This Is The Art of Cloud

Creating Reality

For years the concept behind Sparx bounced around in my head.  I would dream about it at night, think about it in the shower, and ponder it as I drove my morning commute.  I like to think that I was marinating Sparx in a delicious blend of my mental juices.  (That sounds kind of gross, but you get the point).

Things did not pick up until I tapped into my own Entrepreneurial potential, and, more importantly, the Entrepreneurial potential of other Entrepreneurs.  I joined an organization called the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (“EO” if you don’t know it, learn it, live it, love it!) in March of 2008 and was placed in a Forum group of ten other Entrepreneurs.  It was this Forum, or Master-Mind (for those of you that are familiar with the Master-Mind concept) that eventually pushed me to pursue my passion.

Me and three other Forum-Mates started an accountability group and listed five goals for the last 100 days in 2009.  One of my five goals was to bring Sparx to life.  So, like a mad scientist/fanatical Entrepreneur, I set out to make my dream a reality and create Sparx.  The first thing I did was to create a digital sketch of my Electric Hookah Head.  After refining this, I set out trying to find the right person to be my creative arm; the one that would use their knowledge of electrical engineering to create the guts for Sparx–the soul is with me.

I interviewed about 15 electrical engineers, and I met some of the most interesting and, sometimes, quirky people.  One of them arrived one hour late for his interview because he was having a conversation about life with a “meter maid.”  He was also an engineer in a Soviet submarine, which made for interesting conversation, but, ultimately, he was not right.  Another interviewee spent, and I kid you not, 15 minutes looking at the diagram without saying a word.  I actually started to do other work during the interview waiting for him to kick in a comment.  I think certain interviewees are a perfect example of why sex for money may be a necessity in the wondrous Sparx’y times we live in.

I finally selected one of the engineers to join my team, and over the course of the next several weeks we worked together to develop a “breadboard prototype” for Sparx (I hadn’t actually come up with a name yet, although “H-Burner” was suggested to me by a Forum Mate of mine; God love him, brilliant business man, but naming may not be his strong suit).  Eventually we had “lift-off,” but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for; nothing truly valuable will ever come easy.

We eventually brought on two designers that were recommended to me by an EO Mate of mine here in LA (Check it: BoomBang, Inc.).  So together, with my electrical engineer, we continued to hammer away at the breadboard prototype.  We tried every different type of material and combination that we could think of, but we weren’t getting exactly where we needed to go (it’s a process, so chillax).

Eventually, my friends at BoomBang referred me to a second Electrical Engineer that helped us to finally overcome the obstacles that were keeping the brothers down.  He came up with some novel approaches to the breadboard design and within a relatively short time, I had my breadboard prototypes in my eager hands.  Let the relentless puffing of the cloud begin!

On Saturday, April, 3, 2010, I opened a large box and within it, there was a bunch of packing popcorn stuff, but underneath that lay… another box.

Sparx Is In The Building!

Sparx Is In There... Somewhere.

I opened the second box, and within it, I found… bubble wrap.

If I Ever Ship A Human Baby, This Is The Way I Would Do It...

I undid the bubble wrap and beneath it twas revealed… tape.  I undid the tape, and there, in all it’s majestic glory, were the first of two breadboard prototypes.  (I can’t show you pictures of them because my Patent Attorney is not approving of such an action, but they look wicked awesome!).

Now, we’re testing prototypes, designing production models, and finalizing our business plan.  I’m getting closer and closer to my goal of bringing something amazing into the world, something that will change the way people use their Hookahs, Shishas, Nargiles, Gelyoons, and Hubbly Bubblys for ever.  The business plan I’ve written has been reviewed by more than a dozen of the most brilliant Entrepreneurs I know and it will be reviewed by dozens more–it will be TIGHT!  It calls for an amazing evolution in the Sparx brand… an evolution I hope everyone will be involved in as Sparx is for all.

You’re up to speed on where Sparx is and in the next few weeks we will continue to update you and we also want you to take part in the process.  For example, if you’ve joined our Facebook Fan Page, we want your help in picking our Sparx Girl.  In the next few weeks we’ll be posting up pictures of the girls we’ve chosen to compete for the coveted title of the first ever “Sparx Girl!”  You’re going to pick her from a group of eight, so get ready because the next few weeks and months will be a trip!!!

This is Sparx™!  This is the Art of Cloud™!  This is the future…!