Week One
"At the beginning of my first week, I arrived in the morning to be greeted by Carolyn and Rose, I was then given a tour around Bluebell HQ followed by an overview of the Bluebell values and services.
I had a two-week itinerary handed to me along with a task list which mapped out clearly the jobs to get me started. I appreciated being given a list as it made me feel a lot more confident and valued in my role and enabled me to start on jobs right away. I started working on Canva designing social media posts for Facebook and LinkedIn, highlighting the firms great feedback. I headed off for lunch and returned at two. After returning from lunch, I started writing an article for Exmoor News which promotes and explains the Concierge Service that Bluebell provides. We ended the day with a meeting prepping for the client meeting on Wednesday.
I arrived at the office in the morning, I began straight away finishing the article that I was writing for Exmoor News so it was ready for Carolyn to proof read and edit in time for the submission date. I then had a meeting with Carolyn which involved doing some last minute prep for my first client meeting that I was lucky enough to be shadowing. We both took an early lunch so that we left in time for our client meeting.
After lunch, Carolyn and I travelled to Newton Poppleford to meet with our client. The purpose of the meeting was to assist them with the necessary paperwork for Powers of Attorney applications and an application for Attendance Allowance. The meeting was successful, our client felt relaxed and reassured by the end and all the information needed was secured. I definitely ended up enjoying the client facing aspect of the job a lot more than I was expecting!
The next day I arrived at the office for a 10am start, I finished off some branded posts on Canva which was one of my favourite jobs. In the afternoon, I wrote up the notes to help build our clients case for their Attendance Allowance application. This involved writing a day in the life of the client and highlighting the struggles they faced day to day and how they have had to adapt in order to cope. We then had exciting news that the video reel for the business had been completed, in a few weeks prior to me joining Carolyn had a videographer/photographer produce a video explaining the three-core services that Bluebell provides. We all gathered round to watch the first edit of the video and gave our feedback finishing the day on a high.
On Friday, we had the day off, which gave me an opportunity to reflect on my initial experiences at Bluebell Financial Management and the valuable knowledge that I had gained. I also actively engaged with the company on LinkedIn, reposting their content to promote both myself and the firm. I enjoyed seeing how elements I have learnt so far in my degree are used in the practical working world especially to a new business."
Week Two
"I arrived at the office to start my second week at Bluebell. I checked in with Carolyn and Rose, we had a catch up on the previous week and had a chat about what we had upcoming this week. I updated my CV with skills I had gained for the previous week and spent some time exploring the Bluebell website further.
My next job was to cross-reference the online power of attorney initial form with the paper copy, this is so that we can transition to just having the one form for the firm, this is helping to increase consistency across the business and make life easier for our clients. I arrived at the office at 10am and greeted Rose and Carolyn, I fed the birds this morning which is a task I had been meaning to do for a few days. I took an early lunch from 12.15pm to 13.15pm so that I was ready and on time for our client meeting. After lunch we headed off to Shepton Mallet for a catch up with a current client with ongoing business with the firm, we took some documents off our client and helped to ease her anxiety whist sorting out her late husband’s financial documents.
I finished the day with researching members of the clubs I was attending on Friday to get a bit of background knowledge of what they do before arriving.
A sharp 6.20am start on Friday at the office so that Carolyn and I could make our way to the BoB (Business over Breakfast) Club for a swift 6.45am start, fortunately, I am used to early starts as I row at University which also requires me to be up and active at an unspoken hour too!
The excitement of my first networking event powered me through the early morning along with a lovely breakfast too provided by Taunton and Pickeridge Golf Club.
The event finished at 9:15am and we swiftly moved onto the next meeting which was Somerset Ladies in Business. The group was full of empowering women from Somerset and surrounding areas who welcomed me in with open arms. The two events were very different to each other, the BoB club was more informative and was more of a referrals group which I can see is helpful for business owners.
The Somerset Ladies in Business Club was more relaxed and had more of a fun vibe with women supporting women. This week at the event Carolyn has a slot to present to the members about her businesses, this was great although I only played a small part in this presentation it was nice to notice how natural and how confident I felt standing in front of a room of people I had never met before.
I learnt from many different business owners and employees and made some great connections by the end of the meeting. I also assisted Carolyn with her presentation at the meeting which was well received. After the two networking groups I had an early finish after the early start, I spent the afternoon working on my Linkedin and connecting with those I had met in the morning.
I feel incredibly fortunate to be given such an amazing opportunity and to be supported and guided by Carolyn and Rose who have a wealth of knowledge and experience.
This experience has been so beneficial to not only my degree but also my skills going into my professional career, I have been able to see the skills I have been taught in university and put it to use on a professional level."
A third year Sport Business management student at the University of Gloucestershire
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