By Yoona Kim
Finishing off the 8 months at PeopleFund, my whole internship would be summed up as “the time I’ve learned about the small business of the United States”. When I first decided to work at the PeopleFund, I only had a vague idea about what I was going to do and learn at the organization, because it was a nonprofit CDFI which was a completely unfamiliar field to me at first. But as of now, I can say I’ve learned and seen the real force that drives the U.S. economy, which is a small business, through my time at PeopleFund.
Working as a marketing intern, I’ve helped PeopleFund staff with various tasks. It ranged from simple computing tasks to more time-consuming jobs which need further research. Coordinating and Attending a variety of PeopleFund’s business events were great fun for me as well. Meanwhile, I also met lots of inspirational people representing all parts of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Austin. I was able to meet SBA government officials, sponsors, small business owners, and individual donors who were the key members of the U.S. small business environment.
While at PeopleFund, I got to meet a number of Bloom Lab members, clients who are working in PeopleFund’s coworking space. I got to see them growing and scaling their businesses. Once even I had a chance to meet a client who had just begun his business and coming up with his company’s name. And it was like a live lesson to me as a business administration major student to see the very first moment of the business cycle. It also made me to think about my country, Korea’s small business situation, where many people nowadays want to start their own small business but still the franchises are overwhelmingly predominant. And I realized once again that there is so much to learn from here that my country can refer to.
I’m certain that all the experiences I’ve had and skills I’ve learned here at PeopleFund will become a huge asset for me and will be utilized somehow in the future. And I’m grateful that I could be a part of PeopleFund for a short time and serve for such a great cause. Behind all the hard work, there was a huge support from PeopleFund staff and I want to take this chance to express my gratitude to each one of them. I appreciate everyone for being kind to me and other Korea WEST fellows and I’ll always root for PeopleFund’s great mission from far away. Thanks PeopleFund!