Interviewing a current student of MIAM
Solbay Segovia, from Ecuador, could have never imagined that enrrolling MIAM could result in so many benefits for her family business! When she came to Spain she wanted to develop her career in the flower sector… but she did much more than just that! This is the story of Solbay Segovia in Colvin and her brand-new work contract in Gradyflor!
Where did you do your internship?
I did my internship in Colvin, an online flower company that has its activity in the delivery of flowers and plants at home. This startup, which was founded at the end of 2016 with the aim of innovating in the florist sector, has revolutionized, in less than 5 years, the traditional sector of flowers and plants.
Which areas of the company did you work on?
I did my internship in the B2B area of Colvin, which is called BlomMarket, and is responsible for supplying flowers and accessories to florists and floriculture professionals throughout Spain. I was in the supply acquisition team, in charge of incorporating wholesalers and managing their accounts.
Was the knowledge acquired in the master's useful for it?
The presentations that we had to do throughout the master’s degree prepared me for managing without problems the presentations of projects in my job, as well as those that included OKRS, CRMS, STARTUPS, and emotional intelligence.
Also, the fact of having classes for a year in English was very useful to improve my ability to speak and read in this language, as I’m a Spanish native speaker.
Explain what you learned in the company that you didn’t know before.
I learned so many things! For example, I learned how to project results based on objectives, how to treat customers correctly, how to perform onboarding processes, as well as I learned how to use digital tools to transform leads into recurring customers for the company and how to work remotely in an effective way.
Tell us an example of something you did in your internship that proved your talent to the company.
In Colvin, I was always able to express my ideas and I made presentations exposing the disadvantages of penalizing wholesalers and how it affected our team’s metrics. This was made in the presence of the country manager and the recommendations I gave were taken into account and incorporated right away!
Is the company offering you an extension of the internship or a contract? Have other companies offered you a job contract?
Initially, I was about to continue with Colvin, but some issues came up regarding my visa and I had to look for another solution.
Therefore, I have just signed a contract with another very big company in the floral sector: GRADYFLOR.
I will be working in the purchasing department of Gradyflor. Specifically, I will be dedicated to buying flowers in Ecuador and looking for flowers every week in regular orders or in the open market, but always with the aim of satisfying the demands of the 9 sellers and 3 warehouses of Gradyflor.
I will be doing also some administrative work, in terms of control of purchase invoices, control and adequacy of product descriptions, claims to suppliers, etc. In other words, everything related to purchasing.
At a later stage, my idea is to open a commercial office in Quito to manage purchases and sales in order to generate a dual market with different products from Ecuador to Europe or vice versa.
Are you planning to stay in Spain or move back to your country? Why?
I am going to stay one more year in Spain, in Zaragoza.
Do you think the mandatory internship is relevant in MIAM?
Yes, they are fundamental to developing our skills, learning, and also generating opportunities in the labor market.
Explain how you feel about the internship and the master's in general. Would you recommend the experience?
Although I did not stay to work at Colvin, for me it was one of the best opportunities to grow professionally. I learned many new and innovative things.
Being in a start-up makes you a very dynamic person and prepares you for an environment full of changes and search for solutions, so I could not be more satisfied with this experience.
On the other hand, I found the master very useful and didactic, and I would like to thank ISAM for all the management and help in the application process with the company.
I would also like to emphasize that ISAM had a lot to do in this path and they guide us throughout the process. Again, thank you ISAM, for giving us all these tools, without imagining it I have changed the course of my life and it fills me with excitement to incorporate everything I have learned, I am sure that we will be the leaders of the sector!
