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ECOpreneurs are visionary business leaders who want to run a company without harming the environment or human life. They practice ECOpreneurship, which revolves around being profitable without being exploitative, and working (and living) in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem. If that sounds like something you would love to do with your new business venture, this handy resource guide can help you develop a climate-friendly plan of action. Build your business up to be green Launching an eco-friendly business is a lot like launching any other business – the major difference being the emphasis on sustainability: ● Work with Pivot Business Consulting to create plans and processes that increase retention, innovation, and sales for your business. ● Come up with a green business plan or a “ greenprint ” for your business, documenting ways you can be more sustainable with your existing resources. ● Find ethical sources of funding . You can crowd-source, take loans, use your own money, or apply for grants. ● Aim for a sustainability culture . You will need employees who are on board with your sustainability vision. ● Utilize a financial API bank account balance system to securely take payments from your customers and avoid extra fees. Measure and adapt as necessary Sustainability is a constant process. As the ecosystem around you evolves, your business will have to adapt and evolve alongside. ● Take an audit of your existing processes and measure sustainability metrics like energy usage, water usage, and waste. ● Implement sustainable alternatives that don’t have a negative economic, social, or ecological impact. ● Create an official (or unofficial) green team responsible for monitoring, creating, and implementing sustainability initiatives in your company. Market your sustainability Last, but not least, you will need to create awareness in the market about your new green brand: ● Communicate your climate-friendliness . You need to find customers who care about the concept and can support you. ● Follow a sustainable marketing plan . You want the biggest bang for your buck. ● Understand the dangers of greenwashing. Unsubstantiated claims could put you in the doghouse. Conclusion Becoming an ECOpreneur is not just good for the environment, but it’s also good for your bottom line. Corporations that manage and plan for climate change can secure 18 percent higher ROI , make more sales, and are more productive. There are many benefits to becoming an ECOpreneur, essentially, and no reason not to. Image via Unsplash Guest Author: Adam Evans

Reposted from ATD - Author Ruchika Tulshyan (April 26, 2021) The benefits of an inclusive workplace are no longer up for debate. Leaders must ensure all employees feel welcome and valued. It’s a fundamental human right and a basic expectation from the workforce today. In addition, organizations that prioritize inclusion have an employee retention rate five times higher than uninclusive organizations and increased productivity among employees. In fact, inclusive workplaces increase employee job satisfaction and their commitment to the company, according to Catalyst . Employees who feel like they belong at work have better morale and greater problem-solving capabilities . However, not all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts yield positive results. To drive meaningful action, organizations must focus on three key ingredients to create cultures of belonging. Mentoring The inclusive organization will understand that mentoring is the cornerstone of a culture of inclusion . Underrepresented employees face numerous challenges to career advancement and feeling like they belong. Mentoring can create tangible change for underrepresented employees through skill development and networking so that they are able to progress into leadership roles or gain increased responsibilities at the organization. There are many ways to incorporate inclusive mentoring formats into an organization. Reverse mentoring programs partner tenured employees with newer, less experienced ones to ensure up-and-coming leaders can build relationships with senior ones. Well-structured career mentoring programs build inclusion by exposing employees to stretch and advancement opportunities. Mentoring circles connect employees across departments and functions to continue sharing knowledge or experiences. Employee resource groups are a great way to connect people with shared identities while other mentoring circles connect peers of different backgrounds. Buddy programs pair new hires with seasoned employees to informally share knowledge and provide greater inclusion and integration across organizations. It can be a valuable way to acclimate new hires with company culture and norms. All four are beneficial, especially in the virtual work environment where creating greater connections among employees is increasingly important. Organizations can create structured mentoring opportunities for inclusive onboarding and career development at various stages of the employee lifecycle. Sponsorship Intentional sponsorship programs can help to build an inclusive workplace culture. Sponsorship refers to when a senior leader or member of management leverages their influence and platform to advocate for the career advancement of a junior employee within the organization. “While a mentor is someone who has knowledge and will share it with you, a sponsor is a person who has power and will use it for you,” wrote London Business School professor Herminia Ibarra. However, equitable sponsorship doesn’t happen unintentionally. Research shows three-quarters of senior executives choose proteges of the same race and gender as them. That’s