Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jenna Zipf, Founder of The Intern Hustle, located in Denver, CO, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

The Intern Hustle is focused on inspiring the next generation of college students into intentional action through a combination of free resources, online courses, workshop/webinar education, and 1:1 coaching. The reality is that higher education no longer equals hired. It goes without saying that college is getting increasingly expensive year over year. Students are graduating with high levels of debt and, in a lot of cases, a lack of clarity around their professional path forward. Most schools fail to educate students on the college to career transition properly. Most students are waiting until it's too late to secure internships, gain professional experience and get clear on what they want to do after graduation.

College students with internship experience are twice as likely to land a full-time job offer right out of college, are in a position to start repaying debt earlier, and are more equipped to manage their career trajectory proactively. The Intern Hustle helps students build out their personal brand and pursue internships with the intention to graduate college with an exit strategy in mind and a solid professional platform to launch from.

Tell us about yourself

While in college, I did four internships and had the opportunity to gain some fantastic experience. I really have my parents to thank. Not because they opened up doors and did the work for me (I was the one cold calling my dream companies and creating opportunities), but because they planted a seed in high school. They made sure I understood the importance of getting professional experience early and highlighted what that could do for my career down the road.

My internships helped refine my path, teaching me more about what I did and didn't want to do. Through my experience, I worked to understand my interests better, learned how to pivot, developed my personal brand, and eventually carved a path that made my college to career transition a smooth one. As for my life after internships, I built up ten years of experience in a variety of dynamic roles in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have learned from strategic business leaders and partnered with some of the most forward-thinking companies in the world in sports, tech, and healthcare.

Now, I'm sharing the lessons I've learned throughout the full lifecycle of my career (internships and beyond) to coach current students and recent graduates into intentional action. I launched The Intern Hustle in 2018 with a simple mission: To help students take control of their future, one internship at a time. I'm focused on educating, inspiring, and empowering students into action while they're still in college so that they don't look back once they graduate and wish they had gotten started earlier.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I'm proud of the organic community I've been able to build through The Intern Hustle's YouTube channel. Not only is it a way for me to offer free education and resources to students, but it has become the biggest lead generator for my business. Recently, Target's corporate team reached out after finding me through YouTube and asked permission to use my videos as an educational resource for their current and prospective interns. To garner interest from a company like Target, thanks to the hard work and consistency I've put into my content over the past few years, was a defining moment for me and my business.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the biggest challenges I face in running my own business is determining what should take priority. A lot of what I'm doing is new, based on an idea I have and want to try out, and I struggle with prioritizing those ideas. Sometimes I let the new shiny ideas get in the way of what matters in the business. When you are only accountable to yourself, it can be hard to catch on early enough and refocus your efforts toward the right things before going too far down the wrong path.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. You need to get comfortable with not being great at everything when you first start out. When I go back and watch my early YouTube videos, I cringe. However, my YouTube content is now what drives the majority of people to The Intern Hustle. If I hadn't been willing to suck and embrace the learning period in the beginning by putting myself out there on camera and giving the whole YouTube thing a shot, things would look different in my business today. Being an entrepreneur is all about learning new skills along the way and sticking with things long enough to become amazing at them eventually.
  2. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Take online courses to fill in your knowledge gaps, and join masterminds with other entrepreneurs who have been in your shoes. Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey at times. Surrounding yourself with people who understand what you're going through, and are willing to trade advice, is priceless.
  3. Learn by doing. While it can be tempting to outsource tasks right from the jump start, it's important to learn how to do them efficiently to operate your business. This will save you from making poor hires later because you will know exactly what it takes to be successful in any given role in your business.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

My YouTube Channel -  https://www.youtube.com/theinternhustle

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.theinternhustle.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theinternhustle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinternhustle/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennarzipf/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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