While Kristen Sanders was a sophomore at Northwestern University and looking for a summer internship, she was having difficulty finding one that was paid.
As a first-generation college student, taking an unpaid internship wasn't an option. So instead, she did something a little more entrepreneurial and began approaching businesses that hadn't even advertised they were looking for interns.
“I was walking down the street, found a company and was like ‘Hey, do you need help?’ and they hired me on the spot,” Sanders said.
Though it was the moment Sanders got herself a paid gig for the summer doing legitimate work at a real business, it’s also when she thought of the idea for her own.
So earlier this year, Sanders, now a senior at Northwestern, launched People6, a digital marketing consulting platform that matches businesses with student workers.
“I knew there were other students like me that need some extra money for the month or want to try and build their resumes so they can get that paid internship down the line,” said Sanders, who was also named one of Chicago Inno’s 25 Under 25.
Since launching, People6 has hired more than 30 Northwestern students, and has completed about 16 projects for 14 clients, ranging from the New Founders Conference to local entrepreneur Genevieve Thiers. People6 crafts research-based reports on how their clients can build a digital presence, as well as how to create internet content to execute those strategies. The startup also helps companies write white papers and personal branding messages.
“We believe our generation is digital-native and the people who are working on these projects have literally grown up with cellphones and iPads in their hands,” Sanders said. “We have the expertise to get these projects done and oftentimes, we can get them done with a lower cost than the standard agency.”
Right now, all the students working for People6 attend Northwestern, but Sanders said she’s working to expand to other local colleges, such as the University of Chicago.
And beyond Chicago, Sanders said she aims to expand People6 nationwide to other top-ranked colleges. The idea is to have a full-time People6 representative in each region that can onboard student workers and clients.
Sanders said students don’t have to maintain a particular GPA or have a specific major to join People6, but they must have a portfolio of work that shows they are capable of completing projects for the startup's clients, Sanders said.
In Northwestern’s Wildfire Demo Day competition in August, People6 won third place and $2,000, but that's just a small chunk of what the startup has raised since launching. Sanders said People6 has received more than $80,000 in total funding from programs at Northwestern, most of which is being used to support the startup’s planned expansion.