why organizations must organize formal sponsorship programs and planned opportunities for high-potential employees from underrepresented backgrounds to connect with senior leaders. These programs must be structured and equip both sponsor and protege, with actionable tools to make the most of the relationship. Sponsorship must also be linked to tangible outcomes in the protege’s career growth. Psychological Safety Third, an inclusive workplace culture can only truly exist when there is psychological safety. In a psychologically safe team , employees feel they can speak up, contribute, and take risks without fear of threats to their status, identity, or employment. To create psychological safety, leaders must create speak up cultures in which employees, regardless of status or identity, are encouraged to contribute. When leaders and organizations model vulnerability, normalize taking risks, or learn from failure, greater psychological safety is created. We all know great ideas can come from anywhere, but only when underrepresented employees feel psychologically safe will they take the interpersonal risk to share them. Building and maintaining psychological safety in the workplace enables employees to feel a greater sense of belonging and support. Combining these three ingredients—mentoring programs, intentional sponsorship, and a psychologically safe environment—are central to building an inclusive workplace. Leaders, teams, employees, and organizations benefit when building inclusion is prioritized. It’s no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a must have in today’s workplace whether that be in the virtual office or in person.

Every company needs a base of operations and, according to recent industry figures , the kitchen table is the new office space. These days, you don’t need to spend big to succeed in business - here are our tips on how to (safely) start a venture from home. Create a Designated Work Space Having an assigned workspace is a surefire way to maximize your productivity and protect the sanctity of other living areas. It's an important part of ensuring that your mind remains focused on the tasks at hand and it can also prevent distractions from other members of the household. If your apartment is open plan, carving a place of your own can be difficult, but the recent shift to remote working across the globe has resulted in an expansion of home office equipment that can help accommodate almost any setup. Get Approval From Your Landlord With over 4.3 million Americans working from home, landlords have had to adjust accordingly. Chances are, you can get away with turning a corner of the living room into a live-in office. This said, it’s advisable to seek permission before you begin any work operations. Most landlords won’t mind a computer setup, but, if you’re intending on manufacturing products from home, you might create some unexpected friction. Securing approval beforehand will circumvent the risk of losing your deposit or of a spontaneous eviction. Form an LLC Although the laws associated with running an LLC vary from state to state, forming one early on in Florida has a multitude of benefits that could prove to be pivotal in getting your business off the ground sooner rather than later. Some advantages of forming an LLC include limited liability, tax breaks, and less restricted profit sharing. You’ll also have far less paperwork to worry about, leaving you with more time to spend on bringing in revenue for the business. Separate Work From Personal Time While most people view working from home as a positive experience, there are a number of those who feel as though it has impacted their mental health . This often arises from working over and above scheduled hours simply because it’s convenient to do so. Segmenting your time is vital in ensuring you don’t become too stressed or suffer from burnout. Not only is this detrimental to your physical and mental health, but it will undoubtedly negatively impact the growth of your business too. Be sure to delegate certain days of work to personal leisure, and keep yourself physically separate from your place of work. Keep Business Above Board As tempting as it can be to skip certain items of paperwork, starting a business should mean keeping to legal processes and maintaining your good standing at all times. This might include registering with the relevant authorities, meeting tax obligations, and making sure records and accounts are well kept. If you get into the habit of following these procedures right from the start, you’ll avoid facing hefty penalties should your business be found to be non-compliant. Taking the leap into entrepreneurship can feel daunting, but using a methodical approach and researching the best practices in your field will ease the difficulty. If you still feel uncertain about getting started, you might want to consider a business consultant to help point you in the right direction. Pivot Business Consulting is dedicated to helping budding entrepreneurs refocus their businesses by targeting their purpose & plans, processes, and people. We’ll help transform your ideas into winning strategies that are guaranteed to help you take your business to the next level. To find out more visit: www.pivotbusinessconsulting.com Article: by Adam Evans , Guest Writer Image by Pexels

