An Intern’s View

 

By Robert Sleight

Summer Intern at Eastern Funding

Fairfield University Class of 2018

As an intern at Eastern Funding, I’ve been able to experience and observe parts of the process that the company takes to meet its clients’ specific financing needs. As I look around the office, there is constant collaboration between co-workers, executives, and clients. The main goal of finding the best deal to benefit all involved parties drives the enthusiasm and morale around the office.

Before beginning my internship at Eastern Funding, I had a totally misjudged view of financial companies and their operations. I thought finance companies strictly looked at numbers and valuation; however, I quickly learned that Eastern Funding looks beyond the numbers. My biggest surprise as a new intern was the genuine connection between the clients and Eastern’s team.

Eastern Funding finances small and medium sized businesses in the laundromat, dry cleaner, grocery/deli, and specialty vehicle and equipment industries.

A few weeks ago, I attended a companywide event that assembled some of Eastern Funding’s top clients from the grocery industry. The customer appreciation event was a great opportunity for the Eastern team to connect with their clients on an even more personal level and thank them for choosing Eastern as their financing partner. Looking around the office that evening, it became evident to me that Eastern’s connections to their clients were built on strong and meaningful relationships. I think that is why they stand out from other financing companies.

Building strong client relationships like these is the most important aspect of running a successful business. Unfortunately, it is not something that can be taught even by the most prestigious schools. It takes years of experience to master.

In conclusion, I have learned there is more to business then a textbook can teach; the biggest point I have taken out of this internship is the importance of developing customer relationships and working everyday to maintain client loyalty. Clients are the only thing keeping a company in business and without them nothing else matters.