Interning at a Small Startup

Hi All! My name is Nicole and I’m a Senior here at Temple majoring in Advertising with a minor in International Business. When thinking about internships, my mind always went to bigger advertising agencies and marketing firms. That changed last spring when I found an internship at Pals Socks. 

What immediately attracted me to Pals Socks was the mission. Pals Socks is a small startup that sells purposely mismatched socks with a big message. The socks are mismatched not only to be fun and quirky, but also to push inclusivity and acceptance. Pals Socks are products that teach kids about diversity and inclusion in a fun way. The socks pair two different animals, foods or things that should be opposites, like a dog and a cat, to show that they have although there are differences between the two, they are still friends. 

Interning at Pals has given me access to opportunities that might not be possible at bigger companies. In this post I will explain why stepping out of the ad agency box and interning at a small startup was the best decision for me and why you should try it too. 

1) I Get Involved In Projects That Are Outside My Original Role

This summer I have been interning as a Search Engine Marketing intern at Pals Socks. My daily roles include keyword research, developing and implementing strategies for search engine marketing and creating and managing search campaigns. While I love doing what I was hired to do, one of the coolest parts of interning at a startup is that I get to have a hand in everything. From working on social media posts to helping with graphic design, I have been able to help with and get insight on different topics that I might not have access to in a bigger company.

2) I Get To See All Aspects of Running A Business First Hand

Pals’ office is in a renovated warehouse in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia. All inventory is stored there and all orders are shipped out from there. This gives me the unique access to see all aspects of the business up close and personal. From preparing for trade shows, to solving supply chain issues, to shipping out orders, I have seen some of the many different aspects to running a startup. This has been the coolest and most interesting part about interning at Pals. 

My advice for those looking for internships is while interning at a bigger advertising agency is a great experience and can teach you a lot, small startups should not be overlooked. If you have any interest in business or starting your own company one day, interning at a startup provides priceless learning opportunities. Interning at Pals has taught me a lot about myself, my abilities, and how businesses are run.