Behind the Scenes · June 2026

17 Orders in One Week, Components for 12 — Here's What I Did About It

A demo video took off, the orders rolled in, and my inventory ran out by Wednesday. This is the honest story of how I underestimated the response, what I'm doing to fix it, and why every order will still ship — just faster than I planned.

The Video That Started It

Last week I posted a quick demo of the Scare Actor Helper Controller on Instagram and Facebook. Two pushbutton triggers, two scare zones, one actor working both sides of a hallway. Nothing fancy on my end — just the kit doing what it's built to do.

Within 48 hours the post had taken off. By the end of the week, 17 orders had landed in my Shopify dashboard. That's a great problem to have. Until you check inventory and realize you have components for 12 finished units.

Where the Math Broke Down

I'm a one-man shop running out of Los Angeles. Final assembly, programming, testing, packaging, customer support, social posts, blog writing — it all happens here. Most weeks I sell 3-5 units of any given controller. Stocking components for 12 felt like comfortable buffer.

It wasn't. The demo video pulled in customers who had no idea this product existed before they scrolled past it. The volume jumped 4x in a single week, and that's the kind of growth you can't math your way out of with "comfortable buffer."

I take full responsibility. To the 5 customers whose orders couldn't ship immediately last week — I sent each of you a personal email, and I'm doubling down to make sure your kit ships as fast as humanly possible.

What I Did About It

The same day I realized the gap, I placed two orders:

1. 100 piece bulk component order from my main suppliers overseas. Not 30, not 50 — 100. This covers the Halloween rush AND builds backstock so this doesn't happen again in September when the real wave hits.
2. Rush PCB order from my circuit board manufacturer. They're pulling out all the stops to turn boards around for me at speed without compromising quality.

Both orders are already in motion. Components arrive in the next 2-3 weeks. Boards land shortly after.

A Process Improvement That Came Out of the Crunch

One unexpected upside: while I was scrambling to keep up, I figured out a process change in my assembly workflow that lets me build each unit noticeably faster — without dropping the build quality every customer expects. I'm not going to spill the details (one-person shops have to keep a few cards) but the practical result is that going forward, every Actor Helper, Prop Activator, and Digital Eyes Kit will ship sooner than it would have before.

Sometimes the best improvements happen when you have no choice but to find them.

157 Days Until Halloween

Here's the honest truth about prop electronics in Halloween season: September is brutal. Every year, the orders triple in the last 6 weeks before October 31st, and every year a percentage of customers end up disappointed because they waited too long to commit.

If you're planning a haunt, a Halloween display, a Krampus build, a film prop, or a holiday attraction — get your order in before late August. By doing that, you give me build runway, you avoid the rush queue, and your kit ships from my LA workbench while I still have breathing room.

The Lesson I Learned

Run your business like the demo video is going to take off, not like it isn't. Stock for 4x volume, not 1x. Build buffer for the customers you don't have yet, because the moment they show up, they want their kit yesterday.

I'm grateful for every order — and for every customer who reached out with patience when I had to delay. You're the reason I get to do this work full time. The kits going out this month and next will be the best ones I've ever shipped, faster than I've ever shipped them. That's a promise.

Ready to Build?

The Scare Actor Helper Controller is the kit that started this whole week. Two scare zones from one controller, perfect for haunts, dark rides, and one-actor multi-position scares.

All hardware, firmware, and animations designed and built by Dmitriy Creations. Made in USA. Ships from Los Angeles.

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Got a question about your order or build timeline? Email dmitriycreations00@gmail.com and I'll answer personally, usually within 24 hours.