Horses and the Corporate World

After accepting my internship at Campbell Harrington and Brear I didn’t have a ton of time to find a second job in order to pay for my living expenses over the summer. I knew I wanted a job that I already had a background in as I figured I’d be stressed out enough learning to work in the Advertising Agency I was interning at. That’s when I came to the conclusion that I wanted to work on a farm. It didn’t really matter whether I was riding, training, helping with lessons, feeding or even mucking stalls. I ended up hitting the lotto when I emailed FCS Equestrian Center about possible employment opportunities. A week later I met with farm owner and operator, Justyne Litten, to discuss job responsibilities as well as meet the project horse Justyne and I would be riding over the summer, a sassy little mare named Cassie.

Working on a farm is a unique experience and I love every minute of it. It’s nice to actually get excited to go to my second job. I believe there are a lot of things you can learn working at a barn that you will never be able to learn sitting at a desk in an office, although surprisingly there are many similarities that I notice between a desk job and the job of being a stable hand. I’ve decided to make a list of things I’ve learned over the years working at a barn that have proved to be just as important in a corporate setting.

1)      Patience- Working with a large animal often calls for a large amount of patience. Just because you ask a horse to do something nicely doesn’t mean that they are going to do it. It’s important to realize that just like humans they have a learning curve and can’t be expected to do everything as soon as it is asked of them. We all also have good days and bad days. Whether we are training somebody to learn a new job, or just dealing with somebody that isn’t in the best mood we need to have patience.

2)      A lot of times people hold themselves superior to each other, especially if they have a higher position or earn a higher salary than you. Through riding I have learned respect is the key to getting along with something that is so much more powerful than you are. It’s easy to get a big head about yourself but when I start to get cocky I’ve got a 1500 pound animal that quickly reminds me where my place is. It’s about working together as a part of a team, not segregating yourself as a higher power.

3)      There have been many times I’ve just needed a break from the real world. We get so caught up in everything that’s going on and we exhaust ourselves. We pile so much work on our own plates because we think we can do it better than somebody else, and we forget that it’s ok to ask for help every once in awhile. I was reminded of this on Sunday when I went on an awesome trail ride with Justyne. After we both worked a full day on Saturday we needed a break. Luckily for us we had two horses that were more than happy to carry our weight and let us catch our breath for a few hours.

4)      Sometimes we are so focused on our own thoughts and ideas that we forget to take into consideration what somebody else sees. A few years ago while trail riding with a friend I learned the important lesson of always listening to what someone else has to say. We left early in the morning for a full day of riding on the trials. We ended up in a swamp area and spent about 45 minutes trying to get back on track. I asked my horse to move forward into an area I thought was stable to walk across in order to get out of the swampy area. He probably knew the area was a sink hole by how the ground felt underneath his hooves and refused to move forward. He finally gave in and listened to my decision to move forward and yes, we ended up in the sink hole. This time I let him do the steering as he was able to get us out of the watery sink hole safely. I should have known all along that he knew it wasn’t ok to go forward but I decided not to listen to him. I am very careful now to listen to what the horse underneath me is trying to communicate because a lot of times they have a better plan than I do.

5)      Love and Acceptance- While working we encounter various kinds of people. Different races, genders, values and beliefs. One of my favorite parts of the barn is the unconditional love given by the animals I work with. It’s important that we follow their example. It doesn’t mean you have to necessarily love and be best friends with everyone you work with, but it does mean you should be able to accept them as a person and fellow co worker and give them the respect and kindness they deserve.

6)      One of the most important lessons I have learned working with horses is the need to take a job seriously and always put your best work into it no matter how big or small the task is. Something as simple as feeding a horse the wrong type of grain or not tacking a horse correctly can put the horse or rider in danger.

7)      Responsibility- Horses are a lot of fun but they are also an unbelievable amount of work. Cleaning stalls and scrubbing water buckets is a part of owning a horse regardless of how many championships or blue ribbons you have won. The same goes for working in a corporate setting. Just because you’re the president of the company and have a top floor executive suite doesn’t mean you won’t participate in grunt work every now and then.

