How to Get a Job in the Fishing Industry with Robby Gant of Shimano and Larry Colombo, Outdoor Writer
Why Work As a Manufacturer’s Rep
Editor’s Note: According to Robby Gant, “Working as a manufacturer’s rep is a great way to start in the fishing industry.  Learn a company’s product line, and work all you can – even if you start at the bottom. Don’t keep up with your hours, but instead, realize how much you’re learning. Perform the grunt work (the things no one else wants to do), and you’ll learn information that very-few others know. During your free time, work with people who know more than you and can teach you what you want to know. Try to learn more about a company and its products than anyone else in the company. Realize you won’t go fishing all the time. You’ll have to sacrifice much of your personal time to earn your way in the fishing-tackle industry.
“Today, I go to work at 5:00 am, work until 7:00 pm and then get on the computer until 1:00 or 2:00 am to finish my work, 5 or 6 days a week, at certain times of the year. When we’re not really busy, I’ll only work 8 or  10 hours a day. I’m passionate about my job and the fishing industry. I’ve been blessed with many opportunities over the years, and I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with great people who were wonderful mentors.”
The Importance of a Mentor:
“I was really fortunate to find good mentors in the fishing-tackle industry to help me grow and learn,” Gant advises. “You must find a mentor who’s very good at something. Learn all you can from him or her, like I did from Dave Pfeiffer, Chris Scott and the reps who helped me. I always looked at the person in the job or the position ahead of me and tried to learn from him. I chose my mentors carefully and studied all I could.”
Tomorrow: Writing to Become a Part of the Fishing Industry with Larry Colombo |
