novahobbies
Well-Known Member
In my continuing quest to find "the right spot" for my future employment, I decided to do something a little off-the-wall today: I took a short drive down to Miami Gardens and knocked on the office door of a small company that you might know: Two Little Fishies. I thought to myself, "What the hell. I'm a tech writer and copywriter, I have a passion for saltwater reefkeeping, and I have a strong sciences background....why not?"
It was essentially a cold call, I fully admit it. I didn't bother calling ahead, because we all know what that answer would have been. And besides, I thought it would be a fun chance to see the inside offices of the guy who has given us so many neat toys in the hobby lately. So, off I went. Resume in hand, small butterflies in stomach, I rang the bell.
Wouldn't you know that Julian Sprung himself answered the door!! He had the slightly harried, flat eyed expression of a busy man who was being overly patient to this strange guy who, from his point of view, was probably stuffing resumes in the hands of every office manager in that complex. I quickly mentioned that I was an avid longtime saltwater hobbyist, and had come down because of my interest and love of the hobby. "Oh!" he replied, "Well come in, then!" I don't blame him in the least. Imagine you're at work and some joe schmoe (Sorry, Joe...I didn't make that up!) comes walking in off the street wondering if you'd hire them. I'd keep the guy on the doorstep, too.
Once inside, I was enthralled. There were tanks up against just about every wall of each office room I saw. Reef tanks, seahorse aquaria, even what looked to be a seagrass tank...it was fascinating to be there. I got to shoot the breeze with him for about thirty minutes. We talked about the possibility of aapting his Sprung reactors for smaller nano tanks, and a little about the seahorses he had in his two tanks. Naturally, he didn't have an opening in terms of employment, although he did mention that he might have some projects I could help with down the road. He liked my resume, took some writing samples, and with a firm handshake, bade me adieu.
Honestly I'm not disappointed -- the chances of TLF having an unadvertised employment opportunity the same time I came to visit was slim....virtually nonexistent odds, really. The possibilities of future freelance work are more than I really expected! But for me, the opportunity to meet Julian Sprung and talk a little about his business was definitely worth the drive from Boca. Very nice guy....it's plain to see he's passionate about the hobby. He's essentially running a mom-and-pop manufacturing business with a global impact from out of a small 3-room office space. I hope I get the opportunity to work with him down the line.
In the meantime....go out and buy a TLF phosban reactor! Support our local businesses!
It was essentially a cold call, I fully admit it. I didn't bother calling ahead, because we all know what that answer would have been. And besides, I thought it would be a fun chance to see the inside offices of the guy who has given us so many neat toys in the hobby lately. So, off I went. Resume in hand, small butterflies in stomach, I rang the bell.
Wouldn't you know that Julian Sprung himself answered the door!! He had the slightly harried, flat eyed expression of a busy man who was being overly patient to this strange guy who, from his point of view, was probably stuffing resumes in the hands of every office manager in that complex. I quickly mentioned that I was an avid longtime saltwater hobbyist, and had come down because of my interest and love of the hobby. "Oh!" he replied, "Well come in, then!" I don't blame him in the least. Imagine you're at work and some joe schmoe (Sorry, Joe...I didn't make that up!) comes walking in off the street wondering if you'd hire them. I'd keep the guy on the doorstep, too.
Once inside, I was enthralled. There were tanks up against just about every wall of each office room I saw. Reef tanks, seahorse aquaria, even what looked to be a seagrass tank...it was fascinating to be there. I got to shoot the breeze with him for about thirty minutes. We talked about the possibility of aapting his Sprung reactors for smaller nano tanks, and a little about the seahorses he had in his two tanks. Naturally, he didn't have an opening in terms of employment, although he did mention that he might have some projects I could help with down the road. He liked my resume, took some writing samples, and with a firm handshake, bade me adieu.
Honestly I'm not disappointed -- the chances of TLF having an unadvertised employment opportunity the same time I came to visit was slim....virtually nonexistent odds, really. The possibilities of future freelance work are more than I really expected! But for me, the opportunity to meet Julian Sprung and talk a little about his business was definitely worth the drive from Boca. Very nice guy....it's plain to see he's passionate about the hobby. He's essentially running a mom-and-pop manufacturing business with a global impact from out of a small 3-room office space. I hope I get the opportunity to work with him down the line.
In the meantime....go out and buy a TLF phosban reactor! Support our local businesses!