8)      Love what you do with all of your heart! A lot of people think it’s crazy that I am more than happy to be up at 7am cleaning stalls. It’s not crazy to me because it’s what I love to do. When you have a passion for something you throw your heart and soul into it.  You should be excited about your job. If everybody came to work un-happy the office environment would be rather unpleasant. Find people to work with that have a passion for what they do. Trust me; you’ll be much happier working there if you do!

I’m proud to have various barn employment opportunities listed on my resume as I feel there is a lot of valuable things to be learned working at an equestrian center. I’ve learned so many important lessons while working with horses that I can carry with me anywhere I go in life.

Humble

You know when you get to the point that you think you've got everything figured out? You begin to get a little cocky about yourself, think that you know it all and have got it under control? It's easy put yourself on a pedestal. Everyone is guilty of it at one point or another. Luckily for me I have a history in horseback riding which I believe is one of the most humbling sports around. Anytime I get a big head about myself I've got a 1500 pound animal that quickly reminds me that there are bigger, more powerful, things out there besides me. For example last week I was doing a trial ride on my trainers horse Octivian. Things were going pretty well and we started jumping around. This is where I made the mistake of letting my guard down because I thought I was in complete control. The next thing I knew I was face first into the ground covered in dirt and rubble. I'm not saying having confidence in your abilities or being proud of your skill sets is a bad thing. I'm just saying it becomes a bad thing if you let it give you a big head!

I'm learning very quickly in the work place that the act of being able to humble yourself to others thoughts and opinions is very important, especially when you're working in groups on a project for a client. Just the other day I sat in on a meeting about the design of a website that CH&B created that is set to be launched soon for a client.  Different people have each taken up different parts of the website to work on. The designers created the actual layout and design of the website while others were in charge of the copy. The point is that I'm sure there were a lot of ideas thrown around about the design and what the site should say. With everybody certified in their craft whos to say whos idea was better to use? I can't answer that question as I wasn't there for the inital creation of the website, although I did sit through an 1.5 hour meeting where we debated back and forth things that needed to be changed. If the majority of the room wanted to change something that's what happened regardless if the deisgner or anybody else didn't like the suggestion.  The goal is to create a website that will benefit the client, not satisfy the creative desire of one member of the team.

There is always something new to learn from each other. Sometimes your idea will be great, sometimes somebody elses will be better. Have pride in your work but also keep an open mind and humble yourself to others.

Nothing Special...

Today has been a typical day as an intern. I was assigned the task of once again updating old client databases and searching for each company on various social media sites. It is interesting in the advertising world because somedays things are crazy and you don't get a second to catch your breathe...other days...well it would be nice to have a fouton in my office to take a nap! The good news is that I was asked to ride my project horse today in the early afternoon so I'll be leaving CH&B around 2pm. I don't want to sound like every day I'm in a rush to get out of here, because I'm not. But...when you're sitting at your desk and its bright and sunny and beautiful outside who doesn't want to go home?

Creating a Brand Image for Yourself

You know the saying “Another day, another dollar?" Well, for me it's "another day, another 8 hours of working."

Over the past few days I have had a lot of people asking me why I accepted an unpaid internship for the summer. With tuition bills, rent and utility bills for my new apartment, and just general living expenses adding up I understand why so many people would be curious about the decision I have made. I took some time to think about my personal choice and came up with the conclusion that it is for my own brand image. Eventually we will all graduate and have to market ourselves to potential employees. I could have been a waitress, babysitter, or worked in a movie theater among many other options college students can choose from. In no way do I intend to discount the work ethic and value that goes into a job I have previously stated, as I know those jobs are valuable work experiences, although when considering how I wanted to brand myself for a job in advertising, actual experience in the field was what I thought fit best.

