Gabby Bernstein started a small business selling pop culture memorabilia and developed skills in website and graphic design, marketing, and time management.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
My internship was starting a small business selling shot glasses promoting candidates for the 2024 election. I completed a huge variety of work throughout this experience. I learned so many new skills such as website construction, photography, graphic design, marketing and so much more. Not only did I learn all of these transferable skills, but I also learned how to be a business owner, which required a ton of organization and determination.
The work for the second semester of my entrepreneurial internship was very different compared to the first semester. After laying the groundwork of designing products and creating my website, I shifted my focus to social media marketing and learning how to best engage with my audience. I also put time into testing strategies like thanking my customers and keeping in contact with them to build rapport and increase customer referrals.
What was your favorite part of the internship?
My favorite and most satisfying part about my internship is satisfaction in seeing the results of my hard work. Being my own boss and being the only employee of my small business makes it easy to feel proud of my accomplishments. Every time I get a sale I get so ecstatic and immediately text my friends to update them. The most rewarding part has definitely been seeing my sales slowly improve over time and knowing that I am the sole reason for it.
What did you find challenging about your internship?
The most challenging part about my internship was learning how to be my own boss. I feel like being an entrepreneur is very glamorized (at least from my perspective) but it turned out to be much more difficult and time consuming than I initially anticipated. I learned a lot about myself throughout this internship, such as how to manage my productivity and my time. My organization skills have definitely improved throughout this whole process. I also learned that it is important to keep my head up. I feel like I got overwhelmed frequently at first, but I now feel like I am successful and learning.
How has your internship experience influenced your plans for your future?
The biggest way my entrepreneurial focused internship has influenced my future was by teaching me that I am truly capable of whatever I set my mind to. A year ago today, I never imagined myself making a website, designing products, or researching manufacturers. This internship showed me that I am capable of so much more than I had previously imagined. After completing this internship, I realize that it is no longer a far-fetched dream to run my own business or be my own boss. I realized that it is not a long shot and I am so grateful I was able to prove this to myself in a small way now. In the future, I definitely see myself being my own boss again and I can’t wait to pursue my next business venture, whatever that may be.
What advice do you have for other students as they complete an entrepreneurship focused internship?
The biggest piece of advice I have for students as they begin to search for internships is to have faith in yourself and don’t be scared to start something new. I feel like recently the idea of entrepreneurship has been trending all over social media, but for some reason we don’t think we can do the same thing; but anything is possible. I really urge everyone to start that new business that you’ve been thinking about because truly anything is possible as long as you're putting in the work. I really want to urge students to do an entrepreneurial internship because you learn so much about every aspect of business and even yourself. I have grown tremendously as a person and business owner throughout this experience.
When you decide that the entrepreneurial focused internship is the way to go, then think big. There is no reason that this internship has to only be considered something to do only to meet graduation requirements. There is no reason that you can’t continue your business throughout your college career or post-graduation. Finally, try not to let fear get in the way of starting something new, especially when you have to consider your financial investments. The biggest piece of advice I have is to have faith in yourself and your abilities, you won’t know until you try! Most of the time I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised with what you're able to accomplish; I know I was.