1) What industries have you built your career around? I built my career around serving and educating people on the importance of how they appear to their potential client, spouse, or employer. I also make them photogenic, noticeable and stand out from the crowd. 2) Why did you choose to be a consultant? I incorporated becoming a consultant into my photography career, as a result of my previous history of being a pharmacist. I saw the value that could added to others lives by educating them on what to look for health wise. The same principle applies to a large degree with a photo. Realizing if I can pay attention to detail, and produce an image that can change a person’s life in a matter of seconds. 3) Why did you choose photography as a career path? I chose this career initially because my best friend introduced me to the field. Initially I was not known to like pictures. I always corrected others and said, “ I do like pictures, I just don’t like bad ones or photos that look like everyone else’s, who does?” Every individual in this world is unique. So I challenged myself to learn, to train, and to portray the client’s personality in one of a kind imagery. Along my journey, I noticed something very interesting. I noticed as soon as I clicked the camera’s button, how one person’s life would be changed in an instant for the better. The person see themselves in a different light. Traits such as boldness, beauty, confidence, and inner healing would manifest. The joy, healing, smiles, and excitement, I consider to be priceless and that is why I love my career as a photographer. 4) What would you like us to know about your client base, I would like people to know that my client base are “NOT” and I repeat “ARE NOT” all models. I would say 95% of them are not models. I work everyday ordinary people who decided to give me 5-10 minutes of their time in exchange for an experience that will forever affect their life positively. 5) How many years in your profession? I have been doing photography for 5 years and pharmacy for less than 10 years. 6) Degrees, certifications, and specialities? I have a pharmD in pharmacy. 7) Do you publish or write for any publications? I have 4 articles that I current finishing about “Why your headshot matters.” I also have a video interview called “Beyond the Pill” that will give inside natural ways to combat the everyday disease states that people are diagnosed with. 8) Family - spouse, children? I am married. 9) Community engagement? I currently serve my community by volunteering my photography services to the River of Life Christian Center. I also volunteer my photography services for “The Angels of Destiny” organization, who ministers into the life of the youth to help guide them into their desired career paths. 10) Favorite quote? Matthew 7:12 - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you! 11) Best reads and why? Mindset (Carol Dweck) - This book help me understand human thinking and why people are shaped, molded to why they think and act as they do. The Introvert Edge (Matthew Pollard) - I had to realize and embrace who I was truly was 40% extrovert and 60% introvert. This is the Day (Tim Tebow) - This book helped me in my walk with Christ. It helped me with gain a clear direction of how to use my photography gift for helping people heal.Boundaries(Henry Cloud) - We all need healthy boundaries. The Total Money Makeover (Dave Ramsey) - This book changed my life. It gave me guidance on how to operate a business, my life, without the use of debt.

Welcoming Regine Bonneau to our team as one of our consultants. I sat down with her to ask key questions that I wanted to know and share with our clients and prospective clients. This will help you to know her and the depth of experience and deliverables she brings to Pivot clients. 1) What industries have you built your career around? I have built my career around the Financial, Government, Healthcare Industries 2) Why did you choose to be a consultant? I chose to be a consultant because it allowed me more freedom to help my clients without the red tapes from working in a corporate environment. I am able to have the time to focus, get to know my clients, build a relationship with my clients that helps me understand their business and needs and properly serve them. I get to see everything. As a consultant, you get to meet others and build relationship with them and expand your knowledge resource base. 3) Why did you choose cybersecurity as a career path? I have been in Information Technology since I was introduced to it at the age of 12 programming in Junior high school. Throughout the years I have been fortunate to be able to understand the business side of technology and got into Governance, Risk and Compliance. Cybersecurity was a norm part of my daily life so it was normal to fully immerse myself in it. It is a key component in Information Technology and survival of companies today. Everything runs on Technology and now we need to protect it. 4) What would you like us to know about your client base? I don’t quite understand this question, but will give it a go: My client base is mostly government, department of defense, financial, and technology. They are very receptive of the need for cyber security and compliance. Then again these industries operates in a heavily regulated environment and so do their clients. 5) How many years in your profession? 22 years 6) Degrees, certifications, and specialties? I have a BS in Business and Finance, MBA, LLM, and I am a Certified Third Party Risk Practitioner (CTPRP) 7) What press or media have you received? I have been awarded the OBJ 40 under 40, OBJ Women who Means Business, African American Chamber of Commerce Central Florida Eagle Award for Emerging Business 8) Do you publish or write for any publications? I would like to publish and write more for publications. The last one I did was on Third Party Risk and Blockchain 9) Family - spouse, children? I am single with a six year old son 10) Community engagement? I am engaged in the community as a board member for APMC, mentor for young ladies, support HPC, United Way, Mentor at the Camaraderie Foundation and countless others.

