Hi, everyone! I’m Isabella, the Social Media + PR Intern who also dabbles in Marketing, Sales, Business Development, and everything in between at Tea Drops. I’m here to give an exclusive/all access/behind the scenes look at not only my life at Tea Drops, but what it’s like to observe and be amongst the daily (and sometimes chaotic) operations of a startup.
What exactly do I do?
A little bit of everything. I’m kind of extensions of Freya (our Director of Operations) and Sashee (our Founder & CEO). They’re the masterminds... they delegate and I go! My favorite thing I get to do is create content like these blogs and do creative content/design work for social media!
What's a typical day in the life for me?
Everyday is a different day when coming into work, so sometimes I'm not sure what to expect. I usually check my email to see if there are any urgent alerts and then I'll start prepping for my workload depending on the day. If you are even curious what we're up to you can watch our stories on Instagram! Those videos and pictures can give a better glimpse into our everyday activities! Nothing is certain except for snacks. There are always snacks. We are well fed at the Tea Drops HQ!
What it's like to be part of the Tea Drops squad:
A lot of fun and very inspiring! Humor is a big part of my personality and how I function as a human being. Working here, we know when to joke and when it’s business time and I think that an important part of the way we operate. We also do a lot of office bonding throughout the work day, as well as brainstorming, so I really feel part of a team and like we all contribute to the moving parts of the company. Additionally, getting to witness these #girlbosses in their element, at not only at Tea Drops, but the entire WomenMadeLA collective is both empowering and motivating for me as a woman entering the professional workforce.
What I thought I knew about running a business vs. what I think now:
Before coming into this, I thought knowledge was what you needed to run a business. While knowledge is very important, it comes with time and everyone can learn about something or even how to do something. But now, I think it’s perseverance. The ability to carry on no matter the consequences or what the circumstances are because it’s that important to you. That is a quality that I’ve seen first hand in both Sashee and Freya while witnessing them in action and working alongside them during Tea Drops’ craziest holiday season ever. So crazy that we all took a field trip to our fulfillment center to lend a hand in shipping out orders! Sashee once told me she thinks that success in small businesses stems from the environment and community you create in your workplace and that then connects to the consumer. She wants a personal connection to her customers and to create an experience for them rather than just selling them a product. To me, that is incredibly unique.
What it’s like working for a small business:
“Fast and furious” as we say around these parts. Like I said, everyday is something different when we come into the office! Working for a small business means being able to problem solve quickly and be adaptable. With adaptability comes responsibility, which often means juggling a lot of moving parts. I think that working for a small business is a great opportunity to be a part of something that is one of a kind, pure, and able to reach people in a way large mainstream businesses can’t.
All in all, working at Tea Drops thus far has been an adventure and a half, but I'm glad to be a part of the ride.
Signing off until next time!
Isabella
