In a rapidly evolving industry, The Student Energy Group (TSEG) has emerged as a trailblazer in the PropTech space. Founded by a group of young, passionate entrepreneurs, TSEG has quickly established itself as a leading student bill provider and utilities company. By leveraging data-driven technologies and a deep understanding of the market, TSEG supports a vast network of landlords, student customers, and suppliers.
Our mission extends beyond business; TSEG are committed to giving back to the community and the environment through initiatives like team volunteering and planting a tree for every sign up (check out our other blogs for more information on these initiatives!).
At the core of TSEG’s success is one of its founders , James Villarreal, whose leadership and vision has been instrumental in the company’s growth. In this blog, we chat with James to explore the inspiration behind TSEG, the values that define their business approach, and the lessons learned along the way.
What was the inspiration behind TSEG?
We knew people that needed our help! The Student Energy Group was set up during the 2022 energy crisis, caused by the Ukraine war – some would say the worst time ever to get involved in a software business that provides energy procurement – but we knew the market well and we knew lots of people needed our help! We expected a challenge but had the platform technology to help both our landlord customers and suppliers and to keep them moving forwards with income streams that some companies rely on. What started off as a group of friends wanting to work – and play more golf – together to now an excelling company. Yes work has taken over, but we wouldn’t change it for the world.
Who do you admire?
This might sound a little cheesy, but genuinely the people I admire the most is the team around me. Their dedication and relentless passion to do more, inspires me every day and so I have a lot of admiration for the work they do!
Equally, as the saying goes, behind every half decent man is a great woman – the admiration I also have for my wife for being the rock of our family is off the charts. Business is one thing but if I went back to an empty house every night, I don’t think the business would work as well and so there is a lot to admire about that.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
Attained a PHD in hindsight! Yes, I would have absolutely done a huge amount differently, but I wouldn’t change any aspect of the journey as each time we learnt as a business and as people and that’s invaluable.
However, if I had to pick one thing I would have done differently, I would have done my due diligence on key suppliers in greater depth. We ended up changing some suppliers that didn’t fit our values and couldn’t live up to the standards our customers deserve, this caused some pain in the startup stages of the business and slowed us down! Doing this properly the second time around has massively helped us get to where we are now.
What defines your way of doing business?
We have one value to ‘simply do the right thing’ whether that’s for the environment, suppliers, customers, each other or our community, we live and breathe this value, and it really means something to everyone in the business. We have many examples of the team doing this and its what cements us all together.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
My advice is to get on with it! You won’t look back and regret the decisions you make if you are the type that is doing it now. Whilst it is tough you build resilience, and you find ways through the dark days so don’t be fearful of that! The end goal is superb and well worth taking that leap.
