So a thing that happens all too often in the yoyo world (In the world of small hobbies in general) is that success if often reviled. If you are a small operation, pouring your heart and soul into your products for little or no return, you are amazing, the community supports you. If you get some success, get some sales happening, enough that perhaps you are starting to get compensate for your labour, that’s OK too. There is a line though. It’s somewhere between making just enough to keep going, and making an actual income.

I’ve seen this discussed so many times. “Brand X used to be good, then they started making mass produced garbage” or “Brand Z makes good yoyos, but they are too big now so their yoyos don’t have soul”. What's funny is that this often translates to “the yoyos are too well made I liked it better in the beginning when “x” brand was still figuring out how to design a good yoyo and was dealing with machine shops that couldn't make consistent yoyos.” I think there is definitely a tie-in to rarity being a desire able trait.

There is an odd need inherent in Western Culture to root for the underdog. I’m not sure where it comes from but you see it all over. There is nothing more exciting in sports than when a team no one expected makes it to the finals. It might be part of the democracy/capitalism mindset. The idea that anyone can be anything if they work hard enough. But at the same time, we seem to want to pull down those that do make the big break. There is nothing like catching a move star/rock star/politician/CEO in an embarrassing situation, letting the media and the gossips take them down a peg.

So where is the line. Somewhere between a brand barely managing to sell 50 of a yoyo and being able to sell 5000 of a yoyo.

Is it because at 5000 of each yoyo you have moved from a guy playing with yoyos to a business manager? Is it because at that number you are clearly earning too much money to be in it for the love of the sport? How does one avoid this, or is it even possible? Is it about maintaining direct community engagement, posting videos of you yoyoing, just to prove you still throw and aren't just in it for the money?

I don't anticipate rain City Skills ever getting big enough to have that problem, but you never know!

What do you think?