Meet the Business Partners!

On the first full day of the International Leadership and Business Internship, interns met their business partners and began to build strong relationships to make the businesses they would be working with as successful as possible. 

To start off the day, interns listened to a presentation given by Program Director Ethan Rhoad, which touched on what the schedule looks like for the week and what they might expect. Then they received a talk from Umar Muhammad, who discussed what to expect from their business partners and some background on Nigeria and what living in Nigeria is like for the business partners. 

Interns met virtually on Zoom with the Nigerian business owners they would be working with for the next week. During this first meeting, interns introduced themselves and got to know their business partner and project coordinator. They asked questions about themselves, their family, and the business they are working with to understand how to tailor their marketing and infrastructure proposal to their business partner's needs. After familiarizing themselves, the questions shifted to how each business was started, the challenges they faced, and what future success looked like to them. These conversations were crucial in initiating work on tailored marketing and infrastructure proposals that could make a tangible difference. Many interns walked away from the meeting feeling inspired, not just by the entrepreneurial spirit of their partners but by the opportunity to co-create solutions across continents.

And the final event before lunch was another talk with Umar Muhammad, who explained some of the challenges and hurdles that business owners in Nigeria go through. He also illustrated how these might be similar or different from what U.S. businesses might go through in order to help the interns relate to these issues.

The connections sparked on Monday laid the foundation for a week of meaningful work ahead, fueled by insight, mutual respect, and the shared goal of helping real-world businesses thrive.