Chapter 126: Automation

The second week of June came with a sharp surge of sales for Death Wish.

Not exponential, but enough that Aiden practically found himself being messaged by one establishment or the other every two to three days.

To that effect, he sold just a little over seven thousand bottles by the end of the week.

One had to remember that Aiden had actually only made any proper sales on four thousand of all six thousand bottles he’d sold the prior week, which meant he was still in the red despite the upturn in recent sales.

But that was something he’d accounted for from the onset, so he wasn’t the least bit bothered.

As for the cause of the recent surge in sales, well it was quite simple.

Aiden had created a little economy where all the people whom had gotten freebies of his drink, wanted to purchase it on their own after finding out how relatively cheap it was.

Unfortunately, there were very limited spots they could get them, hence when stocks ran out in those respective spots, they couldn’t help but inquire from other establishments they assumed might have it.

And with the number of supermarkets, convenience stores, gyms and several other establishments people visited on a regular in New York with the intent to grab a bite or a little pick me up, it didn’t take long before they started asking about the Death Wish from these places.

That in turn, informed a bunch of these previous establishments Aiden had previously tried pitching his product to, all of them doing a total 180° once they realized there was in fact, a market for it.

At the same time, it also led to word gradually spreading at a snail’s pace about the beverage, albeit it still remained contained within a very small economy of New Yorkers.

But for a city where roughly over eight million people lived, that small economy might as have well been a boon for Aiden’s small economy of Death Wish wanters.

It was also why, by the end of the third week, the coal-haired youth only had about three thousand units in inventory, having sold a little over nine thousand units as the week rounded up.

Yet, demand was slowly rising, enough that he was rather glad he had planned well-ahead since the start of the month, all of which had slowly begun taking shape.

For starters, he’d contacted SlurpPAK to begin production of the other flavors, and this time with the design he’d sent to them.

Granted it had cost him $35,000+ for seventy-five thousand units this time--courtesy of him requesting for a switch from PET bottles to aluminum cans alongside an increased unit and lines of different flavor productions--Aiden had been more than willing to shell out the amount.

Asides that, Aiden had proposed an offer to SlurpPAK, one the co-packing company wasn’t particularly sure they were willing to accept just yet.

Still, Nathan had informed Aiden that he’d think about it and get back to him once he and his employees had come to a decision on it, a response the youth didn’t mind at all.

Granted it benefitted them as it meant they would be getting a 10% of Death Wish’s gross revenue as opposed to their current flat-rate payment structure from producing the beverage, it also meant that they would have to set-up a whole new branch of their business just to accommodate it.

That was a very big undertaking in its own right, and it was natural that they were choosing to proceed cautiously with it.

In any case, Aiden had also gotten in touch with a filming crew, one he’d spoken to at length about what he wanted to film.

He’d also roped Casper into the whole thing by having him draft out three scripts based on the ideas he had, one they had both then refined to bring to a more than satisfactory level.

Only after did they forward the scripts to said film crew.

At the same time, Aiden had used the opportunity to ask the crew’s director et producer if they had or could contact any indie actor that fit the bill for the character in one of the scripts...

...one that was skilled enough and would be willing to be in an ad for an unknown brand.

Thankfully, their response had been in the affirmative... though Aiden knew he’d still have to vet said actor. Still, he had been glad that side of things was mostly sorted out.

Afterall, he had already informed his girlfriend and her eventual role in his advertisement well ahead.

Having informed her parents in turn, both of whom had given her the go-ahead, the lady’s enthusiasm for the opportunity skyrocketed when her boyfriend handed over the script she was meant to use to perform just a week ago.

All that aside, Aiden himself had been juggling something just as important on the side.

Something he’d figured was necessary to drag wholesale prices to $0.99 from its current $0.6 whilst still keeping retail prices at the exact $1.5 price it was currently being sold at.

It was also why, he was currently seated before his laptop, blue-light blocking glasses resting on his features as his fingers blitzed across the keyboard.

Adjusting the spectacle briefly and pretty much in the zone, he casually punched in the last few lines of code after a few more minutes had passed.

No sooner had he done that, his system pinged into his field of view.

-

[Skills Updated!]

[Achievements Updated!]

-

Casually brushing it aside, Aiden pulled up the website he’d been working on all week to assess his handiwork once again.

The page itself had a very premium feel, one that highlighted the products in a way that was eye-catching and inviting, but not too flashy as well.

Nodding to himself in satisfaction after testing all its functions an hour later to ensure that there weren’t any bugs, Aiden finally removed his computer glasses and placed them on the desk.

"All in a good day’s work..." he muttered as he gently pressed down the lid of the hibernated laptop, his neck popping a few times as he briefly massaged it.

Granted several customers often believed middlemen were the scourge of the earth, even they couldn’t deny the fact that they were a necessary evil.

Afterall, economic theory and supply chain logistics had demonstrated time and time again that the services they provide--as questionable as it could be every now and then--indispensably provided a lot of value.

Asides lowering search costs for the consumers, and logistics and shipping costs as well for the wholesaler, they were often also the ones who managed the risk of a product flopping (and more often than not, even absorbed it).

Safe to say, they were essentially--and very often--the trusted intermediaries between a product’s source and the customers whom were receiving it. Almost like a stamp of approval of sorts.

It was also why they happened to be very brazen when it came to setting price standards.

But if there was ever an economy where a Direct to Consumer (DTC) model existed alongside it, well that meant they couldn’t just go ham as they pleased.

Moreso, when they knew the very same people they intended to sell these products to could easily get it from the main site at almost a fraction of the cost just like they did, and in bulk to at that.

That essentially, was what Aiden was after.

’Well let’s hope SlurpPAK accepts my offer...’ he inwardly remarked with a thoughtful expression, his thoughts continuing;

’If they don’t, well I guess I’ll just have to find a workaround for the distribution service.’

Aiden hadn’t simply chosen to have his beverages hit the market this time of year.

Rather, he wanted to establish an already automated market completely independent of him before he resumed college in two and a half months’ time.

That way, he could simply kick-back and reap the profits of his hard-earned labor whilst having the time to invest into other ventures that might catch his fancy asides taking Crashout Interactive to the next level.

At the same time, if all went well, it would also mean that he he could comfortably retire his Pops before the end of the year.

Besides, if he was constantly managing everything on his own, how would he ever have time for himself, his loved ones and several other important things in his life.

Because for as much as Aiden wanted to become stinking rich, he more than anyone knew that it would be in his best interests that he prioritized the people in his life first if he wanted to keep his humanity going forward.

Pulling back his chair, the youth stretched as he rose to his feet, a fulfilled expression on his features as he made his way downstairs to prepare dinner.

At the same time, he casually pulled up his system to assess the notification he’d gotten earlier, curious to know what was up.