Success Story: Anh Tran & Calori

Welcome to the highlights of our Growth Hacking Internship program! ✨

We interviewed Anh Tran, a student at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and a current Growth Hacking Intern at Herizon.

Anh collaborated with Calori, a meal prep delivery company, and here are Anh’s thoughts on her collaboration with her company and Herizon over the past two months.

KEY HIGHLIGHT

According to Daniil, Calori’s CEO, the estimated market cost of the technical project Anh has been working on would range between 5,000 and 10,000 euros. This means that Anh delivered a concrete value and saved 5,000-10,000 euros for her case company.

Here’s a highlight that Anh shared with us:

Herizon suggested many useful tools that I could use to automate tasks, making my work more efficient. I love that they have always been available whenever I encountered an obstacle or had a concern. The supportive and cozy atmosphere within the Herizon community has made the entire experience even better.

How has the collaboration been with your case company? Share your growth hacking progress, examples, learnings and observations.

The collaboration with my case company has been a highly rewarding experience. The CEO, Daniil, has been incredibly supportive throughout the project, which has significantly impacted my learning and development. I’ve gained deep insights into the business, particularly its core value of helping people save time while maintaining a healthy lifestyle and good physical shape. Although I didn’t have specific expectations, as working with automation was quite new to me, the extensive discussions with other employees and the guidance from Daniil have been instrumental in my progress.

I’ve been able to apply much of the knowledge I acquired at university to business. This includes selecting the right database for the company, integrating data into the system, and arranging it in the most optimal and meaningful way. The kitchen currently faces significant challenges, as most of the calculations for macros and calories are done manually in Excel, which can lead to potential errors. My role was to develop a system that facilitates the calculation of calories per recipe, per day, and per group, as well as managing grocery calculations.

There were obstacles along the way, primarily due to my lack of experience with automation. However, I approached this by being honest with Daniil and discussing how he could help me overcome these challenges. We held meetings with the chef and the data specialist to thoroughly understand the kitchen’s workflow and the semantics of the data. We also reached out to other companies with more experience in Airtable databases to seek advice and guidance. I’m really happy with how the process has unfolded and deeply appreciate the collaboration and support I’ve received.

How has the collaboration been with Herizon? Share examples, learnings and observations.

Working with Herizon has been an incredibly positive experience. Their support has been invaluable in helping me clarify my goals and take concrete steps toward achieving them. The weekly reports provided a structured way for me to reflect on my work and track my progress, which has been very beneficial. 

Have you had any success cases at work that you'd want to share?

One of the key success cases I’d like to share is the development of a system to automate the calculation of macros and calories in recipes.

While it was a team effort to understand the kitchen’s workflow and data needs—through numerous meetings with the chef, data specialist, and other employees—I took the lead in technically building the database in Airtable. Starting from scratch, I designed and implemented the system myself. My achievement was not only lifting the burden of manual calculations from the kitchen’s shoulders but also reducing errors and minimizing food waste. This system has streamlined their operations, saved them significant time, and led to cost reductions, which are significant achievements for the business.

If you would join the program again, what would you do differently as an intern? All thoughts help us to give better support to other interns.

If I were to join the program again, I would focus on developing a stronger understanding of automation tools before the internship begins. This would allow me to dive deeper into projects from the start and make even more significant contributions.

Would you recommend other students to join this program as well? If yes, why?

I would absolutely recommend the Herizon program to other students. The combination of professional support from the coordinators and the vibrant, supportive community makes it an excellent starting point for anyone looking to kickstart their career. Herizon provides not just technical guidance, but also a network of peers who are all striving to succeed together.

Anh, thank you for participating in our Growth Hacking Internship Program and we wish you progress and success in your current and upcoming projects! 💜