Interning at a Start-Up

Hi, my name is Hannah Goldstein and I had the pleasure of Interning at a Northern Liberties, neighborhood medical spa: Nirvana Wellness Med Spa. During my time at Temple, I have definitely found a motivation to advocate for small businesses and be an asset to their success. Thankfully, Nirvana entrusted me to create, curate, and manage their Instagram, and at this time it is their major form of Advertising. Over the past semester, their Instagram page has gained at least one thousand more followers than when I began. I cannot give all this credit to myself, the spa was featured in local magazines, collaborations, and giveaways that sparked a lot of followings.

Working at a start-up company is a great experience for people who want to wear a lot of hats, be involved in the future of the company, and have their opinion be valued by the owners. It was inspiring to be a part of the growth within this business and see the gritty side of owning a small business. Managing Instagram was a great experience but challenging at times to keep content flowing, doing a brand re-style and figuring out Instagram’s whacky algorithm.

I am definitely grateful for the knowledge I gained about skin, medical spa treatments, and skin injectables that I could take to further my career. One thing I wished I had thought about before signing on for this social media internship is the fact that social media eliminates space and time, there are no closing hours to Instagram and that was a little stressful while also being a full-time student plus being employed part-time. It really tested my ability to keep up with school, Instagram posts, stories, comments, and DMs every day while also having myself to take care of. But with pressure, I was able to form into a multi-tasking figure, of an all-day doer.

Working with a business that has a team on the smaller side means that everyone is communicating on a personal level every day. I was in contact with my mentor/boss every day throughout the day, so you see all sides of people, the good days and the bad, included. I was so grateful for the support that came from a small team, everyone cares for your well-being, offering helpful advice or just a hug. Especially being involved in a women-owned and operated business was inspiring and showed that with perseverance anything is possible, with an example that Nirvana was founded in the midst of the pandemic and is still flourishing today.

If you are looking for a first-time internship with a local business, be willing to adapt to pressure, and have no expectations. Things will be frustrating but everyone is learning and you will gain irreplaceable experience while being trusted to wear multiple hats. When in a larger business, interns may not be entrusted with such responsibilities. Also having this sense of family at a small business is very supportive and sometimes can’t be created in larger companies no matter how hard it is tried to be implemented. From this experience, I gained knowledge in writing for social media, managing an account, furthering their brand voice, and curating a rebrand.