Justin Harrison

Internships can work well for many businesses.  As long as a business has work for an intern to do that helps him develop skills while also doing something beneficial for the company, an internship program can be a great asset for both parties.  But there are some types of businesses that seem to be tailor-made for internships.  Here are five of them:

1. Podcasting - A lot more goes into creating a podcast than many people realize.  There are numerous tasks involved with the actual production of it, but there’s even more to it than that.  There’s promotion, script writing, technical work, and much more to do to keep a podcast going.  An intern can help the podcaster with any of these tasks so that she can concentrate on coming up with ideas and lining up guests.
2. Blogs and Content Sites - Websites provide great money-making potential, but only if they are properly maintained and frequently updated.  There is a lot more work to being a webmaster than meets the eye.  Hiring an intern can breathe fresh life into your website.
3. Interns can serve a variety of purposes when it comes to working on your blog or content site.  They can write the actual content.  They can work on search engine optimization.  They can promote the site.  The possibilities are endless.  Virtually any aspect of running a website that you care to outsource can be handled by a good intern.
4. Virtual Assistance - Most VAs perform a variety of tasks.  Interns can be a great asset in this sort of business due to the many ways in which they can serve.  The intern can benefit greatly as well, because he can learn lots of new skills from a single source.
5. Internet Marketing - Internet marketing is often thought of as a way to make money on autopilot, but it actually requires a great deal of promotion.  No one is going to buy products that they don’t know about, so getting the word out is crucial.  An intern can help you by handling some of the promotion, or by helping in the creation of your products.  He could also work in a customer service capacity or handle the day-to-day running of your business.
6. Search Engine Optimization - SEO is a good field to be in, because there is no shortage of websites online that need it.  Interns can benefit a search engine optimization business by taking on some of the work.  They can do the actual optimization of pages, work on determining the best keywords for them, or help promote the business.

If you have work that needs to be done and a willingness to train an inexperienced employee, an internship program could be just what your business needs.  The businesses listed here are great for internships, but there are many more that can benefit from them as well.  Hiring interns can save you money while helping you get more work done.

It can be frustrating trying to break into a new career.  Whether you’re fresh out of college with no real world experience or you’ve just decided that you want to try something different, getting started in a new field can be tough.  Employers want experience but if you can’t find a job, how do you get that experience?

Times are changing.  Once upon a time men dominated the arena of business ownership.  Now, women and minorities aren’t only in the race, they are leading the pack.  U.S. Census data reports small to mid-size firms owned by women are rising at twice the rate of all business, minorities at four times that rate.  The benefits and opportunities are plentiful within this demographic if you know where to look. 

Starting a small business is certainly no easy task, and business owners need all the help they can get.  Most will turn to places like the Federal Government or Small Business Association for help.  While these are great places to start, there is a wealth of local resources in more areas that can provide more individualized help for start-up businesses.  Combining the guidance from city and state resources with the help of national programs can be a huge boost for those preparing to start their own small business.

Sometimes it’s great to have an intern around.  They can do the work that no one else has time for, or they can assist with that big project that you don’t quite have enough manpower to get done on schedule.  A good intern can do great things for your business.

But sometimes you need to let an intern go.  Maybe things aren’t working out, or maybe she has outstayed her usefulness.  As much as you don’t want to do it, you may have to say goodbye to an intern for the good of your business.  Here are seven signs that you need to put an end to an internship:

1. The project you hired the intern for is complete.  If you took on an intern for the purpose of completing a specific project, it’s usually best to let her go once the project has wrapped.  In such a case, it’s important to put in writing that you only plan to keep the intern until her work on the project is complete.  If you set a certain date and the project is done before that, you may be obligated to keep her on afterward unless you have cause to terminate the internship.
2. You don’t have anything for the intern to do.  Maybe you took on an intern with the expectation of keeping her around for a certain time frame, but before that time was up you ran out of things for her to do.  Busy work serves no purpose for either of you, so perhaps it’s best if you send her on her way.  If you anticipate the possibility of this happening, be sure to include a clause in her contract stating that you can end the internship early if you run out of work for her.
3. Your intern is being disruptive.  You can’t really expect an intern to come in and blend into the work environment seamlessly, because she has no experience.  She will need help, and she will need to ask questions.  But if the intern is disrupting the work of others to the point that she is doing more harm than good, it might not be worth it to keep her around.
4. You find that the intern is being dishonest.  Honesty is important in any working relationship.  If your intern can access company assets or sensitive information, it is especially crucial.  Dishonesty is something that every business owner should have a low tolerance for, with both employees and interns.
5. The intern is not providing good customer service.  Your customers are the lifeblood of your business, and it’s important to keep them happy.  If your intern is not treating your customers with respect and not doing her best to meet their needs, and warnings or additional training do not help, it could be detrimental to your business to keep her around.
6. Your intern has a substance abuse problem.  This often leads to numerous other problems, and you can’t afford to take the risk.  Let her know that she needs help, assist her in finding it if possible, and send her on her way.
7. Your intern is chronically late or absent.  The purpose of an internship is to gain skills and experience, but she can’t do that if she’s not there.  She’s also putting an added burden on you and your employees by not being there to do the work she is expected to do.  Letting her go may be the best course of action.

There are many successful small businesses in the world today.  The official definition of a small business is one which has less than one hundred employees.  There are even many one-person or family-run small businesses.

Starting a small business can be an overwhelming task.  The Internet is a powerful ally to help us get things done which we previously were unable to do on our own.   When is it time to call in the big guns?  When do you need a lawyer?

An internship is a great way for college students and others to gain experience in a given field.  Interns may be paid or unpaid, or they may receive a stipend instead of wages or salary.  But there’s one thing that an internship is not, and that’s permanent.