An Intern's Perspective

My name is Jack Ginand and I am working as an intern for Strategic Marketing Consulting during my winter break. I am currently a sophomore business student at the University of New Hampshire. Working here I have been exposed to numerous businesses of all sizes. However, I learned the most while interacting with small businesses in the Boston area. I was able to be a part of the everyday operations of the business and see the inner workings and what it means to run a business. Something that I noticed right away was the passion that these business owners have. The drive, the determination that they bring every day. The chip on their shoulder and desire to succeed. These shops, stores, salons, and businesses are their livelihood. Seeing how these businesses operate on a daily basis has given me a different perspective on small businesses and the effect they have on people. Driving down a busy street filled with different shops I don’t usually internalize that each of those is a unique operation filled with passion. This experience has shown me what’s required to run a successful small business. The hours put in behind the scenes that people don’t see. Something that did surprise me was the lack of utilization of social media used by certain small businesses. As a college student, I live on social media similar to many others my age. Oftentimes small business owners are not my age and tend to be a bit older. Therefore, I don’t think they realize the power that social media has. It has never been easier to promote your business and utilize the tools at your disposal. Not to mention, it’s free! Setting up a social media account takes 2 seconds and costs nothing. There definitely are small businesses that utilize social media effectively, however, I think there is still a large portion that does not. Get on social media! Interact with customers and show them why they should shop small.