5 Ways to Get the Most out of Your Entrepreneurial Internship
My entrepreneurial internship with 2ULaundry is complete, and I’m finding it hard to believe that my summer project, creating and developing a Customer Care Playbook (a playbook that will support the training of new employees by helping them understand the procedures followed by 2ULaundry), is complete. Thirty thousand words and 106 pages of detailed procedures submitted.
In the final week of my internship, I had the opportunity to present the summer-long project to the rest of the team. As expected, it was difficult to condense all the information in just one presentation, but our team did a great job.
I can’t describe how thankful I am for this entrepreneurial opportunity. This was, by far, the most insightful and challenging internship experience I’ve had. Interning for a startup like 2ULaundry gave me an incredibly unique experience. I say unique because there are not many companies that will allow a young professional intern like me, take the lead on such an important company initiative. The feeling of contributing to the team and helping the company achieve its goal was very motivating.
I believe that much of the motivational issues faced by young professionals today is due to a lack of meaning in their work. I can assure you, that wasn’t the case for me. I was motivated every single day, and I was excited to work hard and evolve our project. It was an absolute pleasure to work, learn, and grow at 2ULaundry.
Based on my incredible summer internship experience, I would like to share with you my top 5 tips that will help you have a positive entrepreneurial summer internship:
- Find a company that shares the same values as you. Shared values not only bring meaning to your work daily but also motivates and inspires you to do everything with excellence.
- Be efficient with your work. Startups run at a fast pace, and you need to deliver excellence in a short amount of time. Regardless of how much time you have, your final result is of utmost importance.
- Ask questions. At times during my first few weeks, it was difficult to comprehend all of the new information that was coming my way. I learned quickly that if I didn’t ask questions, I would not be able to do my work with excellence. When I didn’t know or understand something, I asked.
- Be active. Don’t wait for your supervisor to tell you what to do. Take the initiative. There is always something that needs to be done at a startup and waiting for your supervisor to give you a task, will not only hold the company back but will also hold you back. Be active and look for opportunities to make a difference.
- Have fun. This is the most crucial part because the culture of the company you intern for is one of the most important aspects of having a successful internship. Culture is everything.
2ULaundry was the perfect place for me, and I’m beyond grateful to have had this opportunity. I’m now back home in Brazil for the rest of the summer. I brought my good memories and some blue and pink laundry bags with me.
Written by Gabriel Benzecry, #WakeEntrepreneur