Foster Freshman Consulting: Earls on the Ave

Foster Consulting Program: Zoe

When I applied to the Foster Consulting Program last quarter, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. Over the following 6 weeks, I found myself growing personal relationships with students who lived nearby, and a professional relationship with our local client. Working with these highly intellectual people, who seemed to have similar interests as me, really painted a picture of my future that was hard to see before. This was one of my first projects working with a group of students who were genuinely excited about the research we were finding and the recommendations we were creating. I knew I had to join BIG again.

These past few weeks have been very rewarding as my team and I spent time doing research and coming up with recommendations for our client. We were working with a local bar that needed our help attracting more customers at non-peak hours of the day. We started by creating a project scope outline and then split up research sections to match our expertise. I focused on the marketing side of the project with a few of my teammates because this is where I felt most comfortable. We then constructed an analysis of the business’s current social media platforms and later expanded on ideas of how they could improve. With our compiled research, the team then began to discuss recommendations that we thought would provide the most help to our client. From here, we hope our recommendations are implemented so we can watch the business grow.

Working with the Foster Consulting Program for the past quarter has helped to expand my network as I was able to meet more of my UW peers who have similar interests to me. In these covid times, it is important to join clubs and organizations, whether they be virtual or not, to continue fostering new relationships. It is also very interesting to work with these local Seattle businesses because I am able to learn about what makes them successful and how they might continue to improve. After working with different types of businesses, I feel confident that my professional skills have grown. Through the Foster Consulting Program, you are working with real business owners, so it really is a time to learn and ask questions that will help you to understand their business. It is truly a great experience.