Flying Into Technology
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The next morning, I was up early. The sun had barely risen and the air still held a chill from last night’s rain when I went out to check on my new flock of chickens. They were all huddled together in their coop under the eaves of our barn with only one door open for ventilation.
It looked like they’d been there since yesterday afternoon, but it wasn’t unusual that they wouldn’t have ventured outside until after dark. Their little clucking noises made me smile as I walked over to close the other doors so no more would be needed today.
Afterward, I took them some fresh water and grain before heading back inside where we kept an old wooden box full of straw near the fireplace. We used this to clean off any manure or droppings each day instead of having to sweep around the chicken coops themselves.
I opened the lid and reached into the pile to pull out three eggs which I placed carefully in a basket by the kitchen table along with two slices of bread. Then, I grabbed another egg carton filled with six more eggs and headed upstairs to make breakfast for everyone else while my wife got ready for work at her job in town.
She worked part-time during the school year teaching art classes at the local high school, then switched gears entirely come summer time working seasonally at the county fairgrounds’ petting zoo. Her days were long, often starting before dawn and ending well past sunset.
But she loved every minute of it because it allowed us to live comfortably without ever needing to worry about money. As far as jobs go, hers was pretty easy going too; just showing kids how to paint pictures using different mediums such as oil paints and colored pencils.
Plus, it gave her plenty of opportunities to meet people who came through the area looking for fun things to do with their families.
My own job didn’t require much effort either. My main responsibility involved helping customers find what they wanted if they couldn’t decide right away. Sometimes, I even helped load items onto carts myself.
Most of the store’s patrons knew exactly what kind of merchandise they were interested in buying, though, so most of the time I could simply point someone toward whatever section they seemed to want. This meant I spent a lot of hours sitting behind the counter reading books, playing games on my phone, or watching television shows on Netflix.
Occasionally, I also enjoyed talking to the regulars who stopped by daily to chat about everything from politics to sports to movies and TV series. In fact, many of these folks became friends of mine over the years, especially those who lived nearby. One guy in particular always sat down beside me whenever he visited the shop, usually bringing his dog along with him.
He told me once that he liked coming here because it reminded him of being home growing up. That was probably why I never minded spending so much time alone in front of the cash register.
After finishing breakfast, I cleaned up the dishes and put them away before returning downstairs to get dressed for work. Today, I planned to wear jeans and a buttoned shirt with a black leather jacket thrown over the top. When I finished getting ready, I checked the clock again and saw that it was almost eight o’clock already.
So, I hurriedly threw my coat over overtop of my clothes and ran out the door. Thankfully, I arrived at the store shortly afterward and found several familiar faces waiting for me. A few minutes later, we began opening up the place for business.
“Good morning,” I said cheerfully as I greeted each person who passed by the counter. “How can I help you?”
One woman smiled back at me. “Hi! How are ya? You look great!”
She wore a pair of tight blue jeans tucked into knee-high boots, a white turtleneck sweater, and a red plaid flannel tied loosely around her waist. Her short blonde hair framed her face nicely and her green eyes sparkled brightly beneath thick eyebrows.
She was definitely attractive enough to catch anyone’s attention, but her personality made her stand out among the crowd. Not only did she seem genuinely friendly, but she also possessed a good sense of humor. And unlike most women I met, she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.
If something bothered her, she let others know. However, despite her outspoken nature, I never heard her say anything mean about anybody. Instead, she focused on making sure everyone felt welcome and comfortable. Even if they weren’t planning to buy anything, they’d still stop by to talk to her anyway.
Over the course of the next hour, I rang up a number of purchases: groceries, cleaning supplies, clothing, and various electronics. Meanwhile, my coworkers continued stocking shelves, restocking displays, and doing other miscellaneous tasks. At one point, I noticed a customer staring intently at a display case containing a variety of small figurines.
They ranged in size from roughly an inch tall all the way to four inches. The larger ones had been painted gold, silver, bronze, or copper, while the smaller ones were made of clay. Some of the figures depicted animals like horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, birds, fish, frogs, snakes, lizards, and turtles.
Others featured mythical creatures including dragons, unicorns, mermaids, centaurs, minotaurs, griffins, phoenixes, and nymphs. There were even some that resembled humans wearing medieval garb. All of the pieces looked very old, which led me to believe they might have belonged to someone in this community.
After checking the price tags attached to each item, I approached the man standing near the display.
“Excuse me sir, but would you happen to recognize any of these little guys?”
He glanced at me briefly before shaking his head. “No, sorry.” Then he turned back to the shelf where he stood examining the figurines. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like these before. Are you certain there aren’t more somewhere else in the store?”
“Unfortunately not. We’re pretty well stocked when it comes to collectibles, but none of us has ever come across anything like these before. Do you remember seeing them anywhere before now?”
The man shook his head again. “Not really. But then, I haven’t paid too close of attention to every single thing in here since I first started visiting your shop last week. It seems like just yesterday, though. Maybe it’s possible that I overlooked them somehow.”
