Spring Break
Career Profiles
Fran Federman
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Features
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Fran Federman
Career Field Prior to HBS
Commercial Banking
Summer Internship
Sandbox Industries, LLC,
Incubator focused on consumer products,
health and wellness, and technology, Chicago, IL
What made the incubator stand out to you during interviews?
I liked that it was something completely different from other opportunities offered in the job bank. I have always thought doing something entrepreneurial and thought that this was a good way to try it out. The innovation aspect appealed to me.
Why did you chose Sandbox Industries?
Initially, I was extremely impressed with their mission and technique in evaluating businesses and business ideas. After interviewing with them, it just seemed like a very good fit. They were working on some great projects that were interesting to me. The culture was extremely laid back, but very hard working. Overall, I knew that I was going to get to try something completely different and get the opportunity to spend my summer in a creative, entrepreneurial environment.
Summarize your summer internship, the good, the bad and the overall.
Overall, the internship was an excellent experience. Initially, I was a little surprised at how laid back the office was as I had never worked in an environment like that before. There was a slight adjustment period at the beginning as I was getting used to having almost no direction in anything that I was working on. Throughout the summer, I worked on a variety of different projects for the firm. Based on one idea, I was basically running a new company and putting together everything from a logo to a mission statement and business plan. As far as downsides, everyone always says how great it is to work in a completely open environment. At times, I found it very hard to truly know what I was supposed to be working on, what the actual goal was, or what my output should be. I had a fantastic summer at Sandbox that changed many of the ways in which I picture my future career path.
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