While many of her friends lie around the pool working on their suntans, Whitney Marley, 19, is keeping busy managing her own regional branch of College Works Painting (CWP) as a corporate intern.
The competitive internship, which is sought after by thousands of undergraduate students nationwide and is awarded to roughly 70 applicants, places Marley, a 2004 graduate of Centreville High School, in a managerial role. She manages her own painting crew and paints home exteriors in the local community — her first step in climbing the corporate ladder.
"I STARTED this business from scratch. College Works gave me the materials, but I had to go door-to-door, which was the hardest part because [laughs] nobody wants to go door-to-door," said Marley, the daughter of Robert and Patricia Marley.
The mission of the corporate internship, according to the CWP Web site is, "To provide highly motivated individuals with a premier hands-on leadership development experience in a safe, competitive, profitable, and fun environment."
To be sure, Marley's responsibilities are wide-ranging and entail designing and implementing a marketing program, conducting sales, estimating projects, working with customers, and recruiting, hiring and training a dozen of her own employees.
Walking door-to-door in search of customers is optional. But Marley's perseverance paid off as she raised $25,000 from clients even before the business had taken shape. Besides the marketing materials and organizational tools provided by CWP, it is Marley's business savvy that has made her internship successful thus far.
The application process was predicated on three interviews where Marley was questioned about her prior leadership roles and asked to solve various business scenarios. Marley says that the interviews tested the "dedication and integrity" with which she would conduct her business if granted the internship.
NOW ENTERING her sophomore year at Virginia Polytech Institute, Marley is somewhat unsure of the focus of her studies. Unable to choose between pursuing a major in environmental planning or in business, Marley says she "will probably end up majoring in both." This summer may help her reach a decision as she pursues hands-on experience in the latter discipline. But this experience, admittedly, has put quite a strain on her social life.
"Most of my friends don't even see me anymore," she muses. When the entrepreneurial undertaking began in May, Marley's spare time was encroached upon by the 60 hours per week necessary to get her business off the ground. Although things have calmed down a bit now, "I still spend about 40 hours a week on the job," says Marley.
In a stroke of good luck, Marley's position as a young professional manager has enabled her to solidify a few friendships by employing some friends from high school as painters.
"It's a difficult job but I've learned a lot about painting and about making a plan of action; Whitney has done a really good job as a boss," said Jake Bozek, an employee of Marley's and long-time friend. After earning the internship, Marley underwent a formal training period and attended meetings with various business managers. She was surprised that CWP had essentially granted her carte blanche over her own branch of the company.
"I'm in charge of payroll; CWP doesn't decide payment, it is my responsibility to handle the employees and their wages," Marley adds. "I was intrigued that a company would take a chance on a college kid, but I was impressed by how professionally she presented her business plan," said Marie Miller, one of Marley's first customers who lives in the Sequoia Farms neighborhood of Centreville. "I felt like they worked particularly hard on our house and I was impressed with the kids she hired. Whitney was thorough and she kept me informed on the daily progress."
In her business ethics, Marley has adopted the adage: The customer is always right. In addition to managing multiple job sites, keeping her painters supplied and organizing their transportation, Marley diligently ensures the satisfaction of her customers.
FOR INSTANCE, after painting one house, Marley had determined the wages of her workers and left the job site before receiving a call from the customer, complaining that a small section of his house was not painted to his approval.
"So I agreed to commit more hours and more workers to the house until the job was complete," Marley said, brushing off the criticism. "This is one of the toughest parts of running your own business," she added, but not before imparting that the satisfaction of her clientele is her top priority.
Marley contends that one of the great benefits of managing a business is "having control over [her] working hours." And despite the sacrifices she has made this summer, Marley keenly understands the value of the experience she is gaining at her internship.