Blog #1

So today (Recap):
I got up at around 6:30am, then later learned that we were leaving at 8:15am so I went back to sleep. I didn't have any breakfast, but sort of ate a granola bar while I was there. My mom took me, she called in that she was going to be at work later and drove me to 4672 Iowa Street 92116 which was where my internship was. The company is called Cleanology and it's actually a pretty quaint building that gives a comfortable feel. My mentor's name is Christine McDannell, but I call her Christine (Which is so convenient, many people don't understand how much more comfortable it is to call people by their first name). There is another person who is here often and his name is Isreal he's a pretty laid back person and seems patient when I ask questions. It's actually lunch time right now and I haven't eaten any lunch yet. I've been so caught up in busy work. Believe it or not, the day went by awfully quickly. I did feel like I was productive though. One of the things that really surprised me was when Christine asked me to pick up the phone and I was thinking, "Oh gosh, I don't know how to pick up the phone here." Turns out, I did just fine. She told me what to say and what to do and picking up the phone, in the end, really wasn't that bad. I see myself doing a lot of filing and organizing in the future, which is something I'd be happy to do. The big project they told me I would be working on is a market plan which is really exciting. Hopefully, I can help devise an efficient market plan that would help in the future. I don't feel nervous at all. As a matter of fact, I really love the environment here because it's peaceful and calm. When I need help, Christine is there to explain and when she isn't, Isreal is there to. I have yet to get home, but honestly, time passed by so quickly. It's 1:30pm exactly right now and I've already learned about the components employees needed when applying, how to post things to craigslist, how to send out a newsletter, what the supplies cabinet looks like, and how things are ran here. I think I will enjoy my time here.

Economic Questions:
How does recession effect the company?
"It did for a while, but it started getting passive. In the beginning it was hard. We were losing a lot of clients and we didn't get enough clients to balance. We spent more money on marketing and were able to get more clients then usual. "

What is the largest thing that you focus on?
"It's mainly getting jobs well and correct. What we like is to call people and ask how the cleaning went, we want customer satisfaction." The main thing that they focus on is customers. This is a service business and customer satisfaction is key. With good service, they get more clients and their names gets out there more.

How have you cut back on spending because of the recession?
"Right now, we've been spending the same. Since we're a small company, there isn't much to worry about. We are resourceful like print on both sides of the paper, recycle folders, etc. We've gone more to web marketing instead of paper advertisements. It's more of a shift to better technology, not so much as spending money more."

Photos from my first day of internship:

Workspace (i.e, computer, lab, classroom, outdoors)

My workspace is sort of basic. The room is sort of small so I have my quaint little desk near the front. I really love the space though, the space is great. One of the things that becomes inefficient is that something always needs to be unplugged so I can plug in my laptop. The plug under my desk doesn't work and I sort of have to reach my charger across the door. I've never seen the desk completely clean, something is always going on, which I think is the best use for a desk.

Dress (Typical)

The dressing here is more lay back and basic. I don't have very professional clothes all the time. Isreal was wearing jeans though, so I thought I'd wear some nice jeans tomorrow. I think I can be more relaxed with dressing here. I wore my mom's boots instead of the tennis shoes I usually wear but these boots are actually insanely comfortable. But, back on topic, Christine dresses sharp and nice. Isreal does too, but I was only focused on the jeans because I was like, "Hm, this was on the not-to-wear list. I hope I'm allowed to wear jeans."

Your work (Example of it)

This is just what I did today. On the side somewhere, I will be working on a similar marketing plan, but that was the one for last year. All of these folders is what I organized today. I was making new folders for the employees because they were updating all the information and needed the employees to fill out a new application. It took some time, but I separated all the papers that were needed versus the ones that were old, put them in a new labeled folder, and wrote on a post-it not what they were missing.

Something that struck you

Yes, this is a water cooler. This was something that struck me because in a small place like this there is still a water cooler? I think that is awesome and such a convenience. I know I didn't bring a water bottle and having ice cold water available to you is just such a treat. I think the plant also gave this green feel to the whole room. the room does have plants scattered in different places which made the smell fresh.

Interesting experience

I wasn't sure what to put for this one, but organizing the supplies cabinet was actually interesting to me. When I was organizing it, I found so many weird things. Like, I actually saw medicine in there and a few pain killers. Made me think, "Woah, work must be so intense here!" I also saw a lot of different things that I wasn't sure the use for. One was a lock, I didn't know why locks were needed. When I was organizing some tabs, I was surprised at how many there were! They were spilling over the box and I had to stuff them in a bag. I think it was actually cool that they were prepared for anything, I would love a supplies cabinet like this.