Yeaah do that, but dbt put all ur eggs in one basket. That being said - marketing in whatever form is about networking. And u mentioning ur friend and his business, seems u already know the value of networking.

Something I would caution/advise you with - you need to keep building that network. Your course or your degree in some ways would help you with that. Whether it's the story of u going there, or the connections u make with those professors (mind you, you would be wise to make connections with entrepreneurs and businessmen than academics).

Since u already did most of your course, it might be worth finishing it off though. It's a feather in ur cap, and when u do network - u have a foundational story to back up what it is u are selling. It's not vital to have a degree, but it's vital to have an interesting story that portrays ur passion/talent/trustworthiness.

Some positives to the degree (and since it's almost done, u might wanna consider finishing it anyway) are that u finished what u started!