Hey Thousand! How are you riding today? My name is Julia and I was Thousand’s first intern this past summer. I am going to share with you my experience living/visiting LA for the first time, working at Thousand, and so much more. Let’s get pedaling.
Thousand: Tell us about you!
Julia Ing: I am a rising junior at Smith College (Northampton, MA) who was raised in St. Paul, MN. At Smith I am studying Economics and Ethics.
I have a love and passion for brands with authentic and genuine thoughtful missions and products.
T: What’s your role here at Thousand?
JI: I am Thousand’s first Summer Intern. I wear a lot of hats with an eager joy to learn anything and everything about growing a start-up/running a business.
T: Why’d you want to intern here?
JI: Looking at it now, other than the company’s brand and mission, which, I really resonated with, I loved the stage Thousand was in. The other places I was applying for were 4-5-year-old companies, while Thousand just turned 2 years old this past May.
By being here for just under 2.5 months I have exponentially witness the company develop and change. One thing I learned to love about the start-up industry is the high and fast pace energy. Within a couple of weeks, you see visual evidence and results of your impact and work.
Working at Thousand, and my first internship, I was able to see my work paying off with all the effort I was putting in.
T: How’d you find Thousand?
JI: I came across Thousand from a YouTube video. YouTube for me is a platform that I like to use to find brands, ideas, and hardworking creative makers. Sara Dietschy’s Creative Spaces TV short documentary on Thousand was my first introduction into Thousand’s story, brand, and mission.
T: Share a typical day for you
JI: Everyday, I wake up at 7AM and eat some breakfast, and bike to work (about 5 miles away from the office, 40-45 min bike ride).
Biking daily to work taught me a lot of things:
I was saving a minimum of $20 round trip every day, exercising 10 miles a day (50 miles per week), and figured out that I used the time to clear my mind before and leaving work.
I used the 40-45 minutes of travel to listen to podcasts, talk to friends/family, and to explore LA’s roads. The commute was simple and direct. I felt more connected and one with the city, since you notice a lot on a bike.
Once at the office, I work on customer service and packing/shipping.
Customer Service is by far my favorite part of the job; I love talking to people. I love connecting to other people who love and support Thousand just as much as I do. And packing orders teaches you a lot about the business. It shows how much can go wrong before getting that correct helmet to the customer.
On top of this, I work on other small projects and activities ranging from marketing to supply chain.
T: What was fun about LA?
JI: When in LA, I was fortunate to do a lot of things that I could never imagine. When accepting the position, I was pumped to be in LA, but mostly thought I would go to work, and then home. But through Thousand, and doing my own research, I was able to have great LA experiences: From visiting the Museum of Ice Cream to checking out The Broad in DTLA.
I had a blast seeing and living in LA from common tourist things and normal day to day living things.
T: Favorite Thousand helmet?
JI: Why I am a sucker for the staple Thousand Navy helmet, I would have to say the Willowbrook Mint helmet in person smells, looks, and feels so different than online.
Until next ride, stay safe out there on them adventures!
Stay rad and swell!🤘🏼
Julia
