Robert Brandl remembers his time at Edinburgh Napier

Robert Brandl took time out from his home university in Munich to study Business Management as part of Edinburgh Napier’s customised programmes over 2002 and 2003.

Robert loved Edinburgh and made the most of his time here - living just off the Royal Mile, in the heart of the Old Town.  He thoroughly enjoyed his course at Edinburgh Napier: “The biggest difference to my courses back in Germany was that at Edinburgh Napier the focus was very much on practical learning rather than theory based. I found all my lecturers very approachable and my favourite course was “Starting a New Business” with Blair Winsor – he is a great lecturer. Thanks to him I learnt how to develop ideas into a business plan and what’s more: my entrepreneurial spark has been lit ever since!”

Robert returned to Germany to finish his studies and after graduating he gained a position as an account manager at a small online marketing agency in Frankfurt, running marketing campaigns with clients from the UK, Asia and Eastern Europe.  Keen to work for himself, Robert decided to set-up a web-based, location-independent business and in 2009 he began work on WebsiteToolTester (http://www.websitetooltester.com) which helps beginners create their own web presence community with easy-to-use website builders.

After launching in German, an English version was added at the end of 2010, which has now been followed by a Spanish version.

“I think local languages still matter a lot but to get the most up to date and quality information on online marketing techniques I rely almost exclusively on English resources. The website has been a great success for me so far and I’ve found the experience really rewarding.  It’s also allowed me to take a two month break to travel Asia while carrying out updates from hostels and coffee shops.”

“I would like to thank Edinburgh Napier for this wonderful and life changing opportunity I found in Edinburgh!”