This summer we had the opportunity to work with five awesome interns. As our time with them winds down, we asked them to share some of their favorite memories and lessons learned from working with us.
All in all, we narrowed it down to our top 5 Lessons Learned on how to be successful in a fast-paced company, like The Garage Group:
1. Quick learning is critical; and in order to learn quickly, you have to ask questions and get involved. Say yes to every opportunity presented to you, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing–it’s the best way to learn.
2. Courage is huge when you’re in ambiguous situations–which is all the time at The Garage Group. Embrace the ambiguity and strive for success by taking that leap into the unknown.
3. Collaboration is at the heart of entrepreneurship. Just about everything here at The Garage Group requires teamwork and support, so it’s important to have open communication between team members, followed by encouragement after a job-well-done or feedback to improve.
4. Fun is an essential part of the hustle. Working at The Garage Group is all about tackling challenges and solving problems, while also making some time for a quick game of foosball or a hand of euchre.
5. Learn from failures. A growth mindset is critical to entrepreneurial thinking; it’s having the confidence to fail, identifying key takeaways from the failure, then utilizing those takeaways to be successful in the future.
We’ve gotten to know them all summer long, so we wanted to provide you with the same opportunity:
Name: Dominick Calcara
School & Area(s) of Study: University of Alabama; Finance
Hometown: Bridgetown, OH
Something not many people know about you: Dreams big: wants to enter the stocks & investments industry to help other countries develop successful economies.
What’s your favorite memory at TGG?
Eliminating Jason & Keri in Foosball
Who at TGG has pushed you the most? How so?
Jason. Pushes us to strive for the best, and is always helpful and resourceful.
Which of TGG’s five values has resonated most with you this summer?
Trailblazer: nobody/no company can be truly successful without risk and taking initiative, the trailblazer will become the leader of the industry.
You’re soon to be graduating in a time of rapid disruption across all industries. What have you learned at TGG this summer that will enable you to be successful in such an environment?
TGG has taught me that in rougher circumstances, consistency is key, and that you must leverage all possibilities in order to be successful.
Name: Dylan Castner
School & Area(s) of Study: Miami University, Finance/ Entrepreneurship Co-Majors
Hometown: Liberty Township, OH
Something not many people know about you: When I was a little kid I got my thumb stuck inside an older style stationary bike(Got to keep the thumb;)).
What’s your favorite memory at TGG?
Presenting and being a part of an actual client session where I was able to get a much better understanding of what we do as a company.
Who at TGG has pushed you the most? How so?
Dennis. He continuously pushes you to think about the next steps or what else could you be missing when contemplating through a process.
Which of TGG’s five values resonates most with you?
Authentic. Working in an environment with so many genuine people has really shown me how vital it is to show your true personality.
You’re soon to be graduating in a time of rapid disruption across all industries. What have you learned at TGG this summer that will enable you to be successful in such an environment?
Be willing to take a stab at any kind of work and that experience is truly gained on site, so be involved with as much as possible because that is how the real learning is done.
Name: Nathaniel Hauer
School & Area(s) of Study: The Ohio State University, Environmental Science
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Something not many people know about you: Active in Hamilton Co. 4-H, raising market chickens and turkeys.
What’s your favorite memory at TGG?
Being told that I was now a Growth Hacker, not having a clue what that meant.
Who at TGG has pushed you the most? How so?
Jason. He strongly encourages experimentation, while also emphasizing pragmatic solutions.
Which of TGG’s five values has resonated most with you this summer? Professional. TGG has taught me to embrace success and learn from failure.
You’re soon to be graduating in a time of rapid disruption across all industries. What have you learned at TGG this summer that will enable you to be successful in such an environment?
TGG has taught me that adapting to change is key when trying to stay relevant amidst rapid disruption. Growth Hacking skills that I picked up this summer will certainly be useful down the road, as they are built upon experimentation within the continually changing environment.
Name: Morgan Langhammer
School & Area(s) of Study: Miami University, Entrepreneurship Major
Hometown: Hamilton, OH
Something not many people know about you: Bees are my favorite animal; the plan is to buy a couple of hives (as soon as I move out of my parents’ house).
What’s your favorite memory at TGG?
Seeing my bio and picture uploaded onto the website. It finally became real to me that I was working here.
Who at TGG has pushed you the most? How so?
Erin. When talking strategy on client sessions she really pushes you to think like an entrepreneur and back up your ideas. It proved to be really strong on-the-job practice.
Which of TGG’s five values has resonated most with you this summer?
Authenticity. The Garage Group’s strength really does come from it’s people, and the entrepreneurial culture that has been created, and authenticity is such a key factor in that strength.
You’re soon to be graduating in a time of rapid disruption across all industries. What have you learned at TGG this summer that will enable you to be successful in such an environment?
The ability to quickly and rapidly test ideas before committing all of my resources to something. I’m not sure exactly where I’m going to end up after college, but with so many industries in need of innovation, that is a skill that spans across all of them.
Name: Rachel Van Fleet
School & Area(s) of Study: Miami University, Entrepreneurship & Marketing
Hometown: Bellbrook, Ohio
Something not many people know about you: I collect coins
What’s your favorite memory at TGG?
I don’t know if I can narrow it down to just one memory when my favorite thing about TGG is the people. Everyone is always willing to help me when I need it, encourage me when I do something right, and provide feedback to be better. The support I felt throughout the entire summer is something I haven’t found anywhere else, and something I’ll never forget.
Who at TGG has pushed you the most? How so?
Taylor. She’s taught me so much about being an entrepreneurial leader in everything I do, whether that means having a growth mindset, or saying yes to everything. She’s the one I look up to most at The Garage Group, and the one that’s challenged me to learn from each experience I have.
Which of TGG’s five values has resonated most with you this summer?
Authentic. From the first day I walked into the office, I could feel the passion everyone had. Every action taken in the company is completely genuine, from lunch-time conversations to client presentations. Just being in that kind of environment is encouraging to me to stay authentic in everything I do.
You’re soon to be graduating in a time of rapid disruption across all industries. What have you learned at TGG this summer that will enable you to be successful in such an environment?
Mindset is everything. Disruption is always going to happen, no matter what industry or size of company I work for. The key to navigating that disruption is to do so with a growth mindset. Fearing the unknown is just a waste of time and energy. Fearing failure is an even bigger waste of time and energy; we should be excited about failing when we have so much to learn from it.
