Learning Outside of the Classroom

During my time interning for the Temple Small Business Development Center, I learned a lot of valuable things about small businesses, marketing, advertising, and myself. To own and operate a small business takes a lot of hard work and determination. The two clients who I had the pleasure of working with both faced daily struggles. To be a small business owner you must be resilient. Sometimes you have to be able to drop everything, pick up again, and start a whole new marketing plan in the blink of an eye. SOS Daters, a dating coaching service, was the company that I worked more closely with of the two because the work was more hands on. I also felt a personal connection to the company itself and the message she was sending to her target audience. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many times the owner, Annie White, would call me to tell me to “stop the presses” because something in her marketing plan had changed. Being able to work with her and experience the amount of hard work and dedication that she puts into her business was very inspiring. This experience made me realize the interest that I have in entrepreneurship. I admire the way that they are able to persevere and keep building both themselves and the company. I believe that I tend to have the same qualities that it takes to be that kind of leader. If one day I find something that I am passionate about, I would like to become a business owner. During my time interning I also realized that I really have a natural gift for graphics and more creative work. I would like to do work that is more creative based in my future career, despite the fact that I am in the account management track.