Jaida Muhammad made a pitch to the managers at Kaleidoscope Juice to move from the front counter to the back of house in business administration to develop her management and operations skills.
How did you get your internship?
I got my internship by meeting with the owner and CEO of Kaleidoscope Juice, Brooke Graves, and pitching her my idea for interning. Since I’d already been a part of the company for three years and had a relationship with Brooke, she was thrilled about my proposal to learn more about the back end of running the business. Once I got the okay from Brooke, I met with Samantha, who would be my mentor for the internship, and devised a plan for how I would expand my responsibilities to focus more on business management. This plan included shadowing our supply chain and delivery manager, juices, bakery, and any special orders, communicating with all management and staff, and prioritizing store deliveries.
Why did you choose this internship?
I chose to intern at Kaleidoscope Juice partially because of its convenience. I was managing our busiest location full-time, and the thought of interning at a new company didn’t feel feasible. With my emphasis area in Business Administration and minor in Nutritional Science, it made sense to learn more about the business side of a company focusing on healthy, nutritious food. I also hoped to let the internship show upper management that I am capable of more within the company, which paid off, as I am now the company's General Manager.
What new knowledge and skills did you practice, learn, or develop in this internship?
Some skills I practiced during my internship include inventory management, interpersonal communication, delegation and prioritization skills, and organizational skills. Having to deliver to all 7 of our locations developed my inventory management, delegation, and prioritization because although I was familiar with my store inventory, I was now navigating multiple locations and determining who got what products based on what we had at the plant and how busy the stores were. I had to communicate with multiple managers, letting them know what we were out of and figuring out where to source products. I also communicated daily with our juicing staff, sometimes working through language barriers, to ensure all their needs were met and would source them any items they needed. I practiced my organizational skills when I completely reorganized our plant's dry ingredients and created a comprehensive inventory tracking system.
What was your favorite or most satisfying part of your internship?
The most satisfying part of my internship was creating a training manual for training someone in a similar position to what I was interning. As the company grows, we aim to hire more staff and a full-time delivery driver. I could take all the skills and knowledge I learned while interning and document it for future staff to complete the training in about five days. The aim was for the training manual to be comprehensive and for the trainee to be fully competent at the end of the training period.
What did you find challenging about your internship?
The most challenging part of my internship was communicating with all the managers. This internship definitely opened my eyes to how much is currently expected of one person. I found that when we were out of products due to under-ordering, it was assumed that the product was either forgotten or ignored rather than just temporarily out of stock. A solution I came up with was having a checklist with every item each store ordered, checking off all the items that were purchased to allow staff to see what we ordered and to make in-store adjustments if the item was not available.
How has your internship experience influenced your plans for your future?
My internship has heavily influenced my plans for the future. Earlier this year, I was exploring the idea of relocating to Austin, Texas, but since accepting the general manager position, I have committed to staying in Arizona for the time being. I appreciate that this internship allowed me to grow within a company I already value and love, which was reciprocated.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for and begin their internship?
Some advice that I would give other students searching for an internship is to be creative because I didn’t know that interning within Kaleidoscope was even an option. Since I was the one that came up with a plan, higher-ups were thrilled to give me the opportunity. Before beginning an internship, I think time management should be a priority. So many students have to juggle school, work, and an internship. On top of it all, without proper time management, it can be overwhelming. Leaning into your support system of professors, like Brittney Crawford and Stephanie Springer, who are always willing to help, is something I would highly encourage.