Fixa Rwanda, Rwanda
Fixa is a startup that helps African businesses onboard, manage and pay blue-collar workers. Employers use Fixa’s web platform to hire informal workers directly from a network of reliable, pre-vetted candidates. Fixa aims to formalize the informal sector and connect youth with stable jobs. They address informality because they believe in a world where everyone can access decent work and consistent income. Founded in 2020, Fixa now has a network of more than 500 pre-screened blue-collar workers and processes more than 1,400 jobs per week. This past summer, I joined the team and worked as a marketing intern. Although the internship was fully remote, the experience was still very helpful for exploring the marketing field and improving my writing and designing skills.
My internship was incredibly useful because I entered a brand-new field into which I had never really delved into before. I worked under an awesome Williams alumnus, Jansen Durham ’20 on multiple different projects. I started by creating new brand guidelines for Fixa. This document aimed to help express the importance of our brand, describing how to use all elements related to the Fixa brand, such as corporate identity and the brand name. The brand guidelines provide a comprehensive manual for anyone who uses its components in their work, including employees, channel partners, designers and marketing agencies.
With the new brand guidelines, I was able to update some marketing materials, such as the pitch deck, sales deck and company overview. The main design project was the pitch deck, used for quick presentations to introduce the company and tell Fixa’s story and impact. With Jansen’s help, I worked to make the deck visually compelling and succinct.
In addition, I designed a newsletter to share monthly updates with investors, which allowed me to explore different email marketing software. I was also responsible for building brand awareness through social media marketing. We started brainstorming what our social media strategy would look like, and I created a few educational posts for Instagram and LinkedIn. I also created a content calendar to help organize the posting schedule.
Finally, I wrote Fixa’s first blog post, which intended to educate our audience about the informal sector and the market we operate in. The writing process was very enjoyable, and I received feedback from multiple people, which helped me to improve my writing.
Besides the practical marketing skills, I also learned a lot about the informal sector and its influence on a country’s economy. Consequently, this experience has influenced some of my future course selections. I want to further explore research in labor economics. Overall, I learned a lot and was happy to be doing meaningful work. I am grateful for this opportunity that made me better understand a startup’s day-to-day operations. This was an incredibly valuable experience that I would not have had if it weren’t for the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Case and the support of the ’68 Center for Career Exploration. Thank you.
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