Having never worked for one, I had never experienced the benefits of working for a startup. I have always enjoyed learning, taking on challenges and expanding my knowledge but most of all I love applying my knowledge and experience and seeing how it can impact other people and organizations. When I received an offer of employment as a Digital Marketing and Research Specialist for VA Partners, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to apply and expand my knowledge and I excitedly anticipated my first day at work.
Responsiblity
One of the aspects that I loved the most about working for a startup is how impactful my work was, which motivated me to perform more effectively. One of my main responsibilities at VA Partners was doing research which was crucial to sales success as it contributed to every stage of the VA Partners sales process methodology. I assisted with the development of warm and cold leads and the growth of client revenues which provided me with a strong sense of pride. This helped me notice the huge growth potential that startups have and how much more influence on results each person has. Thanks to this growth potential and influence, working for startups provides more opportunities which are extremely rewarding and which larger organizations cannot offer.
Improve Skills
Another aspect of my position at Venture Accelerator Partners which was very satisfying was the variety of tasks I was responsible for. My position at VA Partners allowed me to work on numerous projects, not only for VA Partners, but also for their clients in areas like CleanTech and mobile applications. The strong drive by each of these organizations to increase their profits and become a leader in their industry often showed in the many different exciting and creative challenges that I was exposed to and responsible for. Although, sometimes these threw me out of my comfort zone, they allowed me to develop and improve very useful skills, such as researching skills, interpersonal skills, social media skills, presentation skills and analytical skills, and thus, expanding my horizons.
Personalized Learning Experience
Finally, another satisfying aspect of working for a start-up for me was the personalized learning experience I was offered thanks to the strong connectivity I shared not only with the owners of VA Partners, but with their customers, vendors and friends related to the organization. From day one, Mark and Steve behaved not only my supervisors, but my mentors. They were there for me every step of the way giving me wise advice, not only for work, but for my future career aspirations. They shared with me many of their personal life stories and were very open with me. They often encouraged me to try different networking events and attend webinars that would not only help the company but also me. Thanks to all of their teachings, I cultivated many skills that are transferable to other positions and very useful for my studies in university and for my personal life. These strong relationships continuously motivated me as they made me feel a deep sense of togetherness and purpose when completing all of my tasks and projects.
While working for VA Partners, I not only challenged and improved my technical skills and previous knowledge, but I also improved many soft skills that I will be able to apply in future positions and in everyday life. I was also able to learn about and understand the start-up culture and how small businesses develop. I had never worked for a start-up company, I never even imagined how amazing of an experience it would be and although I am aware that not all startups follow the same approach, I really enjoyed the startup environment and my co-op term at Venture Accelerator Partners.
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