Never Settling for Less at a Small Agency
Finding My Voice at Work
At a small agency, there is no room to settle or to hide. Quite literally, in my case, as I sit less than 10 feet away from the President. It’s equal parts scary, exciting, overwhelming, and well… It still is even after a few months. Every question I ask, every mistake I make, and every idea I share is seen and that visibility has pushed me to grow faster than I ever expected.
I work as a Brand Coordinator at a start-up called Skinny, A Creative Studio. I found this opportunity after taking the strategy course for the National Student Advertising Competition with adjunct professor Tim Rivera, who later became my boss. I had previously served as an Account Management Intern at Digitas Health in Philadelphia. So, after experiencing both Account and Strategy, I was hooked on finding a balance between the two.
Luckily, Skinny gave me the space to explore that balance hands-on. It’s not just a generic title, I get to work as Account with some clients and as Strategy on others. It’s also about learning how the two mindsets work with each other. This allows me to not just do the work, but to understand the “why” behind it.
Admittedly, this was hard for me. I came from a very buttoned-up task-oriented internship at a large agency. This whole “on the ground floor” business was disorienting as a student. In a small agency, silence isn’t mistaken for confidence. It’s just silence. And that realization changed how I approached my work.
As I’m sure fellow interns would understand, every project feels personal. I’m very lucky to have a vocal support group. My boss will always let me know the work I’m doing is good. But no matter if it’s my mom, my partner, or my boss with over 20+ years in the industry with a lot of authority on the subject speaking towards it, I still have to fight that imposter-syndrome feeling of “I’m doing everything wrong.”
Instead of shrinking myself, I’ve learned that curiosity and honesty are key. Again, asking questions is important. Being honest about what you don’t know is too. Trust me, trying to play it cool when your boss asks you about a “spec sheet” is not the way to go. Just ask.
So no matter how scary it is starting out, show up, speak up, and never settle for less than what you came to learn.