11) Favorite quote? “The Pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston Churchill 12) Best reads and why? Traction because it helped me clear align my vision for the company with the team members needed. A New Earth- its helps you understand the state of being present in everything you do. Becoming – really helps you refocus, understand yourself as a woman and your value. 13) Best piece of advice you want to pass on to our readers: Being present in everything you do, understand who you are and the value you bring to anything you do will help in your success. Surround yourself with great mentors, colleagues and friends who appreciate you, and are your ambassadors to success.

It sometimes takes a few days out in the sweltering Florida sun and some dirt to make a realization happen. For Ambar Vizcarrondo, a previous intern as an Ecological Technician and our newest Human Resources Intern at Pivot Business Consulting , she’s grateful for the realization. Now she gets to direct her time and energy towards what matters to her more – helping others and getting businesses or-ga-nized. Through her internship with us at Pivot, she is helping us to streamline our hiring, onboarding and training processes. When she’s not doing that, she’s studying for her Associates in Office Administration at Valencia College and saving up to get a super cool motorcycle. In the next five to ten years, she’s looking to get professionally certified as an administrative professional and work as an executive assistant for local companies. Just like Gina Rodriguez, the actress best known for Jane the Virgin and Golden Globe winner, Ambar intends to be a Latina who inspires and empowers. Her bit of advice to interns? Know that every internship experience you have, good or bad, is shaping you for the career(s) that you aiming to take on.

Jack Bouchie Web & Graphic Design Intern
Jack Bouchie graduated from West Orange High and currently attends Valencia College where he is majoring in Graphic Design. He wants to do freelancing work in the future and develop an online presence for himself where Jack can use his client interaction skills- gained from this internship at Pivot Business Consulting - to reach prospective job opportunities. Jack’s advice for new interns is “be open to new experiences.” As The Mediator, Jack does find that he takes his work personally and values purity of intent over rewards, but unlike the 16 Personalities assessment, Jack likes dealing with data. A job responsibility he will deal with even as a freelancer. Some fun facts about Jack is his desire to visit the beautiful country of Japan. He enjoys the culture and had many friends tell him how great their experience was overseas. The last book he read was A Series of Unfortunate Events , an easy read that creates interesting fictional scenarios for the Baudelaire children.

Corey Perry Video Production Intern Corey Perry graduated from Alonso High School and is currently attending Valencia College , where he intends to major in Motion Graphics. Corey aspires to work on his own big projects that could help him get a job with Marvel Studios by using the industry skills that he will learn here at Pivot Business Consulting, his first internship. His advice to future students looking for an internship is to know what you want and what to expect. Something that he didn’t expect is his personality profile being The Protagonist. He says that it’s the “most accurate test I’ve taken so far, but sensitivity [didn’t feel accurate]...or maybe I’m just being overly sensitive about it?” Also, somewhere down the road, Corey wants to visit Trinidad, where his father is from. The last book he read was Hollywood 101 by Patrick Byrd, a great book he recommends to other filmmakers, producers, and the like.

