 
I wake up around 06:30 and have made a conscious habit of reading first thing for 30-45 minutes with a cup of tea. 
I will then work on my own business, replying to emails, scheduling meetings and taking care of admin, before logging on for my full time job at 09:00. My typical work day as a business analyst will involve quite a few meetings, project specific work and planning sessions. 
During my lunch break I typically take calls for my own business, meeting potential clients and working on our marketing strategy with my business partner. 
After work, I will typically do some form of exercise. I will either go on a long bike ride, head to the gym, or go to a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class. 
My evenings are then reserved for relaxation and family time. A nice home cooked meal, watching TV and reading a book is my ideal way to relax and get ready for work the next day.

Can you share a professional highlight from your career so far?

A highlight from my career has been seeing my company grow into what it is today. Atlas Project supports some of the most important and impactful environmental projects around the world and I am incredibly proud to see the real difference to our planet and to livelihoods that we support on a daily basis.

For example, we have recently funded a tree planting project in Tanzania where we were able to plant various species of fruit trees using sustainable farming methods. This means the top soil is looked after and made sure it will be able to support the trees for their entire lifecycle, whilst also training the local community on how to farm more sustainably and be able to support themselves with healthy land for generations to come.

How did your time at Kent help you achieve your current career?

My time at Kent Business School was undoubtedly instrumental to the person I am today and the success I have achieved in both my professional career and with my own start up business.

I remember taking a 'New Enterprise' module during my second year, were we had to come up with a business plan for an innovative new business in any industry we wanted. This module really helped me to understand how you would go about turning a concept into a business plan and then into an operating company.

What advice would you give to our current/prospective students who are looking to get into the same line of work?

If you are someone who is looking to start your own business, then I would recommend that you just go for it! 

It can be a lot of work, and you will feel like you are swimming in the deep end when you start. But, it is such a rewarding journey, and hopefully you will get the chance to grow something you can be extremely proud of. 

I would also recommend that you utilise the resources available to you at UKC when it comes to networking and support for those looking to start their own business.

Did you get involved in any extracurricular activities as a student?

Yes, I got involved in lots of extracurricular when I was a student.

I was a part of the American Football club during my first year, I then joined the Rugby team and the MMA club in my second two years.

Do you have a favourite memory from your time at Kent?

I have lots of great memories from my time at Kent. My three years spent in Canterbury were some of the best in my life. Hanging out with my friends, playing sports, going to Venue, exploring all the great restaurants in Canterbury are all fantastic memories for me.

Perhaps my fondest memory in playing in the Varsity rugby match and beating CCCU in my final year!

Is there anything you would do differently if you could repeat your time at Kent?

If I had my time at Kent again, I would most definitely utilise the fantastic network that KBS has even more so than I did when I was there. I feel like starting my business would have been a lot more of a straight forward process had I have taken advantage of all the help at KBS.I would also try to attend as many lectures as possible and take more wild modules as it is only as I would have been able to learn so much more!

Are you still in touch with other Kent alumni or academics?

Yes I am in touch with Rebecca and Artur from the ASPIRE team, who have been extremely kind and welcoming to me and helped me enormously with my business.

What are your future ambitions?

My future ambitions are to grow Atlas Project into the 'go to' sustainability platform for both individuals and businesses around the world.

We want to make a real difference in the world and it is my ambition to make that happen!