Blog

My Internship Experience with the Entrepreneurship Minor

This summer I have been working as the Project Associate for the Social Entrepreneur in Residence.  This lengthy internship title is not your average paper-shuffling, fax-sending, coffee-grabbing summer internship.  Before I start talking about the things I have learned and the project I am currently working on, I should mention how this internship came to be.  The Social Entrepreneur in Residence position has been in the ‘developing’ phase at UNC for many years now.  Through the hard work of a UNC student group—SEEDS (Social Entrepreneur and Enterprise Development for Students) – they have been fundamental in helping appoint Micah Gilmer as the first Social Entrepreneur in Residence.  The Social Entrepreneur in Residence position (as first described by SEEDS) is to look for “the intellectual stimulation of academia and the ability to connect people and resources.”  Furthermore, the Social Entrepreneur in Residence should be a, “champion of social enterprise at UNC, have great desire to interact with young social entrepreneurs, and show independence and initiative in forming a broad coalition of campus resources.”  As one can probably imagine, Micah’s first task was to get some help with this endeavor.  

The Project Associate internship position was therefore created and several UNC undergraduate students applied for this competitive internship.  During the final interview, Micah selected two interns, Emily Hylton and me.  We are currently working on two main projects: a social enterprise exhibition planned for the fall semester, and a social entrepreneurship curriculum for students that are interested in social and environmental issues.  Emily is in charge of the fall exhibition, and I am in charge of developing a resource guide for the curriculum, where students can find relevant information about social entrepreneurship in books, documentaries, magazines, blogs and other resources.  So far I have read great books such as; David Bornstein’s, “How to Change the World,” and Malcolm Gladwell’s, “Outliers”.  I have also learned about innovative social organizations founded by UNC alum, such as Global Giving (co-founded by Dennis Whittle), The Humanity Campaign (founded by Ryan Allis) and many more.  Aside from the work at UNC, I am also working for Micah at Frontline Solutions, a social consulting firm in downtown Durham; Micah is one of the founding partners of Frontline Solutions.  I consider myself very lucky to be working under Micah’s wing since he is a really great person (and he has taken me out to lunch on more than one occasion).  

If you want to learn more about the projects we are working on, or the books I have been reading, follow me on my blog: http://uncsocialentrepreneurship.wordpress.com/.

TransEnterix

TransEnterix is a start-up medical device company born from the collaboration of a few surgeons. It is a true start-up in the sense that currently, there are two separate offices and only one has a copier and paper shredder; and, before a few weeks ago the conference room could only comfortably seat 6 or 7 people. 

My experience here has been quite incredible. I have been able to sit in on a variety of meetings about product launch, launch planning, advertising and marketing, the list really goes on and on. Some of my larger projects have included; working on a competitive analysis for potential investors, product pricing, and a product launch timeline. I have learned tons about market analysis, and the medical device industry. 

The best thing about being an intern at TransEnterix is the atmosphere. There are times when things are a little uncertain and tense but there is an overwhelming sense of pride, determination, and dedication that each employee exudes. I have found in my time at TransEnterix that being an entrepreneur means having persistence, a vision, and passion. The things I have learned here I know will be invaluable to me in the future and I am so grateful to have been able to have had this experience.

Artistic Entrepreneurship Internship: RipTide Music

For my Entrepreneurship internship I knew I wanted to work at a media company. I’ve always had an interest in music publishing and supervision, so when I stumbled upon an intern wanted ad from RipTide Music I immediately applied. After a few phone calls and emails I secured an internship at RipTide Music, a music licensing and publishing company located in Marina del Rey (near Los Angeles).

Even though the company is small with only eight full time employees, RipTide Music is a growing company that prides itself on being artist centered, dynamic, and forward thinking. Unlike many other publishing companies, RipTide works like a record label with a vast knowledge of publishing. There are three different areas within RipTide: Publishing, Production, and A&R. I have been lucky enough to work in all of these areas. I have worked on artist contracts, co -publishing agreements, large distributions, listening to music submissions, archiving discs, registering songs with publishing rights organizations, and have even helped to launch the new division of the company called Pacifica, a music library. The best part about this internship is that the staff is not only grateful for my help, but they are also invested in teaching me about all aspects of the publishing industry. I am encouraged to ask questions and to request tasks that are in line with my interests. Although the process of moving to LA for ten weeks was difficult, I am very happy to have this internship because it not only fits in perfectly with the Artistic Entrepreneurship program, but it also allows me to explore my personal interests.

My Experience at TRS Institute

I spent my internship working for a medical transcription training company based out of Greensboro called TRS Institute. This company started out as a medical transcription service organization and has recently concentrated its efforts in the training of a workforce of competent transcriptionists. The training exists online in the U.S. and on-site in several English speaking Caribbean countries. I couldn’t have gotten involved with TRSi at a more perfect time and have been privileged to be able to help with the creation of their new web site, new marketing strategies such as social networking and SEO, and their national conference in Nashville, TN. Something that is really exciting for me from an entrepreneurial standpoint is that currently in this industry there are 25% more jobs available than there are people to work them. What an ideal opportunity for an entrepreneurial venture like TRSi to enter this market! I was also able to accompany my boss on a trip to Washington, DC for the industry’s Advocacy Day. We met with our senator and several other NC representatives to discuss the pending HITECH Act and the effect that it has on the entire healthcare documentation industry.

