Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Trichak.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
An inventor? No, not me. I was a surgical nurse in medical sales. I never thought I was creative enough to envision something unique to share with the world. However, one day, that all changed…
The idea came after one sunny 4th of July while I was at the Indiana Dunes, jet skiing, grilling burgers and brats, and enjoying the beach with friends. Right before sunset, we built a fire and started throwing around a football and a Frisbee® jumping into the waves, catching, crashing, and having the time of our lives together. In an instant, our fun came crashing to a halt since the sun had set, and you couldn’t see a thing in the pitch darkness. That’s when the thought came to me — “someone” needed to invent a glow in the dark Disc, and eventually, that “someone” was me.
After securing a patent, it was full speed ahead, traveling to China to meet with manufacturers, learning about plastic injection molding, acrylic adhesives, freight forwarding, product testing, and the list goes on. Wearing many hats for photography, social media marketing, and website design, I was a party of one learning the self-taught ropes, although I was very fortunate to tap into some valuable resources through Women in Toys (WIT) and other industry colleagues who helped navigate the in’s and out’s of the toy world and make my leap to success.
Lumi-Niter® came to fruition in July 2015, and within 30 days, it had been awarded the “Most Wanted Sports Toy” by ttpm®. https://ttpm.com/p/15619/xtraordin-air-toys/flite-by-nite-lumi-niter/
Parade magazine had featured the Disc in their June 2016 Edition: 25 of the Hottest New Toys of Summer http://parade.com/481617/scott_steinberg/the-new-toys-of-summer/
Lumi-Niter® has been awarded Best Classic Toy, Best Vacation Toy, and Best 100 Toys of 2016 by Dr. Toy. http://www.drtoy.com/awards/59f9837a527a59976c8b4567
And, Lumi-Niter® was chosen as a semi-finalist by HSN & Good Housekeeping in their August 2016 American Dreams Competition. https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/31/hsns-first-pitch-off-competition-goes-in-search-of-the-next-big-consumer-product/
Today, Lumi-Niter® continues to be a fan favorite for scouting adventures, college campuses, campgrounds, tailgating, and outdoor concerts. Each Disc kit comes with one 10.75” disc with 12 assorted glowsticks. By mixing and matching disc and glowstick colors, kids and young adults can create cool, glowing patterns in the night sky. Lumi-Niter® has become the most versatile disc for wind, water, sand, and surf. The Disc promotes a healthy lifestyle by encouraging everyone to get outdoors and stay active, while disengaging from devices for a while. This year I changed the packaging design and tweaked a few attributes to make the disc more affordable for all markets.
In surgery, I was able to make a difference with one patient, one day at a time. With Lumi-Niter®, I have been able to make a difference with kids around the world, changing the way they have fun after dark. It is all about making sustainable memories with friends and family. I guess the sky is not the limit.
Lumi-Niter®is branded under Flite by Nite ®. www.FlitebyNite.com
Has it been a smooth road?
In the beginning, I felt as though it was one step forward, five steps back. There was so much to learn, even the simplest of tasks were monumental since the manufacturing and toy worlds were not my wheelhouse. Being a party of one, holding down a full-time job, traveling the country, and trying to make connections, phone calls, organizing trade shows, and auditions for TV shows were some of the biggest challenges. Trying to find the correct mix of sales reps who believed in the product line to support it with their customers was another.
Since I handle all of the media design, creating the perfect videos to represent the Flite by Nite® brand was challenging enough. The easy part was writing the seven scripts and driving around Chicago to find the perfect locations for each video shoot. Waiting for the homeowners to arrive to grant permission to use their home for video shoots was time consuming. However, the biggest challenge was hanging out at Target in the Back to School section, soliciting kids and their parents for actors, which caused security to be on heightened awareness for a few hours. One video was actually filmed in Florida, which posed different challenges altogether, including torrential rain and quarantined areas for turtle hatchings. Nonetheless, with vision and determination in mind, I was not going to let anything set me back. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ0dg8LLelkZerVH12eKguA/feed
Working with China added another layer of complexity since the time zone change required late night communications. Surgery requires early morning starts. China requires late night hours, and some days it felt like it was all day, all night, non-stop, weekends included. Every day continues to be a challenge. However, I now have the confidence and network to support me through the toughest of times.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Xtraordin Air Toys story. Tell us more about the business.
Xtraordin Air Toys® is a women-owned, minority company, whose philosophy is to support outdoor fun for kids and adults of all ages. We specialize in glow in the dark products to extend your fun from dusk ‘til dawn. Our motto is “Brighten Your Nights”. We believe that our Flite by Nite ® products support a healthy lifestyle, bringing old-fashioned outdoor fun to your doorstep. At night, when most activities come to an end, that is when Lumi-Niter® starts to shine.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Glow in the dark products have always out-shined any fad or historic trend. It seems that bright, sparkly objects always seem to turn an eye, which solidifies that glowing items are here to stay. The bigger shift in the toy industry is how the consumer purchases toys. With the growth and expansion of online retailers, brick and mortar stores will stay focused on customer experiences and instant gratification, more so than ever before.
Pricing:
- Lumi-Niter (R) Disc Kit w/ 12 Glowsticks $14.99 **available Mid-March
- Replacement Glowsticks 40/bx $17.99
Contact Info:
- Address: Xtraordin Air Toys, Inc.
2155 W. Belmont Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618 - Website: www.FlitebyNite.com
- Email: info@FlitebyNite.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/flitebynite
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlitebyNite
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlitebyNite
- Yelp: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ0dg8LLelkZerVH12eKguA
- Other: http://www.pinterest.com/flitebynite/
Image Credit:
Fernandez Foto
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