The Start-Up That Never Stops: On Time Zones, Town Halls, & Trailblazing

As students in the College of Communication at DePaul, we all knew that securing an internship would catapult us into uncharted waters, daring us to sink or swim.  That may be an accurate description for most internships you’ll find on the Handshake app.  But, at a start-up, the experience would be better characterized as a blindfolded swan dive. There’s no indication of how deep the water is, how tall the waves are, or the temperature you’ll find upon contact. Fortunately, in working at AllPeople, it’s deep enough to fully immerse yourself and come up for air in time. The waves are strong enough to take you places, and the water is warm. Staying calm and focused and trusting in your own abilities is vital.

When I interviewed for the position, I had carefully curated my dining room for the occasion.  I made sure that my roommate’s lint rollers were off camera, my sleeves were covering my tattoos, and my newly framed Green New Deal poster was casually mounted behind me.  I wanted to give them a concentrated dose of who I was, in the time allotted.  I wanted to convey my values, so they knew I was on board with their mission before I even spoke.  The meeting was a total success, but what I didn’t know at the time was just how inspiring, relentless, and accepting this team would be.

Staying calm and focused and trusting in your own abilities is vital.

Our group of interns hails from several different parts of the country – one of the most interesting parts of working remotely in a pandemic.  I’ve become quite familiar with accommodating and rapidly understanding differences in time zones (looking at you, Mountain Time).  We’re all in contact daily through Basecamp, which manifests as an influx of emails from every department throughout the day.  These can range from general wellbeing check-ins, invitations to access various Google Drive folders, and updates regarding meetings (upcoming, cancelled, rescheduled).  I live for our Monday meetings because they usually involve presenting my team’s new ideas for non-profit partnerships, marketing strategies, or (my favorite) basking in the infinite wisdom of the panel of advisors.  On Fridays, we all get together on a call to catch up informally: the town hall. The first one I was a part of made me a little nervous because I was traveling on foot and wasn’t sure if that would be seen as unprofessional.  In the setting of a town hall, this was completely fine – in fact, it was fun for people to see the train racing behind me.  On top of that, the company’s founder (Bill Wollrab) pointed out how much he liked my face mask that had “VOTE” printed on it.  All my fears flew out the window in that moment, because Bill just said he liked my pandemic political style!

…what I didn’t know at the time was just how inspiring, relentless, and accepting this team would be.

The nature of this start-up is made of equal parts beauty and chaos.  Everyone is from a different city, bringing individual talents and perspectives to the table.  For all of the variety, the places that we overlap are key.  We all share a vision of a more thoughtful society, wherein charitable causes are boosted and empowered via the purchasing power of consumers.  That’s what AllPeople does.  Their business model is progressive and daring. Described by Bill as “the antithesis of Amazon,” AllPeople offers sustainable and eco-friendly products in their online marketplace with carbon-neutral shipping.  They ensure that 5% of all purchases on their website go directly to a non-profit or academic partner of your choice.

A lot of people want to “make the world a better place.”  AllPeople is on track to do just that, and in our meetings it’s clear that this drive is genuine.  I have always felt encouraged to reach out with any questions or ideas that I have.  I’ve received constructive and positive feedback on all my work, and, due to “wearing many hats,” I’ve been able to propose incentive programs and initiatives from the ground up.  Research, number crunching, creative graphics, sales projections – these are things I tackle all the time.  And I love it.

I’m excited for the future of AllPeople and to see how this moment in time will inevitably shape my professional development.  As challenging and atypical as this experience has been, I’m learning a lot and finding that for all the ways I receive invaluable input – I want to give back just as much.  This internship has really opened my eyes to the inner workings of a business in their initial stages.  It seems fitting that, working for a company that deals heavily with charitable donations, generosity would be highly valued on both sides.  To quote our Communications Manager, Rachel Lindauer, “there’s always a reason for giving.”  So, this is my advice: be yourself, unapologetically, and give everything you have to the opportunities that can propel you forward on your path.  The right people will notice.  Most importantly, no matter what happens, take it as a learning experience that will bring you one step closer to your best self.