Brand Image is one of the most important parts of having a successful product. If you have a poor reputation you will most likely not be the first choice of the consumer. You can have a great product but if you don't have a great image to back it up than it's pretty much worthless. We live in a world where everybody wants the best of the best, a product that will satisfy all of their needs, wants, and more! I'm hoping this internship will give me a leg up on the competition as I am gaining valuable knowledge about the Advertising Industry that you don't get from working at McDonald's. I was sent an article today about Pepsi and how they are using green environmentally friendly cups to promote their brand image. This article really hit the nail on the head in terms of how people respond to products when they give themselves a positive image. Their goal is to put themselves above Coca Cola, who came out with a plant bottle made from 30% plant materials, and make more sales with their completely biodegradable cups. You can check out the article here: http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/05/23/PepsiCo-Green-Cups-Launch.aspx In essence, I have the same concept. Make myself look better and more desirable than the competition.

Interestingly enough, this concept also ties in with what I’ve spent many hours working on this week. I was asked by CH&B to go through their portfolios of old and current work and set up albums on Flickr and Picasa to display what they’ve worked on. This includes examples of direct mail, Print Ads, Brochures, and Corporate ID. It was my job to take the examples and set them up on various photo sites so that CH&B has a quality representation of their work online. The goal? Obviously to showcase CH&B’s work in a tasteful manner to build a positive image of the work CH&B puts out. It’s not rocket science but it is a very important, sometimes forgotten, part of advertising.  You can check out some of CH&B’s work that I have put together here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/campbellharringtonbrear/

So really I guess my new motto should be “Another day, another 8 hours put into building my brand image.”

The beginning...

Just a week ago I embarked on a 507 mile journey from Novi, MI to York, PA. You might ask yourself why choose York as a destination? If you're traveling that far you might as well go somewhere nice like a beach, a national monument, or a state park. After all it is Summer vacation! Well, summer vacation isn't really on the schedule for me this year as I was hired as an intern for a local Advertising Agency in York, PA called Campbell Harrington & Brear.

As my friends are taking exotic vacations and soaking up the sun, I'm soaking in as much information from the agency as my brain and notebook can hold from 9am- 5pm while working a second job as a stable hand for FCS Equestrian Center in the evening and on weekends. And you thought studying for finals was hard...haha just kidding! Although it seems like a lot to have piled on my plate for the Summer, I am extremely blessed to have such oppertunites. Unfortunatly, a lot of people still don't recognize the fact that a college degree isn't enough anymore to land you the job of your dreams. Real world experience is the best thing to have on a resume you send out to a future employee and I am so greatful to CH&B for the oppertunity!

I've been working as an intern for a week and all of the staff at CH&B have already made me feel like part of the team. It's great working with a smaller agency because you really get to know the people you are working with. Not a day passes by where someone doesn't come to my desk and chat with me for a few minutes. Even the president himself makes sure to stop by every once in a while!Talk about good networking!!! I've been included in every meeting and discussion that takes place here as well as already having a list of jobs that I take care of. Last Friday I presented what I've been working on in one of the production meetings. It was awesome that they let me chime in and update them with the progress I've made. Another unique thing that I've picked up about CH&B is the way the praise each other when something good happens and kindly but constructively fix or  critique each other when something isn't perfect of needs to be changed. It's refreshing to see that in a work place as unfortunately that isn't how it works in a lot of other  places.

Right now I am working hand in hand with Stephen Marcum CH&B's Director of Media Strategy. It's easy to tell he has a passion for what he does! He can't keep from smiling  every time he is teaching me something new! It's awesome to see someone getting excited about teaching somebody else what they do! Only a week has gone by and he has already taught me so much about SEO (search engine Optimization),  creating a successful website, and social book marking which are all good things to know for advertising in the future! He's got an amazing sense of strategy and detail , despite the fact he called me Lindsay the first few days I worked here, and is leading CH&B successfully into the future of social media advertising. Oh, and he's got my name right now too! :)

As of now my duties include updating CH&B's large portfolio of previous and current work and placing it on Flickr and Picasa. This puts it online where people can access it. What makes this extremely effective is that I've been posting the links to CH&B's twitter pages with a little description of what each piece of work is. Besides that I am working on building a following on Twitter for the company and I've brought us 5 new followers since last Wednesday! I've also dipped my feet into social book marking with the help of Stephen and successfully submitted CH&B's blog post about our political advertising for Craig Trebilcock when he won a seat for Judge to several social book marking websites.

Well that's about it for today!