An interview with Chris Baker, the founder of No Ordinary Moments, on his experience of the SME Internship Scheme and why he made his intern a co-founder of his company.
How did No Ordinary Moments start?
As a former college athlete in North Carolina, I’ve always been intrigued by sports performance and nutrition.
The idea for No Ordinary Moments first came to me when I was an intern working 15-hour days in Silicon Valley, drinking 5 plus coffees a day.
I believed my coffee habit enhanced my energy, focus, and productivity. However, I didn’t understand why I often felt anxious, jittery, overwhelmed, and lacked energy.
My caffeine dependency was amplifying my internal struggles, so I embarked on a journey to create my own drink.
I moved back home to Bristol and started experimenting with adding different superfoods to my coffees, such as lion’s mane for mental performance, cordyceps for physical performance, chaga for immunity and cacao for mood. The first attempts were truly awful, but after years of testing, I finally created a delicious drink that was genuinely beneficial.
Now we have a range of Superlattes which are barista-style drinks without sugar, sweeteners or dairy but with mushrooms and adaptogens to improve focus, give sustained energy, and support inner calm.
How did you pick your intern?
I received 30 applications for my internship, so I emailed them all the same four questions to further test who really wanted the position. I was looking for someone who was going to go above and beyond.
Zac’s application stood out for me, as he sent in a 10-page presentation. The sheer amount of effort he put into it really won me over from the start.
After the internship, what happened?
About two months after the internship finished, Zac was still creating value and working on many projects. I had to decide what to do. We discussed hourly rates and profit shares, but I chose to just go for it.
We shared the same vision of what we wanted, so I made him a co-founder and gave him 35% of the company.
Best advice to people starting out in an internship?
Work hard and make yourself invaluable.
I call this “Zac’s Law”; for every person you meet at work, try to think of some way to help them. This can help you to develop a reputation for being invaluable, helping yourself by helping others.
Any closing thoughts?
An internship is a fantastic opportunity to walk through the door and surround yourself with inspirational people who can set you up for life.
You have everything to gain.
Want to be an SME Intern?
Find out more about the SME Internship Scheme on our website.
Check out our “My SME Internship” blog series to hear more student stories.
If you have any questions about the scheme, writing your application, or anything else relating to careers you can speak to us on live chat, or pop in to 5 Tyndall Avenue.