It has been really fun and exciting for me to see what I have learned about entrepreneurship in the minor actually come to life in my internship. I absolutely love everyone at the office (they are like a family and even eat lunch together every day!) and really couldn’t have asked for a better placement. Bob Harvey, CEO of TRSi, made sure that I was taken care of and was great about explaining everything about the industry to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed using my journalism background to help with the creation of several written pieces for TRSi.The real-life internship experience that I received this summer is absolutely invaluable and is a great supplement to what I have been exposed to in the minor of entrepreneurship.

Interning in Ethiopia with Cherokee Gives Back

The Minor in Entrepreneurship at UNC has provided me with the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia for the summer to intern with the Cherokee Gives Back program. Cherokee Gives Back is Cherokee Investment Partner’s philanthropic outreach program based out of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Cherokee Gives Back provides Americans with the chance to travel to Addis Ababa and stay in the Cherokee House while they are partnered with an NGO in Addis Ababa to work for an extended period of time. I was partnered with the Society of International Missionaries (SIM) to do work with their HIV/AIDS Care Program. The amount of awareness and knowledge I have gained by working with SIM has been immeasurable. I was able to gain firsthand experience by working with leaders at SIM who are changing the face of the HIV/AIDS work being done in Africa. By changing the traditional way HIV/AIDS is treated, SIM has built a truly sustainable program that is the definition of social entrepreneurship. SIM strives to provide insurmountable care to their beneficiaries by developing a system of home visits and support groups to change the negative stigma of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Whereas traditional HIV/AIDS NGOs just test, counsel, and refer patients for treatment, SIM goes above and beyond the call of duty of traditional NGOs by becoming personally involved in the lives of their beneficiaries to create a sustainable solution to the ever growing problem of this dreadful disease.

When I am not working with SIM, Cherokee gave me an opportunity to also work with an organization that provides work for the blind and disabled called Hulegebs. In Ethiopia there are a large number of blind and disabled people that struggle to find work and provide for themselves. Hulegebs offers an alternative to begging on the street (which most of the blind and disabled are forced to do in Addis Ababa) by supplying instruction to the blind and disabled for making brooms, mats, mops, and other household items. The director of Hulegebs asked me to help him come up with some new ideas for income generation and help writing a business plan to improve the quality of their organization. There are many areas in which they can enhance their operations from growing crops and raising livestock to renovation of an auditorium which is currently unused. Hulegebs is a very special organization to me because the way they give back through their business is something that I too will strive for in the future when I start my own business.

My experience in Ethiopia has touched my heart and my mind, and the struggles that I witnessed while being in Addis Ababa will stay with me and encourage when the time comes for me to create something successful and sustainable. Ciao!

Summer Experience in Beijing

Last semester back at UNC, when someone mentioned the word China, I lit up with excitement knowing that I would spend my summer there.  I lit up with anticipation knowing that I was preparing to for the experience of a lifetime. I could not have been more right!

Honestly, words could only begin to skim the surface in describing my experiences thus far here in Beijing. Words can only capture a faint picture of how I have been enriched, blessed, challenged and changed by this experience. Every morning, I wake up with a sense of eagerness as I start the day—it is for good reason, because every day here is a new adventure, a new cultural experience, a new lesson learned, about anything from entrepreneurship to social awareness. From discussing the uniquely different histories and cultures of America and China to sharing life together through playing ping pong, my Chinese roommate and I learn from each other every day; and at the end of the night before we cut the light off and head to sleep, I know we both realize that we are more similar than we think: we are two college guys searching for significance and meaning in life while working our hardest to balance the many blessings and challenges of life.

Commuting to work for a total of three hours every day adds a whole new dimension to life. Though obvious physical characteristics of my skin color and height set me apart from the Chinese people on the subway with me, I somehow feel at home here, as if I belong, and what an incredible feeling that is.  As an intern at EASTWEST Public Relations, I am thrilled to see entrepreneurship and innovation in action every day. It is as if the king of innovation, Peter Drucker, is in the office with us, as I see the owner of the company encourage all of us to spot opportunities and figure out how to do things in a way no one has ever done before.  Whether it be through eating lunch with Jim, the owner, or through the various projects I am working on that are actually making a difference in the direction and future of the company, I am blessed, honored, thrilled, and humbled to take part in this experience.  As I look ahead to the rest of this challenging and enlightening journey in front of me, I want to seize every moment, for in the big picture, I am only here for a short time. I want to live in and embrace the reality that there are so many opportunities to broaden my horizons and perspectives while here. And I want to be ever-mindful of the fact that I am incredibly blessed to be here, and I want the way I live every moment of every day to be in response to that!