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Entrepreneurship Development Institute Internship 2014 – Second Week

July 23, 2014/in India/by admin

EDI sent us (Bradley and Addison) to Varanasi to investigate the local branch of the Producer Company, an organization of weavers, dyers, master weavers and other members of the crafting process. Once we arrived in Varanasi, we made our way to our accommodations. After crossing a temporary bridge–which will need to be dismantled as soon as monsoon season comes–and a short five-minute trek, we arrived at our guesthouse surrounded by picturesque scenery, animal life and the local school.

On our first day of work, we met our employers from EDI who work with the Producer Company Limited (PCL). PCL assists weavers in three clusters surrounding Varanasi: Kotwa, Lohta, and Ramnagas. We had a very productive first day visiting Kotwa, which is also where the head office of PCL is located. We were amazed to find out that this rural village was made up of 30,000 weavers! Although our first day of work was challenging, it proved very productive with our objectives changing and reshaping as the day wore on.

Ultimately, we decided that our first objective would be to encourage more weavers to join the Producer Company Limited. To achieve this, we created promotional materials with case studies that could be distributed to all weavers. We highlighted Mushtaqueem, a master weaver who exports domestically and internationally as a case study to demonstrate how beneficial joining the Producer Company Limited could be. We really enjoyed our time with Mushtaqueem, and we could tell that he truly cared about his weavers.

In addition to collecting case studies for promotional use, we were able to learn from our visit more about the ancient art of handloom and to understand more about the Producer Company Limited. We’d like to add that this visit was also a great opportunity to buy scarves by the bulk!

After meeting with Mushtaqueem, we went a couple blocks down in the Ramnagas cluster and met with the chairman of the Producer Company Limited – Amresh. Amresh was extremely helpful and provided us with a lot of detail that will help us bring tourists to the Ramnagas cluster. By attracting tours to this cluster, we hope to increase both domestic and international brand recognition and to increase of sales and revenue stream for the Producer Company Limited.

To savor the precious time we have in Varanasi, we have used every opportunity to explore this vibrant city. We’ve visited the palace where the Ramnagas King and Queen live, explored the river Ganges by boat, witnessed the candle prayer vigils on the steps of Varanasi, and seen a cow drink from a mans hand which was coming out a street tap! It seems, however, that wherever we go there’s a slightly amusing tourist fee – ‘20 rupees for Indian citizens and 150 rupees for foreign tourists’ read the sign at Ramnagas palace. Nevertheless, we feel we got our money’s worth when we saw the King and Queen of Ramnagas leave their palace; this will forever be our claim to fame!

Bradley & Addison

Bonnie Hong, London Internship—Economics & Finance Track

July 16, 2014/in London/by admin

Interned in Marketing and Research at AltAssets, an online financial news website, Spring 2014

Internship: I interned with AltAssets, which is an online financial news website in the private equity and venture capital industry. I was a marketing and research assistant, where my main project consisted of planning the upcoming Limited Partner Summit. My job involved reaching out to potential speakers, preparing logistical matters such as invitations, and finding sponsors for the event. In addition, I was assigned to encourage new and recurring subscriptions for our premium newsletters.

I Learned: From my internship, I was able to learn more about the private equity and venture capital industry and be able to understand how AltAssets’s Limited Partner & General Partner Network was able to connect users to active funds. Throughout this abroad experience, I was truly able to learn how to be a smarter traveler. With time, I wasn’t afraid to go to new places despite of not knowing the language or its transportation system. I knew how to plan for different sights and be able to take advantage of every moment I had abroad.

What Surprised Me: This may be silly, but I remember everyone’s reaction to shopping for groceries. We were all surprised in how quickly the food went bad because markets tend not to use preservatives in their food, and how British people didn’t refrigerate their eggs!

Hardest Part: How fast time flew by! We all wanted to stay during the weekends to experience all of London, but it was just as tempting to want to hop on a flight to explore another part of Europe. With only four short months, I could only plan so many trips before my wallet was crying or, frankly, before I was just too tired from traveling. Planning and preparation was super crucial!

Best Part: The people I met, the places I got to see, and all the food that I got to try. This was my first time in Europe, and I absolutely wouldn’t know how else to remember my experiences than with sharing it with a bunch of my friends abroad!

My Tips:

Prepare and plan early for traveling. Knowing what you want to see and do will help use your time more effectively.
Check out all the free events! (museums, markets, parks)
Book Social Programme events. BU plans a variety of events at a discounted price that are worth checking out.

Jimmy Luo, Sydney Management Internship

July 15, 2014/in Sydney/by admin

Interned in Marketing at fashion retailer The Iconic, Spring 2014

Internship: I interned at The Iconic, Australia’s leading online fashion retailer. As an intern in the marketing department, I worked specifically in the areas of search engine optimization (SEO), conversion rate optimization (CRO), and business intelligence. Most of my work involved manipulating and making sense of large datasets in order to make strategic decisions at the online and business operations levels. One of the major projects I took on involved using a software called Optimizely to conduct A/B testing across the entire website. Using the findings, we were able to redesign and implement a more modern website, thereby leading to greater traffic and revenue uplift.

I Learned: As cliché as it sounds, I learned that Australians truly have a work-to-live, rather than a live-to-work mentality. It was common among employees to hit the pub during midday for a drink or two before finishing up the last few hours of their day. Additionally, the lunch breaks were long, very long. I was encouraged to take off 45 minutes to an hour for lunch as opposed to the American workplace, which usually limits lunch to 15 to 30 minutes, at least from my past experiences. At my workplace, a “standup” was also held at the end of every week. The standup was the company’s social get-together. It was a great way to just kick back and have a couple of beers with some mates.

In terms of a personal learning experience, I learned to manage my budget wisely, especially while studying abroad in a country like Australia, where most things are twice the price of that in America (including alcohol). Because traveling was my priority, I had to make some sacrifices. My groceries consisted mainly of home brand labels and I cut back heavily on unnecessary items like junk foods.

What Surprised Me: I was very surprised to learn how lightly I could pack for my travels. On all the various trips I took around Australia and parts of Asia, I carried a single Swiss Gear backpack that held about a week’s worth of clothing max. I learned to leave behind unnecessary items and just unplug myself from technology while traveling. Personally, I think traveling is about being in the moment, and by carrying only necessities, I was truly able to do that.

Hardest Part: The hardest part of studying abroad in Australia was definitely trying to fit everything I wanted to do under my budget. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to do everything on my bucket list. Fortunately, I got to visit all the places that I prioritized highly. It’s not always feasible to visit everywhere, but I think with careful planning and budget management, traveling to the places you want to visit most is doable.

Best Part: The best part of going through the Management Internship Program was definitely being able to “live abroad” rather than just “study abroad.” Unlike the Sydney Internship Program, the management program allowed us to study at the University of Sydney. Being able to study at an Australian institution was not only a great change in setting, but also it was a great way to interact with Australian students and learn more about their culture. From working in an Australian company to studying at an Australian institution, I felt like I was actually living abroad for 6 months.

My Tips: The best tip I can give to those in the management program is to just take in every moment. The six-month program starts to feel a bit long around month 5 and the anticipation of returning home starts to kick in, however, my best advice is to just fight that feeling of wanting to leave. Be in the moment as much as possible because like everything else, time seems to fly by quickly in retrospect. A couple of points I think are important to highlight: