Running my own business- good alternative to internship?

Hi all, freshman at a semi-target (sort of). Was unable to secure a freshman internship due to my personal situation so I was considering alternatives. Would running my own business be a good alternative to a freshman internship? I did it last summer and it went well enough, I just don’t want to be at a disadvantage in recruiting because I didn’t have a freshman internship. Thanks.

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

It's early April, I think you still have time to find something unless there's some other reason you can't have an internship

What is your business? IB is very old-school, people will know you at least gained some professional skills in a traditional internship, versus running your own business is so varied in commitment / scope it's hard to tell what someone was really doing. For example, a kid working in PWM all summer, even if they didn't do much technical work besides collating and getting coffee, is far better positioned for IB than someone running a drop-shipping business a few hours a day while sitting at their parent's house.

I would lean towards figuring out an internship even if it's something not too impressive

 

I agree with what's been said. A lot of businesses are seen as bs experience unless its very legit and sales are smtg like 20k+ over the summer. Otherwise cold call literally every firm in your hometown / city nearest to you. Also reach out to search funds, if you reach out to like 5, chances are 1 will give you a remote, unpaid internship. 

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (24) $180
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (82) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”