So I guess I can just start.
So a lot of startups consider themselves as rocket ships.
However, when you actually join a startup,
you don't necessarily know what to expect.
So firstly, I want to define what is a "startup."
There is no exact definition.
However, startup companies tend to work on problems where
a solution is not quite obvious, and success is then guaranteed.
Also, startup companies come up with innovative products
and services and are designed to scale very quickly.
So this summer--
Hit Start.
OK.
This summer, I worked at a fashion tech company
based in New York City, Shoptiques.
So Shoptiques lets you shop the best boutiques
all around the world.
It used to be that if you were in, say, Delaware
and wanted to shop from boutiques in New York City, Las
Vegas, or Paris, you literally had to buy a plane ticket
and go there.
However, Shoptiques solved this problem.
So it created this value for small boutiques
to actually have his online presence.
And at the same time, it provided opportunities
for customers who are looking for this unique shopping
experience, customers like yourself.
So startup culture-- startups tend
to be known for their unique culture.
Startups are very flat-structured.
For example, I had an opportunity
to work closely with the CEO and all the senior management team,
and everyone was really easily approachable.
So I was able to just contact whenever
I needed help to basically anyone from our team.
Startups tend to be very efficient because they
grow on a very high pace, and they
need to learn how to conduct their work in efficient ways.
So I also learned how to be efficient by working
at a startup.
They're very client-oriented because if you
want your startup to be successful,
you would need to make sure that you meet the client's needs.
And I also learned how to do that
by communicating with our clients.
Collaborative work-- it's very important.
Here, you can see our team.
It actually was after working hours,
and we were learning how to code.
So it was a very rewarding experience
because through this collaborative work,
we were able to do so many projects
and actually helped develop the startup stuff.
And also, there is one perk that most of the startups,
they don't really have a dress code.
So I got a chance to wear really basically what
I wanted to wear.
My responsibilities-- what were my responsibilities?
So startups don't tend to have any structured internship
programs.
And although I was a business development intern,
I had an opportunity to work within most
of the company's departments.
I worked on sales, marketing projects, and even web
development.
I conducted industry research, and I
tried to identify and prospect our potential customers
to see if they're the right fit for our company.
I reached out to clients, our existing clients,
trying to figure out what problems they were having
in sales and other processes so that we could fix them and help
them to increase their sales.
I did, as I mentioned, web development.
It was a very interesting and at the same time challenging
experience for me because I've only taken I think one or two
computer science classes.
And obviously, I was never faced with web designing.
So here, I basically learned how to build a website.
And I actually want to share a couple of the websites
that I've built. They're pretty simple,
but still, I'm proud of them because I actually made them.
So OK.
I was also involved in marketing projects, trying to figure out
how to increase the traffic for our website, how
we can promote the website.
I also worked on email marketing strategies,
from design to launch, so that we would increase the traffic
and, at the end, increase our customer orders.
And besides that, I also worked on optimizing
photoshoot processes, and sometimes, I even
made shipment labels.
So it was a very interesting experience
because I had an opportunity to work
with a lot of different products.
So challenges-- of course, the most challenging thing
for me working at a startup was to multitask.
Everything at a startup is very fast-paced
because it's growing very quickly.
And sometimes, I had to work on multiple projects at a time.
And what actually helped me is to go reach to my colleagues
to ask if they could maybe help me
or if I, for example, could finish the project
tomorrow because, for example, I had
to finish one project today.
So I was trying to manage this multitasking
and tried to gain these really good time management skills.
So takeaways that I have for you is always
to talk to your mentor.
When I joined the startup, I did not quite
have a clear idea of what this internship is going to lead,
how is the internship going to be constructed,
and what I'm going to take out of this.
So I talked to my manager.
I described the interests that I have,
and I told her that I wanted to be involved as much as I can.
And so that's why I had this opportunity
to work within multiple departments
and on multiple projects.
Always ask.
If you don't ask, their answer is always no.
So if you don't know, for example, something,
it is OK to ask because the fastest way to learn is to ask.
And take initiatives.
Startups tend to be known because there
are a lot of leadership opportunities out there.
Everyone is willing to listen to your ideas,
and they don't consider you as an intern.
They consider you as a part of the team.
So they will always listen to your ideas
and will help you to actually realize them.
And engage with your coworkers because at the end of the day,
you will always remember those relationships
that you have established working at your company.
And also, find your own path.
Because I was able to be involved within most
of the company's departments and worked on various projects,
I was able to figure out for myself that I really
like to work on sort of analytical problems,
finding ways to solve problems.
So that actually helped me to realize
that probably consulting would be a good career and right
fit for me.
So if you guys ever have this opportunity
to work at a startup, I would just
say go for it because you will definitely learn a lot
and be exposed to a wide range of responsibilities and duties.
So thank you so much.
[APPLAUSE]