Roger Guerrero, Marketing/Sales Intern (Rollins College) Welcoming Roger Guerrero to our Pivotopian team. Roger graduated from Valencia College and now attends Rollins College , Hamilton Holt School . He is currently seeking a degree in Economics with a minor in Business Management which Roger will use to predict financial opportunities to benefit any company, and advise his future employer on economic trends that can generate significant revenue. The research and analysis skills he wants to gain here at Pivot Business Consulting will benefit Roger’s future employers especially since he sees himself going into strategic planning. Roger’s advice to other interns is “always be motivated to learn from others, put your degree to work, and take advantage of intern opportunities. Be proactive and learn about other fields that surrounds you in your environment. Try to fill in the gaps that exist between different disciplines. Be engaged, outgoing, and most importantly energetic.” One of the screening processes at Pivot Business Consulting is to take the 16 Personalities profile assessment. Roger learned he is The Protagonist type. According to 16 Personalities, Protagonists are natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. They form around two percent of the population, they are oftentimes our politicians, our coaches and our teachers, reaching out and inspiring others to achieve and to do good in the world.
The last book Roger read was The Richest Man of Babylon. A novel that developed a business leader mindset and helped him a form a business back home in Venezuela. He hopes to visit Texas, specifically the countryside, because he loves the wilderness and staying connected to nature.

I attended a phenomenal training session previously with my professional association ( GOOD Network ) on design thinking, facilitated by mastermind Karen Tilstra and her staff with FHIL, (Florida Hospital Innovation Lab ). It got me thinking about how I did this everyday when I was a public classroom teacher teaching English to middle and high school students and also teaching Sunday school at my church ( Grace Orlando ). Everything was hands on, asking why, and solving problems collaboratively and in teams. I was brainstorming with two of my valued team members, Catrina Davidson and Andi Earle about Design Thinking Series I am facilitating for entrepreneurs. I am so fortunate to have these two women on my team - Catrina works from Alabama remotely and we employ design thinking as if we are in the room together. Andi is a new team member and rapidly learning how Design Thinking is used in event management, marketing, social media creation, promotion, and engagement. I digress though, back on track. Let’s go straight to a good source of inspiration about what design thinking is: The Interaction Design Thinking Organization. Design Thinking is not an exclusive property of designers—all great innovators in literature, art, music, science, engineering, and business have practiced it. Using design work processes can help us systematically extract, teach, learn and apply these human-centered techniques to solve problems in a creative and innovative way. Who uses Design Thinking in the workplace. Leading world brands, such as Apple, Google , Samsung and GE , have rapidly adopted the Design Thinking approach. Does it stop there? No way! Design Thinking is being taught at leading universities around the world, including Stanford, Harvard and MIT. You may be thinking “Yeah, but that isn’t my company, I don’t really understand what Design Thinking is, or even why it is so popular. Thought I would share 5 reasons why Design Thinking should be part of your Learn Human growth strategy to help you pivot quickly with your people and processes. Design Thinking focuses on the end user. Some businesses call this customer service, design thinking calls it the end user. This makes the audience bigger and includes employees, vendors, affiliates, and customers. When we focus on what our end users are telling us, it should be recognized as “real money” for any business owner. Receive a complaint? Listen to the pain point from that end user. This is how you will improve your processes, create a Learn Human culture, and make change that yields a higher ROI for your business. Design Thinking leverages the collective wisdom, experience, and generations in your company. When hiring, look for diversity by having multigenerational and multidisciplinary humans on your team. This brings a plethora of well-rounded voices to the table and creates a better representation of who your end users are. It is a big world physically, and yet it gets smaller everyday. Design Thinking brings empathy into your company culture. Empathy is not just “I understand how frustrating that is for you.” It is genuine concern that makes them feel heard and brings anxiety down. This results in HUGE value for your company. Your company becomes human to the end user and they are willing to stay in place because you are putting your company in a place of being a problem solver and a partner with them. Design Thinking Tests, Tests, Tests. In real estate, there is a phrase most of you may have heard: It is about location, location, location. In Design Thinking, the catch phrases is test, test, test. This is a central to the process. It allows to have amazing results because of the rich feedback from actual users and customers before spending too much time, effort or money on any one idea. The process may look messy with all the Post-It Notes used in the process and how quickly they move into different categories, but it yields results that are far more powerful, engaging and interesting. Design Thinking Creates Value While Using Problem Solving Skills to Solve Real Problems. This becomes part of your “secret sauce” in business. It is about solving real problems (no matter what size) for real people in every industry. Design Thinking is challenging and changing the way we solve problems and deliver more value to the user. Want to learn how to incorporate this into your company’s purpose, people, and processes so you will know how to pivot more quickly? Sign up for the Design Thinking Series for Entrepreneurs, or contact me if you want to host your own design thinking training with your staff.

