Devil in a Suit

“I know you can. Mr. Ashland has been very impressed by your work since you started,” Brittany told me as she leaned forward slightly. “Honestly, I’ve never seen him more impressed by an intern before. This could lead to a full-time opportunity for you if you keep pushing.”

That meant a lot coming from her. Even if Tyler was the big boss around here, Brittany was incredibly skilled and intelligent as well. She helped Ashland Consulting get as big as it was, and I could learn as much from her as I could from Tyler.

“Thank you. I’ll definitely do my best,” I promised. I didn’t bother to tell her that I would turn down any opportunity that Ashland Consulting pitched my way. My reasoning for that stretched further than just wanting to explore my own business idea with my friends.

“I can’t wait to see your ideas. You two are some of the brightest interns this company has ever had,” Brittany told me as she rubbed her hands together excitedly.

I wanted to bring a great idea to the table. Not only did I want to outdo Sara, but I wanted to impress the people at this company. They were some of the best and brightest. If I wanted a chance at bringing my own business to life, I had to work as hard as they did. If my idea was implemented as this company’s new marketing technique, they could all see how driven I was.

“I’m going to go work on it now actually. Thank you for talking to me,” I said sincerely as I stood up from the chair. She gave me an extra boost of confidence, and I needed all I could get to work on this idea.

“Of course. Oh, Madison,” Brittany said when I started to turn around.

I paused and faced her.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Obviously, this idea is going to help me too since I run the marketing department. One of my biggest problems is figuring out how to keep current clients from being lured away by what seems like a better deal. Maybe you can ponder on that,” Brittany replied before turning away and getting back on her computer.

My eyes widened slightly. It seemed she gave me a little tip, even if she wasn’t supposed to. I was grateful for the heads-up.

“I definitely will,” I told her before walking out of her office. As much as I wanted to see Tyler, I also wanted to help his company. I could actually do that by figuring out how to pull in new clients and how to keep current ones from leaving.

Once I got back to my apartment, I changed into a tank top and lounge shorts before getting situated at my desk with a cup of lemon tea. I would have to be in the zone for the rest of the night because I wasn’t going to stop working until I completed this assignment. It was nice feeling so driven.

Even with this huge task looming over my head, I didn’t shy away from the issue. I faced it, and I chipped away at its weak spots until it became clear to me how to face the company’s problems.

Clients needed to be incentivized and rewarded for sticking with the company. They trusted us with their businesses, and even if another business came along with what seemed like a better offer, we had to make our clients feel wary of leaving a company that they trusted. Sure, this was business, but we had to make them feel like family.

For hours, my fingers flew over the keys of my laptop, typing out a long report about a dual-wielded marketing plan that enticed new clients and locked down current ones. It would cost the company a little money, but we would keep our current clients and lure in even more. It was a long-term investment, and businesses needed those.

Once I was satisfied with my report, I sent it to Tyler with a smile on my face, feeling kind of like a badass. Business was a rush of its own. It was a risk and reward factory, constantly churning out differing results. I believed that I figured out something great tonight, but it couldn’t just be great. It had to be better than Sara’s idea, and I had no clue what that was.

I didn’t know when the best idea would be chosen, but for now, I was happy with myself. I came up with a solution to a problem, which was the core of the skills that I needed to have to run a business of my own. If I could keep using my brain like this, maybe my business would have a chance. The competition would be fierce. So many businesses had college students or graduates as their target audience. Admittedly, we needed a lot of help during the transition from one period of our lives to the next. Things got overwhelming and confusing. We needed help, and a bunch of companies were trying to be first in line to offer their services. I had to be at the front of the line, which meant figuring out a way to outpace the competition. That was an issue to tackle in the future, though.