The History of Hiking With Hunter
It all started simply. We cut down a tree in our yard and Hunter thought it would
be fun to make himself a hiking stick. So we did. We peeled the bark from the stick
that he cheerfully selected. Then we sanded it until it was nice and smooth. We
left it in the sun to dry for a few weeks. In the mean time Hunter picked out about
8 different color paints he wanted to use and a box full of brushes. At the random
time that we guessed the stick was dry enough we started painting. Hunter had a blast smearing
colors on his stick. He mixed the colors together and painted two or three or more colors
on top of each other, and had a great time. Then he sprinkled glitter onto the wet
paint. Once the paint dried a few coats of shellac was applied. We then drilled a
hole in the top for a leather strap and glued a rubber foot to the bottom. Hunter
now had his Hiking Stick. End of story... Almost.
The next part of the story starts on the Island of Sodor. Hunter is a Thomas the
Train Fanatic. He loves the show. He can identify every character. You wouldn’t
believe how many of the them there actually are!! And, he owns many of them. As
with most 3 and 4 year olds they want a new toy ALWAYS. Hunter often gets a new
Thomas character but still wants them more often than is reasonable to buy them –
daily or more often if he had his way. Hunter has a piggy bank and a savings
account. His piggy bank money is his to spend on whatever he wants. And often,
when he has enough money, it is a Thomas character that he buys.
So one day, the day after we bought him a new train, he was begging for
another one. We told him he could buy one with his own money if he had enough,
which he did not. We told him if he wanted another one he would have to find a way
to make some money. We had just been playing with his Hiking Stick that he recently
finished. His reply, surprisingly, was, “I’ll sell my Hiking Stick”. At first I
told him he could and we started thinking who might want to buy it. Then the
opportunity revealed itself. I suggested to him that we should make a bunch more
sticks like his and sell those. That way he could buy more trains and still keep
his Hiking Stick. At that moment an entrepreneur was born. Hunter’s new business
started simple with the idea of selling some Hiking Sticks to friends. It has
since blossomed into much more. Hunter now has his own Business License for Hiking
With Hunter, his own website, www.hikingwithhunter.com and a state resellers
permit (keep an eye on the products page for new items – compasses, books, etc)
And here we are. Now everytime Hunter sells a stick the cost of making the stick goes back into Hiking With Hunter to buy more supplies. The profits are split in half. The first half goes into Hunters savings account. The second half goes to Hunter to put towards his next train purchase. The more sticks he sells the more trains he may buy, with no limit.
He has days when he is not motivated and doesn’t care – of course, he is
only 4. Then he has days when he wants to make 10 sticks, sell them and buy trains
all in the same day. We still buy him trains once in a while. But whenever he is
anxious for a new train from us, too soon, we remind him that he can buy as many as
he likes with his Hiking Stick profits. Usually he excitedly grabs the paint brush
and starts painting.
So, thank you for buying a Hunter Hiking Stick. By doing so you have acquired a one of a kind piece of art, a Hiking Stick that you can enjoy and show off – a Hiking Stick that will turn heads on the trail. You have also helped inspire the imagination and entrepreneurial spirit of a 4 year old and fellow Hiker. And, I guess, in a round about way, you have also helped to boost the profits of the Thomas the Train company. I’m sure they thank you too.