Reflecting on my internship at Taxfix
Julian Titz from our New Services Team shares his internship experience and how he trained his entrepreneurial skills through hands-on projects.
A couple of weeks ago, I finished my four-month internship in the New Services Team at Taxfix. In this article, I want to reflect on my time and learnings during this experience. My goal is to help you decide whether an internship at Taxfix is the right fit for you, and what to expect if you join the team.
Let’s start with how I ended up there in the first place. I grew up in the UK and Germany, and study International Management at Warwick Business School. I’ve always been more of a techie and prefer practical work to classroom theory. That’s why I interned at two other startups in Fintech and Proptech before joining the New Services Team. These experiences helped me learn a lot of valuable lessons — and at Taxfix I was able to combine them with tremendous ownership and exciting challenges.
Coming to Taxfix
My journey to the New Services Team at Taxfix started with a straightforward recruiting process. The communication was timely and considerate, and the case study was surprisingly interesting. It was clear that the team cared about the quality of work on all levels. After presenting my case and getting to know my future colleagues better, I knew the role and the team would be a great fit.
What excited me about starting at Taxfix was the chance to help fix a big problem at scale and have a direct impact on people’s financial wellbeing. Although I’ve never filed taxes on my own, I know many people struggle here and how famous the German government is for bureaucracy, especially with taxes. I also jumped at the chance to work at a young, vibrant brand and spend a summer in Berlin — something I’ve wanted to do for a while.
The Work
The New Services Team acts as a product incubator: we test, iterate, develop, and grow new features from the initial discovery to launch and scale. And from day one, my team trusted me to contribute to these high-impact initiatives and projects.
One of the projects I worked on turned out to be crucial for my personal development and centred around product discovery. At the jumpstart of my internship, my manager and I developed and launched a project plan for the discovery of a new product concept. Beginning with research, we set out to understand the sentiment towards this topic, if it was financially feasible, and if it was worth Taxfix’s time in the near future. We asked ourselves: “Is it something users want? Is it feasible with the current technology or information we have? Which partners do we need to launch it? What resources will be required?”. That whole project was as cross-functional as it gets, exposing me to different teams, techniques, and problems to solve. Once the process was rolling, we started doing the quantitative part of the research and testing hypotheses. We talked to users to understand how they handle their finances, what they want to change in the future, and what they like and don’t like about the financial part of their lives. Being so involved within the first weeks of starting gave me a better understanding of where I want to develop next.
Three key learnings: What I'm taking with me
Whilst it all sounds great so far — which it was — there were also some challenges along the way. Juggling university exams, starting an internship, and relocating to Berlin during the pandemic was quite intense. What helped was the flexibility of the Taxfix team and their willingness to accommodate my needs. I don’t believe this level of support would be the same everywhere. Additionally, the steep learning curve I experienced during my time at Taxfix made it all worthwhile. Below are some of the most valuable lessons I’ve taken with me:
Communication and stakeholder management
One of the first things that impressed me was how direct the communication was. Everyone in the New Services Team was happy to help out and answer all my questions. I could talk to our VP, Constanze, whenever I needed to without going through unnecessary hierarchies.
I also strengthened my stakeholder management skills here. Although these will always be a work-in-progress, I’ve certainly learned how to be better at strategically involving the right people in a project, at the right time, with the right context. It’s amazing how little things like defining a clear goal for a meeting and aligning everyone beforehand can make everyone’s lives so much easier.
Functional skills
I believe any internship should allow you to build on your theoretical knowledge through hands-on project work. This was certainly the case at Taxfix. Having the chance to construct financial models from scratch, for example, was very new to me. I also conducted my first user interviews, where our research team introduced me to ‘the power of silence.’ To get the interviewee talking, they suggested minimal conversation — even muting your microphone at times during video calls. By really challenging yourself to wait out the silence, you can unlock some pretty valuable customer insights.
Finally, as the New Services Product Group spans our Madrid and Berlin offices, we have a variety of cultural and professional backgrounds. Being able to learn from and work with people from so many different walks of life is priceless. We often approach issues in unorthodox and innovative ways, which inspires you to think differently.
Taking ownership
The trust and ownership that you receive at Taxfix as an intern are second to none. You are a full member of the team from day one, which means they enable you to deliver on essential projects. It’s a great environment to work in collaboratively, but with that trust also comes high expectations. You won’t be hanging onto someone’s leg with them pulling you along — you need to take ownership of your work.
Looking back on the last four months
Next to getting the hang of the business, I also had a lot of fun with this internship. Spending the summer in Berlin, my team introduced me to new sports like bouldering and padel (which I highly recommend). Taxfix also hosted weekly ’Taxfix Connect’” events where I was able to meet the larger company over drinks and food. Then, at the Taxfix five-year anniversary festival, I finally met our Madrid team in person. This event was a good combination of fun and relaxation, as we could choose between volleyball, swimming, dancing, or just hanging out.
If you want to work in an entrepreneurial environment with a smart motivated team — the New Services Team at Taxfix is a great place. You develop ideas from an early stage, test things, fail and learn, with access to all the resources you need. You not only get to sit in on meetings, but your participation is encouraged. I believe it all comes down to the inclusive culture. You’re encouraged to take responsibility, and you’re encouraged to speak up.
Interested in an internship at Taxfix? Explore our open positions.
Special thanks to Tsveta Ivanova for putting this story together!