In all kind of internships, there are international students that come from different countries and cities. Their principal purposes of studying in other countries are to learn about different cultures, languages, and to have more experiences. During the 2018 Spring semester, Pivot Business Consulting had the opportunity to have many international students as an interns. One of them is Taisuke, he comes from a very far country to the U.S. and definitely he is an outgoing and polite person in every aspect. We decided to interview to him with he purpose of knowing his experience during his internship with Pivot Business Consulting and our clients. Also, we were interested in knowing more about him. Following, there are several questions that we asked him: 1.- What is your major? Event Management at the University of Central Florida at Rosen College of Hospitality Management 2.- How did you find this internship? I have volunteered for TEDxOrlando Women last year and met with Isabella at that time. After volunteering, I asked Isabella to have another volunteer opportunities. Then she told me this internship. 3.- How was your experience during your internship? Did you like it? I definitely liked it. One of my great experiences during this internship was that Japanese people, who came from Urayasu City (Orlando’s sister city), came visit StarterStudio and I showed them around the office. 4.- What did you learned from your internship? I learned about the basic hospitality skills, such as interpersonal communication (oral & written), knowledge of community resources, research and planning, critical thinking and resolve conflicts/counseling. 5.- From which country do you come from? Can you describe how your culture is? I was born and raised in Japan. One of the unique Japanese cultures is that Japanese people really care about everyone else’s age in Japanese society. They even care about one older,younger or the same age each other. 6.- Why did you decide to move to the U.S? Actually I did not move to the United States. The main reason I decided to come to the U.S. is to learn English. 7.- It was hard for you to adapt yourself to this new culture? It was not too hard, but it was not easy. 8.- What advice do you have for future interns? Do your best when someone gives you a job even you do not like or want. 9.- What do you think it is better, money or the knowledge that you gain from an internship? Why? I am still a student, and I would say that knowledge is better than money because money cannot get me grades in school. Only Knowledge can claim them. After interviewing Taisuke, I had the opportunity to identify myself with him. As an international student, it is not easy to study and work at the same time in a foreign country. However, it is not impossible, also, you will get a lot of knowledge and experiences that you will have in your memory during your entire life. Definitely, knowing another culture is a very good experience and interesting. The Japanese culture is very interesting in many ways, it is a really great culture with excellent people in every aspect. It can be concluded that doing an internship is a very good and excellent opportunity to anybody, you will get more knowledge in your field, you will meet new and awesome people, you will have the opportunity to know if your actual career is what you want or not, and finally, you will a have an excellent experience that anybody won’t be able to take it out from you.

