Richa Deshpande is a rising MBA2 interning at LOLI Beauty. Richa is specializing in Marketing, Luxury Marketing and Management and is VP of Admissions (Luxury Retail club), VP of Events (Stern Chats), VP of SIFF (SISA).
NYU Stern’s “Summer Internship Series” sheds light into Sternies’ internship experiences. Posts are written by rising MBA2s who are currently working at their summer internship.
This summer I was a marketing intern at a personal care brand called LOLI Beauty. LOLI Beauty is a direct to consumer, ecommerce led superfood organic approach to skincare. I was particularly attracted to LOLI Beauty given its tech focus and plans to win in the direct to consumer space.
Prior to Stern, I was a Management Consultant in Australia and whilst it was a great foundational start to my career, I wanted to transition into an industry (Beauty/Fashion) which was more personally relevant to me and a function which was more customer focused (Marketing).
Therefore, I knew coming into business school, my recruiting would be non-traditional. In addition, as an international student, finding fashion/beauty companies willing to sponsor was a little more difficult. Whilst not always easy, knowing what I know now, I have absolutely no regrets about my decision to come to Stern and pursue a Marketing role at a Fashion/Beauty company.
Here are three lessons I want to pass on to anyone thinking about pursuing a similar path.
It can be difficult not to take the path well-trodden, but totally worth it
I still remember what a classmate said to me as we tried to navigate the perils of Spring recruiting; ‘We didn’t come to business school to do what everyone is doing, we came to pursue what we wanted to do’. Business school is such a great opportunity to pursue a different career path, it would be unfair to yourself to not pursue your dream. In the Spring it can feel like all your friends have their internships sorted, but remember you are not alone – there are still so many people in the same position as you. Lean on each other for support and guidance. I am so happy I stuck to my goals of what I wanted to recruit for. I know I wouldn’t have enjoyed my summer internship as much had I done what everyone else was doing.
Start-ups really need the structure and frameworks we are taught in business school
Start-ups almost always have more work than people to support the work. Therefore, the environments can often seem chaotic and disorganized. This is where all the frameworks we are taught in our MBA are really useful and really valued. This summer I have helped to develop the marketing plan (using 4Ps), develop the overall firm strategy (thanks Prof. Marciano) and have even deployed some of the people management frameworks from Leadership in Organizations. In developing these strategies, I have seen the value of what I have learnt in the classroom and it has been very exciting to bring it to workplace.
Start-ups are a great place to flex your skills
Although this summer I was hired as a Marketing intern responsible for building the data analytics capability, I have also had the opportunity to be a product manager, brand strategist, and project manager. I have learnt so much from wearing these multiple hats and this is only possible in a start-up. I now have a more well -rounded skillset and have a clearer idea of which types of roles I would enjoy.
In conclusion, I have really enjoyed my summer internship, so much so that I am considering staying on in the Fall. Don’t forget to enjoy this period in your life – such a rare opportunity you get to try something for three months!
