I am sure that everyone has already been drawn into the working rhythm and are making grand plans for 2019. As astrologers say, this year will be much better than the past. And my first letter of this year, I want to start with a story. Stories about how it all began, continued and developed. As several times we fell, got up and fell again. How was the moment when I thought that the history of the League of Robots was over. It was all. Stories of betrayal, commercial espionage, theft, employee drift, and whole detective stories. I'm afraid not even to tell. But I'll try. In short and concisely - in the photo below, just our first costume, which we received from China. But let's, all in order.
Part one. Birth.
It all started in 2012, when I first saw these costumes in China. A friend of mine showed me a recording from his phone, from a theatrical robots show. And then the first time I saw an animator in a suit.
Then I have not thought about what that company. I just had an idea - what if you bring such a costume to Russia and make similar shows? A plus to the motivation was the request of my daughter, who asked Bumblebee to come to her birthday party.
Almost a month went on the search for this company in China, another month of correspondence, transfers, clarification of details, choice of costumes, coordination of payment and delivery method.
We bought five suits for our own money and after 3 months began to receive them in parts, in all post offices of the city. The photos above just captured these boxes)
But finally, that moment came when we gathered everything in one place, unpacked the boxes and first of all tried on the costumes for ourselves. And a few days later, Bumblebee came on my daughter's birthday.
It was a sensation. It was then that I realized - to be this business.
We are the first in the post-Soviet space who began importing costumes of transforming robots and doing mini-shows with them. To organize holidays, rent out costumes, cooperate with local agencies of holidays.
Immediately, we signed a contract with the SBS-Megamall shopping center to hire these suits. Three days a week, animators walked through the SBS and created a wow-effect. And the original idea was to start working in the same way with all major shopping centers.
We began to invite to holidays, events and birthdays.
And our first name was Planet Robots)
The quality of the costumes was average, besides, we had no experience in teaching animators, and the costumes suffered greatly from "intense" exploitation. Two of the costumes we could not collect, plus we did not really like the acid color. These costumes remained to wait in the wings and looking ahead, I will say that we have already finished and repainted them ourselves.
As time went on, I understood that this is not a business format that can be developed into something more.
We did not take into account that according to the results, the mall could only give a contract once a year, and then only for a short period. The next contract could be in six months or a year and other heroes would have been required. I realized that big business cannot be built on this.
The brilliant idea of a new business was practically buried. Of course, we continued to rent out costumes for various entertainment events, but, I repeat, this was not the level I wanted. And I wanted to scale.
Still, business is primarily the realization of their ambitions, one can say the power instinct inherent in man, as psychophysiology, the most powerful man instinct, because of the deployment of which a man rose from his knees and became what he became, is said
I used to spend hours sitting around thinking about how you can still use costumes and why nobody makes them here. Thoughts about what I can do these costumes myself - I did not attend. In my head there was a picture of a little plant with smoking pipes and harmful production.
As always, everything ruined the case.
Once we came to work, and we were already working on electric eaves, Arthur came to get settled. During the conversation, it turned out that Arthur knows how to work with leather and, as a hobby, is engaged in the production of custom wallets and leather goods.
And I do not know where, but I immediately had the idea to show him a suit, which I immediately did. At this point, I even tried to glue a couple of parts out of the rubber mat and even paint them, but there was no complete understanding of how to do everything well.
I asked Arthur just one question: “We can do the same robot and what is needed for this?”
To which I received the answer - we can. Need some tires.
And from that moment on, work began to boil.
We bought different rubber, tested it for flexibility, how it is glued, how it keeps its shape. Developed patterns, forms, built models, sketched - work boiled by 1000%.
And after three months we made the first robot. Of course, now I remember this with a smile and closed eyes, but then it was a victory. I realized that we can make costumes ourselves.
The year was 2013. No one else in Russia has done such projects.
We were euphoric, work was in full swing in all directions. We took people, rented premises, trained, learned to paint correctly, made a website, made first calls, communicated with the first interested companies.
The business got to its feet and it was safe to say that it took place.
And then came the first problems. More precisely, I have already seen the effect.
Our success was not ignored. Although I understood that we would be copied, but how it was done and by whom, came as a complete surprise.
As it was, I will tell the second part and the next letter.
Be sure to read it, this is a good lesson for all business leaders.
You need to try to learn from the mistakes of others.
Best regards and see you soon!
Alexander Zapletin,
Head of the company League-Robotov.
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