Doing an internship was the best decision that I ever made in every single way. Now, I can say that marketing is the career that I want to study, and what I have a passion for. Besides the knowledge that I acquired while in college and what I learned from my internship, I had the opportunity and the privilege of meeting amazing people along this path. At the beginning, to be honest, I was very confused. Maybe, it was because I am an international student from Venezuela, and definitely this is another kind of culture and, obviously, another language. Because I am a little shy in the beginning it was a challenge. I begin to meet new people along the way by going to meetings with my company and intern team members. I had no idea what to say or what I could contribute but, when the days were passing by, I felt more comfortable and secure within myself. I was very lucky to work with empathetic people that helped me feel confident and learn skills that will help me in my future. As an intern working with one of Pivot Business Consulting’s clients, StarterStudio; I acquired a lot of new skills such as an inbound marketing program called HubSpot and created graphic design images using another tool called Canva. I learned better researching skills, participated with a relaunch and rebranding of StarterStudio and went to team meeting to discuss problems and solution to projects, and most important, I worked with great people that made my days at work fun and enjoyable. Second, I finished my internship by working on another Pivot Business Consulting client, Intern Pursuit. With this company, I had the opportunity to learn how to build social media content and how to use platforms like Hootsuite which automates and manage your social media content and accounts. Mailchimp is another program that is used to send emails out in an automated method and tracks the process for the business. I met amazing people at Pivot Business Consulting and Intern Pursuit who shared great advice about my future, and I am very thankful for that. Finally, there are many reasons to consider about doing an internship. One of them, and the most important to me, is that an internship provides the opportunity to know if the tasks and industry for your future career are what you want to do in the future. Also, you have the chance to work in a real business environment, and this helps a student decide if they what this career opportunity. Last, but not least, you will meet amazing people that can help you on the path while at college and after. Definitely, the college will help you to learn a lot of important things that you will apply in your future but an internship will give you experiences, relationships, and knowledge that will open your mind to the real world. Spanish Translation Hacer una pasantía fue la mejor decisión que tomé en todos los sentidos. Ahora, puedo decir que el marketing es la carrera que quiero estudiar, y es lo que me apasiona. Además del conocimiento que adquirí mientras estaba en la universidad y de lo que aprendí de mi pasantía, tuve la oportunidad y el privilegio de conocer gente increíble en este camino. Al principio, para ser honesto, estaba muy confundido. Tal vez, fue porque soy un estudiante internacional de Venezuela, y definitivamente este es otro tipo de cultura y, obviamente, otro idioma. Debido a que fui un poco timido al principio, fue un desafío. Empiece a conocer gente nueva a lo largo del camino yendo a reuniones con los miembros de la compañía y otros pasantes. No tenía ni idea de qué decir ni qué podía aportar, pero cuando pasaban los días, me sentía más cómodo y seguro dentro de mí. Tuve mucha suerte de trabajar con personas empáticas que me ayudaron a tener confianza y aprender nuevas habilidades que me ayudarán en mi futuro. Como pasante, al trabajar con uno de los clientes de Pivot Business Consulting, StarterStudio; Adquirí muchas habilidades nuevas, como lo fue un programa de marketing de entrada llamado HubSpot y, además, creé imágenes de diseño gráfico usando otra herramienta llamada Canva. Aprendí a tener mejores habilidades de investigación, participé en un relanzamiento y cambio de nombre de StarterStudio y asistí a una reunión del equipo para debatir problemas y soluciones para proyectos, y lo más importante, trabajé con personas excelentes que hicieron que mis días en el trabajo fueran divertidos y agradables. Segundo, terminé mi pasantía trabajando con otro cliente llamado Intern Pursuit. Con esta compañía, tuve la oportunidad de aprender cómo crear contenido de redes sociales y cómo usar plataformas como Hootsuite, que automatiza y administra el contenido y las cuentas de redes sociales. Otro programa que aprendí fue Mailchimp, el cual es otro programa que se utiliza para enviar correos electrónicos con un método automatizado y realiza un seguimiento del proceso para el negocio. Como Starter Studio, conocí a personas tan increíbles en Intern Pursuit, personas, con grandes proyectos, que me dieron muchos consejos para mi futuro, y estoy muy agradecido por ello. Hay muchas razones para considerar hacer una pasantía. Una de ellas, y la más importante para mí, es que tendrás la oportunidad de saber si tu carrera es lo que quieres hacer para tu futuro. Además, tendrá la oportunidad de trabajar en un entorno comercial real, y esto te ayudará a decidir cómo deseas trabajar en tu futuro. Por último, pero no menos importante, conocerás personas increíbles que podrían ayudarte a construir tu camino durante tu tiempo en la universidad, y después de ella. Definitivamente, la universidad te ayudará a aprender muchas cosas que podrás aplicar en tu futuro, pero una pasantía te dará experiencias y conocimientos que abrirán tu mente al mundo real.