My coworker walked past the display and took a closer look at himself. “Maybe so. Still, I’m surprised nobody brought them to our attention sooner. Most people tend to notice things right away. Especially if they find something interesting. These are certainly intriguing, although I wouldn’t call them ‘interesting.'” He chuckled softly.
“It looks like whoever owned these must have been a fan of fantasy stories. Or maybe they collected items based on their favorite characters from video games, comics, or anime.”
As soon as my friend mentioned those words, I knew exactly what they meant. My heart skipped a beat as memories flooded through my mind. Images of a young boy playing with action figures flashed vividly inside my brain. In fact, many of the toys pictured on the shelf reminded me of the ones I used to play with years ago.
For example, there was a miniature version of the character named Master Chief from the Halo series. Another figure resembled a knight riding a horse, complete with armor and sword. A third one appeared to be a wizard casting magic spells. Yet another showed a dragon flying overhead.
As for the remaining two, they seemed to resemble a dwarf and a female elf maiden. Although I didn’t see either one of them myself, I recognized both of them instantly because they were part of the same popular game franchise known as World of Warcraft.
After glancing over the figurine set once more, the man finally decided to purchase everything. When we finished ringing him up, he thanked me warmly before leaving the store. Shortly afterward, my coworker came walking toward me carrying a large cardboard box filled with assorted merchandise.
“Hey, I found these in the back room,” he said. “Do you want to take a quick peek? You may end up buying a few of them later today.”
Although I already suspected what he intended to show me, I couldn’t help smiling broadly. “Sure, go ahead.”
When he opened the lid and began removing several plastic bags full of random objects, I could hardly contain my excitement. “Wow! Look at all of this stuff!”
A wide grin spread across his face. “Yeah, isn’t it great?”
We spent about ten minutes going through the contents of the bag until my coworker reached into the bottom corner and pulled out three identical figurines. Each piece was approximately five inches long by 2 1/2 inches high.
Their bodies consisted of a shiny metal alloy resembling steel. However, instead of being smooth and rounded, the surface had been carefully shaped using intricate designs. On top of that, the entire body was covered with a layer of thick black paint.
The only exception was the area around the eyes, which were colored red. And unlike most of the other figurines displayed throughout the store, these particular pieces weren’t painted gold, silver, bronze, or copper. Instead, they were decorated entirely in bright shades of blue, green, purple, orange, yellow, pink, white, and brown.
“What do you think?” my coworker asked.
I examined the figurines closely before answering. “They remind me of the kind of toys I played with when I was younger. Except these are much better quality than anything I can recall owning.”
“Exactly,” he replied. “That’s why I wanted you to get a chance to check them out. If you decide to buy some of them, I’ll make sure you pay less money for each item. That way, you won’t need to worry about losing any profit.”
“You mean you’d give me a discount?”
“Of course. Why would I charge you a full price when I know you’re planning to sell these online anyway? Besides, I’m not doing anyone any favors by selling these for such an outrageous amount. They should cost no more than fifty dollars apiece. After all, they’re made of solid metal, not cheap plastic.
Plus, they feature detailed artwork that’s far superior to anything else available on the market today.”
I nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, sounds good to me. What do you say we put together a list of prices next time I visit the bank? Then I’ll write down how much I intend to spend on each individual item.”
He smiled brightly. “Sounds perfect. Let me know whenever you plan to come back.”
***
By the following morning, I had completed my research and created a spreadsheet containing the names of various websites where I planned to advertise the figurine sets. Once I printed off copies of my work, I headed straight home after finishing my shift at the comic book store.
Upon arriving, I immediately sat down at my computer desk and began typing out a brief description of the product line along with its official name: “The Legendary Heroes Series.” Next, I added a short paragraph describing the history behind the toy collection, followed by a bulleted list detailing the main characters featured within the series’ first six installments.
Finally, I included a link to my website so interested parties could learn more about the products.
Once I finished writing everything out, I saved the file onto my desktop and then uploaded it to my server. At last, I sent the email message to the address listed below. Within twenty-four hours, I received a reply informing me that the company agreed to carry my new product line.
As promised, the representative also provided me with a special code that allowed customers to receive free shipping if they purchased one or more items from their catalog. Although I didn’t expect to hear back right away, I still felt excited knowing that someone out there might soon be purchasing the figurines I designed.
As the days passed, I continued working diligently on the project while simultaneously trying to find ways to improve upon the original design. Eventually, I settled on adding two additional figures to the lineup. One was based on a character named Rufus who appeared in the fourth installment.
He was a young man dressed in a dark gray suit complete with matching boots. His hair was styled neatly and parted on the left side. A pair of round glasses rested atop his nose. In addition to those features, he possessed a muscular physique and wore a large golden cross hanging from a chain around his neck.
The second figure was modeled after a woman known as Serenity. She was a beautiful brunette wearing a flowing dress adorned with colorful flowers. Her long locks cascaded over her shoulders and fell past her waistline.
