Name: Lily Himmelsbach
Major/Graduation Year: International Business, 2009
Hometown: New York
What She’s Doing Now: Director of operations for Let’s Gift It
HC: What were you involved in here at Bryant during your four years?
LH: I attended Bryant for the rich offering of both on and off campus engagement. I embraced the internship and consulting opportunities afforded to me off campus in effort to enrich my on campus experience as a student. I was also president of Legal Society for two years, and was involved on the SPB Social committee. Recreationally, I was on the dance team and of course enjoyed many TNR at Rentes!
HC: Can you tell us a little more about Let’s Gift It?
LH: Let’s Gift It is a social gifting platform focused on providing technology solutions to retailers. We partner with large retailers such as 1-800-FLOWERS to enable group gifting functionality on their sites. We are a dedicated team that is passionate around innovating and creating gifting solutions. We are rolling a new beta product in a few weeks that we’re really excited about!
HC: What do you like the most about working with Let’s Gift It? Any downsides?
LH: Lets Gift It has provided me an environment where I can (and do) flourish. They have done so by enabling innovation and creativity, an atmosphere where learning is valued and where day to day responsibilities are constantly changing, and challenging me to be better. We are a highly efficient team, and everyone is responsible and accountable for keeping their projects and goals on track, simultaneously we are very collaborative and communication is key to how we operate.
The only downside would be that my friends who do not work at startups get very jealous when they hear I get to wear flip-flops to work, and that my office can just as well be in the boardroom as it can be in my living room.
HC: What Bryant experiences helped you in your career?
LH: Being an IB major infused the vitality of understanding, analyzing and realizing the effects of international financial markets. Today more than ever understanding the ebbs and flows of international happenings has aided in my development of business strategy in every aspect of my career thus far.
HC: Do you have any more career aspirations or future plans?
LH: When I started at Let’s Gift It, I had previously launched a large scale startup where I learned a ton. After that experience, I made it one of my goals to continue learning, testing and figuring out what works, until I felt I was ready to launch my own business. So ultimately, I am in the R&D phase of launching my own company, right now. And if your next question is what will my company be, one answer for you: I haven’t learned enough to even come close to making that declaration, but I’ll keep you posted!
HC: Any tips for current students and the 2012 graduates?
LH: Oh man, so many things but here’s a few:
· Figure out what you love to do in your free time, then figure out how to make money doing that.
· Take risks, big ones, and don’t look back.
· Work smart, not hard.
· Eat breakfast and go to bed earlier, trust me every successful person you know does this. It’s like the secret sauce of successful people.