So you own your own business – which means that you are busy all of the time, and most likely have a million things on your mind. You probably could use some extra help, but your budget might not allow for you to hire any additional employees. Maybe you are your only employee right now. The good news is that there is a way to get help, and it won't break the bank. The answer that many small businesses are turning to is to hire an intern. Interns are smart, and they are often willing to work for little to nothing.
Our business has tapped into this resource, and found that it works extremely well, when executed correctly. At the time of writing this, we have five interns, with another six set to begin next semester. We have them doing everything from blogging to building websites and focusing on “Search Engine Optimization” so our sites climb higher in Google’s rankings. We have them analyzing and researching our competitors to make our company stronger. They also manage our social media profiles on sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. They even research new projects for us, help us determine what new markets we need to evolve into, and best of all, many of these things they are better at than we are!
An enthusiastic student adds energy to the workplace while they are doing valuable work. Interns can spread the word that your company is a great place to work. They also know that they need business experience in order to start a career in their future. This means that they are motivated and willing to work hard in order to impress you. If they truly do impress you, they can be considered for future employment. You’ll be able to “test drive” these individuals during their internship while not having to waste massive amounts of money on recruiting or payroll. They can be nurtured and mentored so that if you want to hire them full-time when they finish school, you can. Just remember to give them useful, meaningful tasks. Going on a coffee run isn't going to teach them much other than the fact that you really love upside-down skinny caramel macchiatos.
So let's break it down. Here are our top five reasons why you need an intern:
Interns Help You Save Time
By adding more man-power to your team you will save an enormous amount of time in the end. We spend on average only about 1-2 hours a week managing an intern but receive anywhere from 15-30 hours a week of tangible work products.
You're Able to be “The Boss”
With your new-found talent you will be freed up to do more work on your business versus trying to juggle all of the daily tasks of running your business. It's your business, after all – you should be working on it, not in it.
Interns Will Help You Grow Your Business
Whether you have an online business or a brick and mortar business, your business will no doubt grow with the use of highly-educated interns. Interns can easily work virtually (that is, remotely), in your office, or a combination of both. No matter what your situation is, there is a way to boost your business through the use of an internship program.
You Will Build a Team
If you are just a single business owner or have a very small team, interns provide a great opportunity to expand your team on a very small budget. They can be an extra helping hand that is not only smart, but enthusiastic!
Find Potential Employees
This might be the most important reason. You will have the opportunity to test drive and train future employees. Getting a chance to see how well this person works with your business and your team is a huge benefit. No interview could ever possibly show you that much.
Interns have made a huge difference in our businesses and they can in yours too. We now finish more projects, start more projects (and see them through to completion) and are much more thorough in the overall analysis of our business, and its profitability. The interns who work with us get valuable “real world” experience, love the work that they do, and are so hardworking and motivated that taking an unpaid position is something that they are genuinely excited about. It’s the ultimate “Win-Win” situation.
This is a guest post from Justin and Dreama Lee are the Founders and Owners of Efficient Enterprises Inc. They own several real estate and marketing businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada. Prior to becoming a real estate investor and internet marketing expert, Justin worked in telecommunications sales and as a mortgage broker in the Washington, DC area and Dreama worked in policy and public relations in the Federal government in Washington, DC.
Intern Profits provides entrepreneurs the tools and resources to find, hire and manage interns to help grow and expand their business while creating educational opportunities for tomorrow’s talent today.