If You Need Help, Just Ask!

There was a time when was super scared to ask for help and I used to just restrict myself whenever I needed it. But being a partner at Enterprise India Fellowship helped me overcome this fear and came to a simple solution that, if you need help, JUST ASK!

Enterprise India Fellowship is a platform where we do hands-on projects with actual companies and learn different aspects of business through that. In May 2021, I did a project with Total Coffee along with my teammates Nehalika and Anish to create an idea bank for strategic marketing and different services they can add to their business. It was kind of a dream project because I wanted to work in the coffee industry but I didn’t know how to get my foot in the door.

Simultaneously at Enterprise, our sessions were ongoing n and one of the sessions was about SEO Analysis and finding Keywords, hosted by Yusuf Hakim. This session was an eye-opener because SEO Analysis is not only about learning how to put ads on your company on Google it’s a lot more. Now I understood that when I am getting an ad on Google or any site, there’s a specific purpose for each ad a lot of background work goes into creating the ad, just for us to ‘Skip it’.

But this session was like help in disguise because I really wanted to add great value to this project. Though this was not the scope of the project I thought it would be helpful for our client and hence I did SEO analysis for them and that exactly our clients loved it, because I and my team, went above and beyond and delivered a lot more than expected. A month later, I get a job offer from them, which was surprising and exciting. I started with great enthusiasm but very soon I got stuck. 

Now, I have a full-time job with Total Coffee and Benki Brewing Tools. One of the best parts is that I do not have constant directions given or a boss/manager always supervising me, but a more entrepreneurial space, where 100% responsibility is given to me to make the calls and really add value to the company.

This all sounds great but I had fear in my mind that, this is an excellent responsibility but how do I fulfill it? Because, honestly I am just a student, not an SEO or marketing expert who has a step-by-step success strategy, but who is still learning to use these tools and understand the industry. Now the question I wanted to answer was, how does a student like me do such a responsible job? Where do I start? Because I really wanted to add true value to the company, but I had no direction in mind to take this responsibility forward.

I asked about two to three team members at Enterprise how can I do it, what else can I do for them, what more value can I add to the company, and they sent a lot of relevant videos about tools and content making and a lot more. Also, I found out through a team member that, there are many partners with me having the same questions for their respective projects and companies. Listening to our requests and understanding what we all needed, Enterprise started with User Research. Through four sessions in a month and simultaneously doing a project with another company called Thrills N Trails, going through the user research process with them to find the needs, pains, and gains of their customers and creating a solid marketing strategy. We really dug deep, turned every stone, and did all kinds of research that we knew to do, to find out and give insightful deliverables to Thrills N Trails.

I Felt So Relieved!!! 

Doing User Research with Thrills N Trails taught me to stretch myself, to be responsible for my commitments, how to start working in a completely different industry, and most importantly how to work as a team. Because honestly, this was a really vigorous process where there were even times that I had to work 48hrs straight and do some creative work and it was only possible because of my team. I think so, on every step I needed help to understand the concept or to think outside the box and get things done, and on each of the steps, there was my team to help, to work things out together.

Now, the fear that I had mentioned before has turned into confidence. Now I know that with this cool job opportunity and experiencing the user research process, I have a sense of direction to start with, I now know where to put my next step to learn more and simultaneously contribute to my company. And of course, the process of user research itself is a core and solid value that I can add to Benki Brewing Tools and Total Coffee. The companies have a great business model, great product line and to that, if I am able to connect them with potential customers by understanding their needs, pains, and gains; and making a strategic way to market them, there can be nothing better.

Well, I got a great sense of clarity and confidence through this process because now I can fulfill the responsibility given to me and utilize this space given to me by the company to 150%.

More important is that I asked for help and it was given. Yes, ask for help whenever and wherever you need it because there are people, you do not even know, who are ready to give 150% for you.