A first for Salford student entrepreneur

Student entrepreneur, Jake Pennington, is graduating from University of Salford Business School(@salfordbizsch) with a first class degree in BA Business Management with Marketing, as well as a thriving social media marketing agency and a graduate role in the music industry under his belt.

Beyond being a Salford Business School graduate, Jake is the Founder and Director of On Point Social, a creative marketing agency specialising in social media marketing and content creation, which he set up in 2023 alongside his studies, thanks to the support of the University’s purpose-built incubation space, Launch@ Salford. In addition, Jake has also secured a graduate role as a Label Assistant at Material Music, which operates out of the helm of dance music, Ministry of Sound.

On his early success, Jake commented: “I’m very proud that I’ve managed to secure what is my dream job post-graduation, something which stemmed from securing my placement with a record label back in second year. Being able to do a year in industry as part of my degree, really has elevated my career opportunities.”

Alongside his studies and his business endeavours, Jake has been responsible for the inception of the University’s first dedicated marketing society, through which he has organised events with industry for his peers, recruited other members to join the society, facilitated networking events and coordinated LinkedIn photoshoots for members.

In addition to his first class degree, Jake also graduates with a distinction in his Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) certificate, which he completed as part of studies at Salford Business School, gaining a professional qualification and membership of the globally renowned professional body.

Dr Angela Byrne, Lecturer in Marketing at Salford Business School, added:

“The music industry is incredibly competitive, but it’s no surprise Jake has managed to land a coveted position in this exciting sector, given his commitment to his studies while balancing launching his own social media marketing company.

“Jake really is an inspiration not only to his peers and Lecturers, but to other students about to embark on their higher education journeys. For this reason, we’ve even leant on him to speak at welcome week to showcase just what you can achieve at undergraduate level and when completing a placement as part of your degree.”

Jake has plans to continue growing his side hustle, On Point Social, alongside his graduate role at Material Music which he has relocated to London for.

Jake Concluded:

“I’m immensely proud of everything I’ve achieved during my time here at Salford. To have my own social media marketing business, as well as to have landed my perfect job prior to graduating wouldn’t have been possible without this whole experience,”