Small but mighty

Meantime’s core team of six supports customers big and small from across the globe. Being small means, we can be flexible and stay close to the customer, whilst working in a supportive environment, where we can drive and implement innovation.

But what does it feel like to join a small team for the first time?

Our intern Hannah was in a minority of her peers when she signed up to spend the summer with us. Most of her fellow students were set to join much larger corporations for their work experience.

Here she reflects on what to expect when working with a small team:

1.      Expect variety.

What you do from day-to-day will vary hugely. If you’re someone who thrives off variety and your worst nightmare is an endless cycle of identical nine-to-five days, this could be the environment for you. A day in the Meantime office might include, writing a press release, jumping into a meeting with CEOs, organising a press conference, running event marketing campaigns, or re-branding a company, just to give a few examples.

2.     Expect your opinions to matter

The phrase, ‘this is how we’ve always done it’, is banned at Meantime. A small company has more flexibility than its larger counterparts, if you have an idea that will streamline workflows, improve productivity, or progress the company, don’t be afraid to speak up – and don’t be shocked if you’re told to make your idea into a reality.

3.     Expect trust

For a small team to be efficient and effective, you need to be able to trust your colleagues, both to help you when you need it, and to be honest with you if a piece of work isn’t up to standard.

4.     Expect camaraderie

Working together in a small team with hard deadlines can be stressful; however, there will always be someone offering to share the load when things get tough. Just remember, when you’ve worked together to send out five press releases in a day (a Meantime record), the camaraderie forged in that moment and solidified over drinks at the end of the day is hard to beat.

5.     Expect a common goal

The heart of a successful business is laying strong foundations. In a small company, every new client, new award, or new opportunity benefits the whole team, moving the company a step closer to a bigger office… or world domination. You can’t beat the fulfilment of being at the heart of these foundations and helping a company grow from strength to strength.

So, what conclusions can I draw from my experience?

Working in a small team has its own benefits and challenges, but if my internship has taught me anything it’s that size really doesn’t matter – the Meantime Team may be small, but it is mighty.

After all, a team that is efficient, works together, and trusts one another, can achieve something far greater than the sum of its parts.

And one last question from Emma – Hannah, how do you rate the experience compared to feedback from friends who spent time with bigger organisations?

*I would like to begin my answer by clarifying that I am not speaking under duress*

The main feedback I received from friends that joined bigger organisations is that they felt like a small fish in a very, very large pond.

You go into an internship hoping to learn about the organisation and to create something meaningful, no matter how small, that outlasts you when you leave. So, it’s not a surprise that a friend of mine who was thrown into a large organisation, given a heap of paperwork to file, and passed around departments like an unwanted child, felt somewhat disheartened.

I am glad to report that during my internship at Meantime, I felt like a valued member of the team, with colleagues who have been excited to train me and share their passion for logistics, supply chain, and PR…. a passion which is definitely infectious!

I am genuinely sad to be finishing my internship at Meantime this week, but I will leave having gained firm friends, a huge amount of knowledge, and (hopefully) having left a small legacy in my wake.

*cough* Emma, you did want me to delete your contacts database, right?

About the author

Hannah was born the year the millennium bug didn’t bite. She is currently studying BA English at the University of Nottingham and is hoping to have one normal year in university before she graduates in 2022. Hannah is an avid foodie, artist, and her current goal is to enter Wimbledon, if only to win the consolation cheque for £48,000.