Name: Andrew Obstler
Year: Junior
Major: Economics
Minor: Spanish
CFS Class: Business Field Studies
Employer: Packed with Purpose

In Spring 2021, I had the opportunity to work as a Business Operations intern for a small start-up called Packed with Purpose. Packed with Purpose provides gift baskets both directly to the consumer as well as custom options for corporate clients. The company has a strong social impact mission as all of the products they hold are from companies that contribute specific social impacts. As an Operations intern I was able to perform a wide variety of tasks and learn from a number of different employees in different departments. I went into the internship with the expectation of learning a lot from both my work and my coworkers. I expected my projects to be engaging and help me learn about the tangible things I could do to help the company. I expected the daily meetings to be very informative and help me learn about the challenges a small start-up faces. I succeeded in learning these lessons I expected to learn, but what was so enriching about my experience at Packed with Purpose were the lessons I learned at unexpected times.

A great example of this was a presentation project I worked on for one week that involved market research into the customers experiences during the company’s most busy time period: the holiday season. When I had finished my analysis and crafted my presentation I presented it to the head of every department including the founder and CEO of Packed with Purpose. I had spent the week working diligently on my research and formatting the presentation the best way I knew how. While giving the presentation, the CEO of the company frequently interrupted me to help me with more specific tools and tips involving market research. I thought that once I had completed the project there was not going to be anything else I could learn from it, but I was greatly mistaken. It was this experience amongst many others that helped make my time at Packed with Purpose so enriching.