Cat Robinson & Shannon Brown
Six months ago I left Auckland and landed in SFO, aware of the culture shock, but unaware of how this journey would substantially change my life, both professionally and personally. As one of the nine chosen for the inaugural AUT InterNZ scholarship program I landed an initial 12 week internship as the Marketing Coordinator at Kiwi Landing Pad. This week marks my six-month anniversary in San Francisco; here are a few of the lessons that have defined my time at Kiwi Landing Pad.
- The most important lesson I have learnt is to challenge myself. Once you stop learning, move onto the next thing. You will learn so much more than if you always remain safe and comfortable. “You can’t learn without going through the struggle” Ben Horowitz- From a Startup Grind conference I attended.
- The only barrier to success is yourself. Coming from a culture where self promotion is often misunderstood and being a women in the technology space were only barriers if I let them be. I have learnt that self-confidence is key to being respected and to gaining credibility.
- Have the vision for what you want to accomplish, take it upon yourself and define the experience. Others are impressed with initiative; transform every opportunity into what you want it to be.
- Networks and connections are the foundation to make things happen in the startup tech community. The best resource isn’t money, it’s the people you surround yourself with.
- Focus on defining the market and customer before you build the product. Instead of casting your net wide and shallow, segment the market to be deep and narrow. That’s when you can really define what they want, and what they need.
- Establish a strong brand identity that will resonate with the customer and product. Before any tools can be layered into a marketing plan, the messaging needs to be on point, if not, the strategy will fall flat.
- Content marketing must first be relevant and valuable to the target audience, only then will it drive interaction and position the company as a thought leader.
I want to thank Cat Robinson who has been a tremendous mentor and role model during my time here, with her knowledge, experience and encouragement she has helped open doors and guide me in this life-changing journey. Also, thank you to those at Kiwi Landing Pad who have supported me, you are all such an inspiration. The community here have made this internship so rewarding. Thank you AUT & BNZ for this incredible opportunity.
If you are interested in interning in the San Francisco Bay Area learn more about our Winternz and AUT InterNZ programs.
Written by Shannon Brown.
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