Growth — Week 4/10

Week four! One month of cool startups, a cool community, and super cool experiences. I’m here to share how the tech fellow who walked through the doors of Groundswell Startups early May, is a lot different than who he is today. There’s been a lot of learning, a lot of relationships made, and most importantly a lot of growth.

Looking back to my first day,

I was as motivated as ever, as any new intern should be. I was ready to learn about what Groundswell does, what they offer, and how they create value for the community. On top of all that, I was ready to work and be efficient at all my tasks — boy, does that sound resume-ish. I thought I was ready for whatever was to come, but once again, I was wrong.

That same day, Micah (my CEO) invited me to a meeting with the Groundswell team to talk about speak about marketing tactics and ideas. Here’s where all the motivation kinda toned down a bit: I spent the whole meeting silent, and primarily idealess. Aside from being nervous, I had the impression that my position as an intern was insignificant and that my input would be disregarded, but as my internship progressed, I learned the opposite.

Aside from getting comfortable with the Groundswell team, I came to understand that I am in an environment (which includes the Groundswell team) filled with entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators who are open to new ideas. I was foolish to believe that my position as an intern justified whether or not my voice mattered — I blame it on Hollywood.

Anyways, I can genuinely say that I’ve grown in this area. I pitch my ideas comfortably now: at the Rock the Casbah (an event geared towards raising funds for an after-school program) meeting, I pitched ideas to strangers (with lightyears of experience ahead of mine) with confidence. At private meeting with Micah and the owner of Real Food Real Kitchens (TV show), I offered my input how to comprise a pitch deck confidently. Were some of my ideas denied at times? Definitely, but that is natural in the workplace, and I learned to understand that as I progress through my very first internship.