Like the other heroes depicted within the set, she sported a well-defined build and carried herself with confidence. Unlike the others, however, she wasn’t quite as tall. This meant that the figurines wouldn’t stand perfectly upright unless they were placed on a flat surface.
Fortunately, this minor flaw proved easy enough to fix. All I needed to do was add a small base to the bottom of each piece. With that done, the final product looked exactly like what I envisioned.
After several weeks of hard work, I finally managed to finish designing every single figurine. By that point, I couldn’t wait to see the reaction of people once they learned about the product line. However, I knew I had to take things slowly at first.
Instead of advertising the entire collection, I decided to focus solely on the initial six pieces. The reason being is that I wanted to gauge customer response before deciding whether or not to expand the line further.
With that said, I spent another week crafting advertisements for each individual item. Since I already owned a domain name, I used it to create a simple landing page featuring photos of the figurines alongside descriptions of their key characteristics.
For example, the Rufus figurine boasted a slender frame and a handsome face. Meanwhile, the Serenity model came across as confident yet modest. Lastly, the third member of the team – a guy named Benji – resembled a typical nerd. He wore thick black-rimmed glasses and had shaggy brown hair tied into a ponytail.
Although I initially intended to post the ads on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, I ultimately opted against doing so since it seemed too risky. After all, I’d never tried selling anything online before.
Therefore, I figured it would be best to test the waters first. If no one responded to the ads, I could always try again later. Either way, I remained optimistic about the potential success of the project.
One evening, I went to bed feeling satisfied with my progress thus far. Even though I hadn’t sold any merchandise just yet, I was proud of myself for taking action instead of simply sitting around waiting for something to happen.
Moreover, I enjoyed the challenge of creating the toys. It reminded me of when I first started drawing comics. Back then, I drew them without thinking much about how they might end up looking. Nowadays, I took great care to ensure that the artwork matched my vision precisely.
Similarly, I made sure to pay close attention to detail during the creation process. That’s why I chose to use high-quality materials and craftsmanship. Ultimately, the goal was to make an impressionable first impression that would leave fans wanting more.
That night, I dreamed about the future. Specifically, I imagined a world where the figurines became wildly popular among collectors everywhere. People began buying dozens of sets and even trading them with friends. Some folks probably bought multiple copies of certain characters in order to display them together.
Others may have purchased different versions of the same hero in hopes of finding rare variants. Regardless of which scenario played out, I knew I’d eventually become rich and famous. My only regret was that I waited until now to start making these products available.
Had I been able to release them sooner, perhaps I could’ve earned millions by now. Still, there was nothing I could do to change the past. As such, I resolved to continue moving forward.
Over time, I noticed some interesting trends regarding the popularity of the figurines. For instance, the Rufus figure quickly rose to the top of the sales charts. At least, that’s what I assumed based on the number of orders received. On the other hand, the Serenity doll didn’t receive nearly as many requests.
In fact, she barely registered on the list at all. Although I wondered if this was due to the character’s lack of appeal, I suspected otherwise. Perhaps someone else designed the figurine after seeing my original sketches.
Maybe he or she thought the design was cool but lacked the skills necessary to produce the finished product themselves. Whatever the case, I hoped to learn more information soon.
In addition to learning about the demand for specific figures, I also discovered that customers preferred to purchase complete collections rather than purchasing individual items separately. This wasn’t surprising given how difficult it can be to track down particular models.
Furthermore, most people were willing to spend extra money to obtain a set containing all twelve figurines. Once again, I understood why this happened. Collectors loved having everything in one place. Plus, it helped prevent accidental mix-ups. Finally, it provided peace of mind knowing that you wouldn’t accidentally lose your favorite piece.
As expected, the majority of buyers resided within North America. While I did sell a few units overseas, it paled in comparison to the amount sold domestically. With that said, I still felt encouraged by the results. After all, I anticipated attracting international interest once word got out about the product line.
Several months passed following the launch of the figurines. During that time, I continued working on new designs while simultaneously promoting the existing ones. Eventually, I expanded the range from six to ten dolls. Then, I added additional accessories like backpacks, hats, and swords.
Each subsequent version featured improved features and better overall aesthetics. Additionally, I released a series of limited edition figurines. These included special editions featuring unique packaging and exclusive content. The last batch contained twenty-five copies. They cost $100 per unit. Unfortunately, none of them ever sold. Instead, I donated them to charity.
After several years, I decided to take things to the next level. I created a website dedicated to the toy line. There, visitors could view detailed images of every single item along with short bios detailing their respective origins and personalities. To further promote the brand, I posted links to various social media platforms.
Of course, I used Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. However, I also utilized Tumblr, Reddit, and Pinterest. Most importantly, I shared the site with everyone who had previously expressed an interest in the figurines.
At long last, I launched the official Kickstarter campaign. Within two days, I reached my funding goal. Shortly thereafter, I exceeded it. By the end of the month, I raised over three million dollars! Not surprisingly, this surpassed my wildest expectations. More specifically, I couldn’t believe how well the project performed.
The End