My great great grandfather started this company. The year was 1904, and he
was extremely ahead of his time. You may have heard that the first ballpoint
pens were sold in the middle of the century, but that is not true. That is
just when they became popular, and started on the road to ubiquity. My
ancestor was the first to break into the industry after they were invented.
He knew that there was something to this new technology. Big Dog was his
nickname in the army, on account of how good he was at sniffing out the
enemy. He mostly sold to construction companies who wanted to mark the wood
they were cutting with something other than pencil, and to left-handed
note-takers who were tired of the ink and lead smudging on their hands. Yes,
sir, he was a pioneer, and I admire him for that. I never knew the man, but
I know what he stood for. He was simple, and easy to please. He never wanted
to be the biggest writing utensil company in the world, which is why he
never thought to branch out into other instruments, nor did his descendants.
We do ballpoints, and we only do ballpoints. Our design has become more
sophisticated over time, and we’re on the verge of launching the next
generation in our popular funtime series, which features characters from a
certain children’s TV show that all you parents out there are familiar with.
Still. It’s just ballpoint pens. We don’t make other kinds of pens, or
pencils. We don’t sell paper to go along with it, or even pen cases. A
single product with multiple series to appeal to an array of customers. My
grandfather was adamant about that—I remember—rest in peace. He wanted to
keep the tradition, and while I’m no one to scoff at tradition, I also know
a business opportunity when I see one. We’re a household name now, and we
should start thinking bigger.
When my dad retired two years ago, he gave me one single mandate. He said,
“son, this company is yours now. I expect you to treat her as well as your
predecessors always did.” Well, that’s what I plan on doing, and I don’t
think adding new products interferes with, or contradicts, that mandate. He
might have meant to say that I wasn’t allowed to change anything, but that’s
not what he said, and that’s not what I’m going to do. It’s the 21st century
now, and pens...aren’t as big as they used to be. They’re still great, but
kids these days are always on their little devices. It’s time that we get
into the little devices business. Introducing the Big Dog Augmented Reality
Stylus. Unlike my great great grandfather, we’re not the first to make this
product, but we believe we’re the best. With our free phone app, you can
view any virtual writing in any space, whether you were the one who first
created it, or not. With the handy writing board, you can write or draw in
whatever position is most comfortable, and then drag—or even throw—the
content over to some other point in space. With our view glasses, you can
draw and view the content without even using your hands. We’ve been
developing these products for two years now, and we’re just about ready to
release them. I know, that sounds insane. How does a ballpoint pen company
suddenly pivot to AR? Well, the truth is that I’ve been working on this my
whole life. I have a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, and a masters in
computer engineering. I also studied art in high school, so I know what
creative people want. This is where the future of technology is headed, and
we’re ready for it. Believe it or not, the first models are finished and
tested. Right now, we’re looking for investors to work with us on
distribution and advertising. So wadya say? Who’s in?
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