Meet Bri. Bri is a cool high schooler who spent her job shadow day with us a week ago. If you want to infuse some life in your business and remind you how much you do really love what you do, always say yes when asked to host a student for these days. And who knows, sometimes these kids grow up to become employees. In my case, two of my key teammates, Erin and Andria, both came into my life for a job shadowing day when they were in college. In both cases, I knew immediately that they would be players I would like to have on my team. Andria basically came for that day and never left. She worked part-time for the rest of her college and then we created a job to bring her on full-time when she graduated. Erin replaced me at the advertising agency when I left and we always hoped that we could work together someday. When The Joy of Marketing grew to a point where I needed help, she was the first person I turned to for help. If you have never mentored a young person, shoot a note to the local high-school counselors to let them know you are ready and able. Things like this always come back around in one way or another.
Here’s the small business strategies that can benefit you:
– Most of the time, these kids come prepared with some thought provoking questions and an abundance of enthusiasm. This is good for the spirit.
– You never know when these young kids will become successful and cross paths with you in years to come.
– Whether or not people helped you along your path (and I would be shocked if nobody did), it should give you a good feeling to know you are helping to mentor a young, impressionable person.
The benefits for the kids:
– The kids are exposed to a real world career and see what you do all day. In our case at my photography studio, they see that I hold a camera literally a few hours a week on average.
– The kids are building a mentoring network.
– If these kids visit several businesses during their high school and college years, they will be equipped to make better career decisions based on what they have learned.
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