Welcome back for the second day of Minnesota Business Venture camp! The theme is ‘Career Day,’ and we are learning what it takes to explore careers, invest in ourselves, and look ahead. Today would not be possible without the support of Arby’s Foundation, and we are so grateful for them. Let’s dive into the day!
Career Day started with company meetings followed by a keynote from Coconut Whisk’s Bella Lam, entitled ‘Developing Your Brand.’ Fun fact – she is an MBV alumni! Bella is such a relatable and inspiring person and made each of us feel like we could in fact achieve what we thought to be the impossible. At only 26, she has opened a café and developed vegan and gluten-free baking mixes that are now in more than 900 stores across the country and growing. Bella not only has a fascinating story, but lots of great advice that we can take with us for the rest of this week and beyond. What really resonated was the message, ‘Create more than you consume.’ This is especially helpful when trying not to compare ourselves to others and their work, and instead celebrating our strengths and character. She also emphasized the importance of relationship-building through networking, pointing out that even here at camp, we are building relationships with one another and expanding our network.
After the keynote, we took part in another MBV tradition: Camp Jam! Camp Jam is the ultimate team-building experience, filled with activities, challenges, and even some brand development. The best part of Camp Jam was watching everyone trying to get out of their human knot – it took a lot of communication and patience, which was great for strengthening our bond as a company.
Following Camp Jam and lunch, we attended the Career Expo and participated in a campus scavenger hunt. The Career Expo is an opportunity to meet professionals from organizations around the Twin Cities. The presentations they give are interactive, insightful, and give us the chance to learn about all of the different jobs and careers you can pursue in just one company. We heard from professionals at Ecolab, Arby’s, 3M, Shapco Printing, UnitedHealth Group, SPS Commerce, Polaris, and Project Build MN.
Finally, we ended the day with Career Skills Breakouts. The topics for breakouts were: Public Speaking, Technology and Today, Resumes, Understanding Workplace Culture, and Interviewing. We’re so thankful for the volunteers from U.S. Bank, Optum Technology, Colosimo Consulting, and Land O’ Lakes who came to speak to us about integral skills for entering the professional world.
Today was full of action, fun, and learning, so we will undoubtedly be sleeping well tonight. Come back tomorrow to hear all about Entrepreneur Day!