If You Want Something Done, Do It Yourself.
And the way imre changed my understanding of this phrase.
My name is Sophia Whitney. I’m a junior advertising major with concentrations in copywriting and brand strategy and research; I’m also the copywriting intern at Imre. Imre is a dual consumer and healthcare advertising agency with offices in Philadelphia(where I’m based), Baltimore, New York, and Los Angeles. They are LGBTQ+ owned and were Adweek’s fastest-growing agency in 2020.
I began my internship in January 2022, expecting to discover a new work culture and get more experience copywriting. What I got was that, and then some. Imre is a great company to intern at as they truly want their interns to succeed and network. One of the best things I learned at Imre was said by partner and CEO Dave Imre. I had the chance to meet Mr. Imre at a Q&A with the Imre partners and interns, during which I was able to ask Mr. Imre, “What drove you to found Imre?”. He said he didn’t know of a place that had everything he wanted in terms of culture and work, so he founded one himself. This made me think of the phrase “if you want something done, do it yourself”. I normally hear this in a negative context as though you’re the only person you can rely on. However, the way Mr. Imre put it made me think of it in a more positive way.
Imre is all about doing things yourself, but also collaboratively. It was founded on the belief of “do it yourself”, but that doesn’t have to mean alone. I found during my internship that I collaborated with the art direction intern, and received great feedback from my supervisor and all the other people I had the opportunity to work with. It felt very “do it yourself” in that I was encouraged to reach out to anyone I wanted to meet or work with. Imre gives their interns a lot of agency in how their internship goes, which helps build a strong work ethic and confidence. However, not all companies encourage their interns in the same way, so it’s important to bring the “do it yourself” mindset wherever you go.
When starting an internship, go in with an open mind and “do it yourself”. The biggest factor in the success of your internship is you, so get things done and don’t be afraid to network within your agency. Work is work, it can be frustrating and tedious, but there’s nothing like the feeling of getting something done. If this experience has taught me anything it’s that there is so much to learn about pretty much everything, so don’t be afraid to ask questions and make mistakes, the worst thing you can do is fail to try.
Hi Sophia! I love that your internship experience gave you the lessons that you were hoping for and more. It is so rewarding to know that the places we are putting our time and work into as an intern are rising above our expectations. Leaving with more valuable information is always a goal! I really enjoyed reading your post, especially how you discuss the “do it yourself” phrase. I have also regarded this type of comment more negatively, and the way that Imre has reframed this for you through experience is refreshing. I agree that our biggest success factor is ourselves, and we really have to be open coming into internships and ready to go above and beyond. I am glad that you had a positive experience with Imre and learned lessons that will undoubtedly benefit you in your future endeavors!
Hi Sophia, Imre sounds like a great place to work! I really love that the CEO put such a positive spin on a phrase with a negative connotation and in turn, changed your entire perspective on work. I’ve also definitely fallen prey to the mentality of “do it yourself” so hearing about his journey and where its led him is inspiring.
Sophia, I love the title of your post! I agree with every notion you have written here. I consider myself a hustler and a do-it-yourself kind of gal, and I definitely agree that the success of your internship is you. When I had first started my internship I felt very similar to what you have described here; afraid to ask questions and afraid of being wrong. I too found that there is so much to learn and the best way is to immerse yourself with the team you are learning from. I think it is so great that you were able to find an internship at a company that aligns with your personality of beliefs. I wish you the best of luck in the future!
Hi Sophia! I really enjoyed reading your blog! The first thing that caught my eye was your title, “If you want something done, do it yourself,” because this is something I believe myself. Mr. Imre sounds like a great man who knows what he needs to do to get what he wants. My question though is when does doing it yourself become too much? An agency can’t be run by just one person, you need a team to make it happen. Sometimes having delegated tasks can make working much more efficient and practical.