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This summer I was lucky enough to have a Social Media Marketing Internship at a boutique local to north Texas, called Kiki LaRue. During my internship, there were a total of 7 interns, and only 4 full-time employees and one part-time employee for the company. I've worked for small companies before, but never one with a staff this small. 
I was so very excited when I got the offer because I knew that working at a small business would expose me to so many different areas of the company, and let's just say I did not know what I was signing up for. 



A Little Bit About Kiki LaRue
Kiki LaRue is a very new company, only having started in 2013, from Southlake, Texas. KLR provides clothing for women of all sizes, focusing on a flattering fit and cute, trendy pieces that women, regardless of size, will actually want to wear. Despite being a bit of slump at the beginning of my internship, I was fortunate enough to be apart of this company during a very important time, during the soft and grand opening of their first retail location. From my time with the company, the store looks to be incredibly successful, and it's a gorgeous manifestation of exactly what the company was supposed to be. 

Risks:
Any internship, or job for that matter, has it's risks. Maybe you don't enjoy working there as much as you thought you would, maybe the job isn't what you thought it was going to be. But working at a small company, especially one as small as Kiki LaRue is, has it's own special risks.

Little Staff, Lots of Work 
The simple explanation is: the fewer employees, the more work everyone has to do. This is true of any business really, when people leave or are understaffed, someone has to pick up the slack. During my internship, everyone's workload was huge, constantly. Everyone is always busy, and the schedule for the upcoming days or weeks is always chaotic. 

Drama and Unprofessionalism 
One perk of working for a big company, is that there is a disconnect between the employees and the management. Fewer employees mean closer bonds, and that always leads to a less than professional atmosphere. Tensions could be high, drama between employees, gossiping. There's always drama at every job, but when there are so few employees, sometimes the drama can overshadow the work. 

No Room for Growth 
When you work at a company where everyone has their hands in every aspect, and a few number of people are responsible for running an entire company, there's no way to move upward. I was the Social Media Marketing intern, and I was largely responsible for posting all all social media accounts, but there would be no way for me to move up from there because I already did everything. 

Rewards:
Smaller businesses are harder to work for, but there are also some great aspects too. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. 

More to See, More to Learn
Because there are fewer employees, everyone becomes involved in all aspects of the business. I was the Social Media Marketing intern, but I was not the only one who worked on it. Everyone would help brainstorm and create content, as well as respond to customers. And the same is true for other positions, I was not the Product Specialist, but I assisted naming, counting inventory, pulling and packing orders, etc. Smaller businesses means being more involved in all aspects of the company, which means learning about more functions of the company. 

Lack of Bureaucracy
When you work in a large company, there will a great deal of "red tape" to get a lot of things done. When I had an idea at this internship, I got to see it all the way through, with very minimal changes. Having an idea at a large corporation, so many different people will touch and change your idea, but that isn't the case at a small company. The sense of pride and accomplishment from seeing your idea come to life, is indescribable, especially when it comes out exactly as you imagined. 

Building Rewarding Relationships
I am so grateful for so many people at my internship, and for everything they have taught me. Working with such a small group of people, allows you to be very close with all of them. I felt so close to some of the girls, it was very hard to leave and know that I probably would never see any of them again. Networking is essential in any industry, but to have a connection like the ones you make at tiny companies, they're the best connections you could ever ask for. 



Regardless if you enjoy an internship or not, it's an incredibly valuable learning experience. Each position has it's ups and downs, and despite the fact that I decided not to continue with the company, I learned so much more at this internship than I could've learned at an internship with a large corporation. I'm not sure where I will work once I graduate, but I know that this internship was well worth it for everything I learned. 

T-shirt dresses are a blessing for all of us who want to look simple and chic, but also don't have enormous amounts of time to put together fabulous and comfortable outfits on a daily basis. These dresses are too cute, and they're simple enough to be worn with so many different other items: cardigans, statement jewelry, heels or sandals, or whatever items you feel like wearing that day.

In case you aren't already obsessed with these perfect clothing items, here is some outfit inspiration:

These dresses are so easy to wear, but in case you're still unsure of how to rock this piece, here's a few tips:

1. Keep it simple!
The beauty in these dresses is that they're so plain. I personally like to rock mine with either a cardigan and booties, or with sandals and a statement necklace. Keeping this look simple and easy makes it a breeze to get dressed on those busy mornings, but it also makes it easier to wear the dress a million different ways without everyone noticing that you've been wearing the same dress over and over. Basically, simple is always better.

2. Pair it with your favorite accessory!
Pairing a t-shirt dress with your favorite statement necklace or clutch is a no brainer! Everyone will be swooning over that piece just as much as you because it's going to stand out against your effortless outfit.

3. Get the right cut!
These dresses come in many different cuts and lengths, so make sure that you're getting one that flatters you! Creating an easy outfit on those chaotic mornings won't be nearly as easy if the dress doesn't fit you properly. And having a dress that's simply just too short isn't fun for anyone, especially if you're worried about flashing everyone all day.

Many retailers sell these perfect specimens of fashion, but here are a few of my personal favorites:







I started my love affair with Polyvore a few years ago, and have been using it on and off ever since. I love to look back on my old outfits and just laugh about all the crazy ideas I had. I love creating outfits that I'd never actually wear, but that look great together. And I love making such a variety of different styles!

For this blog, I especially want to create collections of different outfits for different occasions, lookbooks, all kinds of stuff like that. 
I'm sure it will take a little bit for me to get into the groove of running this, consistently posting, and finding content that I enjoy writing about as much as (hopefully) y'all enjoy reading about. I have so many ideas floating around in my head for this site, it's so exciting to finally get this thing going! 

Comment below and tell me what you guys think about these sets!  
Hello 2016! A new year means new beginnings, new adventures, new goals and aspirations, and new resolutions!
**I do not take credit for this photo, and unfortunately I do not know who the original source is**

For me, I cringe a little bit when people ask me what my new years resolutions are, because I know that no one really thinks that people can achieve these resolutions. Each year I (and pretty much everyone else) makes resolutions, but I (and, again, pretty much everyone else) doesn't follow through or can't achieve the goals for whatever reason.
This year I am determined to achieve at least some of these goals that I'm setting for myself. 2016 will be a monumental year for me because this is the year that I will graduate from college with two bachelors degrees, and start working in my first full-time post-grad position. I've always heard that telling other people your goals makes it harder to give them up, so that's what I'm going to do in this post.

Kate's Resolutions:


  • Draw more often -- and finally learn how to upload/finish it on my laptop
  • Finish my professional portfolio -- click here
  • Post regularly on this blog
  • Graduate from college
  • Obtain a full-time job in the merchandising/digital retailing industry after graduation
  • Take more photos of my daily life
  • Clean my apartment more often
  • Work out much more often -- create a plan for working out that I can actually stick to
  • Learn how to cook more healthy dishes, and cook more often
  • Purchase more professional, higher-quality clothing 
  • Cut the negative people out of my life -- focus on those who care about my success 
  • Try more new things -- new foods or experiences that I have been previously too reserved to try
  • Travel more and to new places 
  • Adopt a cat from an animal shelter (after graduation) 
  • Become more organized 

Comment below with some of your new years resolutions, or with any suggestions or comments! Thank you so much for reading my first post!