One is None: The Value of Student Freelancer Teams

“In growth hacking, one is none,” says Doron of F&J. “I remember at the beginning we thought we only needed one,” and then Minite came along and said, “why don’t you take two?” “At the end of it, I had three High-Flyers here by my side, and I was wondering how this all had happened.” … kind of like when you binge watch a really good show on Netflix and you check the time to see that it’s 3 A.M. However, unlike the Netflix show, High-Flyers aren’t a guilty pleasure, they’re tapped potential for company growth.

“They’re really, really smart,” says Doron. Fonteijn & Jacobson is a financial intermediary that does things differently. Accordingly, innovation drives the team spirit, and as Doron remarks with pride, “we are all learning together, myself and them alike.”

“We recently bashed some big asset managers, and we were like, yeah, we’re on the right path. But then again growth hacking is full of ups and downs. The results are not liquid gold, and sometimes they don’t even exist… it takes a lot of time and energy to make progress in this field,” so Doron.

This is why it was so important for Doron to capitalize on team effort through his High-Flyers. When students can freelance together for the same outcome, they can both lean on each other for support, and build smarter, more efficient ways of working. There is nothing more fruitful and valuable than combining the learning minds of two, three, or even four Minite High-Flyers for company growth. Before you know it, you’ve built a mini-team powerhouse, who, all being at the same juncture in career-world, effortlessly jive and spark each other’s creativity.

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“We focus on what unites us. A common purpose is what ultimately brings success. Our differences are what add value. We are all learning together, myself and them alike.”

For growth hacking, that sort of fuse needs to be lit time and time again, and with Doron’s triumphant trio of Sylvia, Omar, and Lucius, this is never a problem. “Students are so ready to innovate and learn. I start these things without expectations, and I don’t think companies should be scared about approaching student freelancing this way… Expectations are problematic, since they can set boundaries that limit the ambitious mind.”

He smiles, with a grin of pride as he looks at Sylvia and Omar, two of his High-Flyers present in this interview. “Don’t judge, just try. When it comes to hiring High-Flyers, there’s so little risk and so much to gain.”

“The exciting thing is that you always find out more as time passes, as the team dynamic builds. You know, for our first growth hacking challenge, I remember being so surprised. Sylvia, who is normally a quiet, reserved individual, got it right the first time. She was confident and approachable in her online presence. Omar learned from that time that his usual outgoing self was not so easily transmitted to his social media voice. It’s so cool to see.”

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Flexibility: A Minite-Moral

“The three of them, they’re all from completely different places.” Sylvia is from Bulgaria, Omar grew up in Jordan, and Lucius is half-French, half-Dutch. The unique capabilities and characteristics of Doron’s team has made for an enriching and eventually empowering coworking environment.

It is vital to construct a culturally diverse team, Doron confirms: “These differences add value and allow us to discover ways in which we can work together. We focus on what unites us, because a common purpose is what ultimately will bring success to this company.”

At Minite, we find there to be no greater harmony than that which comes with uniting and capitalizing on the differences in schedule, culture, or work flow in a team. That’s where flexibility comes in as the key to success: student freelancing operates on the optimization of everyone’s best work times and work places. The best diverse teams are formed because their members are given flexibility. And here at F&J, that was also the case.

“If we’re cultivating ambitious student talent for companies, then we should be equally ambitious in sustaining the connections we are helping form: a blooming garden does not water itself.”

Growth hacking, being a tricky endeavour, is indeed a constant learning process. Only a quick and clever mind can find new, cheaper, and efficient ways to attract customers and test the algorithms of social media. “I like that growth hacking is a new field,” says Omar. “There’s not really a path to follow. No one can tell you what the best thing to do would be, so you have to learn it yourself.”

Learning it yourself? That’s a lot of discipline. It calls for balance: flexibility. And where can you get that? Minite.

“It’s a different environment,” according to Omar. “You don’t feel as if you’re working with people who are only here for the 9 to 5. I couldn’t imagine that as a growth hacker, where there’s always so much to learn. You have to constantly be interested and engaged in what you are doing, because the moment you stop doing so, you just don’t move forward. And being in growth hacking means always having to move forward.”

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We’ve Got Your Back

“Yeah, Doron doesn’t feel like our boss,” says Omar. “That’s because I’m not,” he chuckles. “We’re one team. In no way am I superior to you. We’re learning together.”

In any collective task, progress comes from finding and being driven by a common purpose. Just like Doron doesn’t see himself as the “boss,” matching ambitious student freelancers and cool companies looking to grow is only one of the many things Minite does. In fact, there are multiple cherries on top: 1 on 1 calls, personal guidance, workshops, events, tips & tricks, sharing workspaces… We’re a full-on platform here to equip students with the right tools and handles to set themselves up for professional success, every step of the way.

“Minite has created a community-- I know a lot of people involved with it. There’s not this vibe of we just match you and then leave. They always check in regularly and help out. It’s nice to know that someone always has our back, even though everything’s going smoothly here at F&J.”

Recently, we held our Pitch Yourself to Success workshop, at which, in true community spirit, Omar was one of the coaches. Here at Minite, we love to share the accomplishments of our High-Flyers so they can inspire fellow and future High-Flyers to shine bright as we know they can!

At this point, Micky (our founder) is cracking inside jokes with Omar, just like he is doing with Doron on the flipside. We’ve met with Omar at The Student Hotel before as well, and he’s starting to feel like a real part of the dream we have to bridge the gap between academic and professional life.

Sylvia pitches in, too. “I really love Minite-- the concept, the people. Micky and Linky have been really helpful, they are always there for us and make the process a whole lot easier. It is a great approach.”

That’s the kind of connection we expect from ourselves, as more than just an intermediary. If we’re cultivating ambitious student talent for companies, then we should be equally ambitious in sustaining the connections we are helping form: a blooming garden does not water itself.

Are you perhaps still hesitating to plant your seeds? “I would say just do it,” says Sylvia. “You may not know what to expect, but maybe you love it and you land a job afterwards. It is such a flexible opportunity that everything could happen-- it’s made for students! Be brave, do it, you never know what could come of it.”

“Don’t judge, just try. When it comes to hiring (a mini team of) High-Flyers, there’s so little risk and so, so much to gain.”

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Doron agrees, “very few people die of hard work.” Challenges are just opportunities for growth, hidden in the seed you’re planting when you join High-Flyer land. And just as we near the end of our conversation with Doron and his High-Flyers, he remembers a quote from Simon Sinek he saw that day: “Success is when reality catches up with our imagination.”

Companies, grow your garden with a team of High-Flyers by your side, to go from dreaming to doing, too. Empower student teamwork and combine two innovative minds, or maybe three, or four… There is no greater growth awaiting you than the arrival of multiple ambitious student freelancers ready to fly high and bring clever insights to your team. Launch your company rocket, unlock the growth curve, and reach new potential--  hire a team of High-Flyers today with Minite.

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