WESTPORT — As a student pilot, Aiden Miner spends most of his time on a tow truck.
When the Staples High School freshman isn't doing it, he focuses on studying, wrestling, and running the club. And since 2020, he is also concentrating on his work and, ironically, is also involved in drag and drop.
Miner founded LEDCloudLight during the pandemic as an eighth grader at Bedford High School.
He described it as "a high-tech room decoration product that mimics a cloud."
Schachter made the first sale of the flashlight on July 22, 2020. He currently sells through his Etsy station, ledcloudlight.com.
On November 5-6, Schachter will be exhibiting at the Craft Westport Show, Connecticut's oldest craft show of its kind. This will be the first time he will sell it himself.
The show is produced by Artrider Productions. Seth Miner, Aiden's father, was told that his son is the youngest model to run the show in 13 years and possibly the youngest model in 45 years.
“I think it will be a new and exciting experience, like everything else in my work,” said Aiden Miner.
As of 2020, a light cloudy look is created with a polyester fill, a polyester blend. Originally made from low-strength hot glue, Miner said the product was no good and could only be operated with a remote control.
“My initial clouds were chaotic,” he said.
However, as of 2021, its clouds have become more durable thanks to stronger materials such as spray adhesive. The current design comes in a variety of sizes, with Bluetooth, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home capabilities different from the original.
In 2020, Miner said there is a trend towards LED strips that cover the perimeter of bedrooms. He also had some.
“I had the stuffing of this old penguin and the stuffing inside is what I used to make the original cloud idea,” he said.
He said he wasn't sure what gave him the idea to combine LED strips with stuffing.
"I'm not 100% sure how I came up with this idea," he said. "But he did, and he took it from there."
The miner said that the first attempts were not successful.
“Over time, I really got into production and production efficiently,” he said.
Miner said reviews on his website ranged from two to four stars, but by 2022 it was five stars.
“You can see the transition from an arts and crafts hobby project to a precision product,” he said.
The most interesting part, according to Miner, is the trailer frame, made from recycled aluminum from the Westport community, which he released in 2021. He found the material through Nextdoor, an app that connects people in the area.
He said he posted information on how to collect neighbors' recyclables for free or pay a deposit. Since then, he said, many people have responded.
Schachter allows each cloud to rise on its own, over and over again. This year he made 409 requests. In 2021, 210 applications were received.
“It takes a long time to balance,” he said. “I try to do school assignments before I finish school. I go home, I go to work, and then I go to other extracurricular activities.”
The cloud starts at $59 and ranges in size and features up to $299.
Seth Schachter said that Aiden Schachter has sold LED cloud lights in all US states and beyond.
“I made two showrooms and people rooms,” he said of the cloud opportunities.
“I think things have grown slowly and slowly and the hard work has paid off,” Shakhter said.
Miner said there have been some hurdles since he started, such as lack of time, especially as the holiday season approaches.
Last December, he made 113 requests in one month. It also has problems in the winter, which causes additional time restrictions.
Last week, Miner was allowed to sell on Amazon, which he has been trying to do for about a year. Because he was under 18, he was difficult to accept as a salesperson.
“I think this is a very interesting next step,” he said. “This is a step towards professionalization, growth and even globalization.”
In addition to Etsy, Shakhtar also manages TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest business accounts.
Five percent of Schachter's annual profits are donated to charity. Last year, he donated $1,500 to offset carbon emissions and fight climate change. He said that he had always been a "green man" and tried to be kind to the environment.
“The sale of clouds is connected in some way to the environment,” he said. — I thought the tie was good.
We are very proud as parents,” said Seth Schachter. “We try to stay down to earth and we understand that this is a great opportunity from a business point of view.”
This year, Aiden Schutter said he expects charitable donations to be much higher because his income has doubled. She's donating to a local charity, though she hasn't decided yet.
The miner said he hopes to get help to expand the business in the future. He still dreams of becoming an airline pilot, but also wants to run a company.
“My work itself is one of my passions,” he said. "It's always challenging to work better, be more efficient and develop in new ways."
kayla.mitchler@hearstmediact.com
