Schachter creates room decor

10 |features Schachter achieves sky-high success as entrepreneur, pilot

Indie Ahl ’24 Assistant Business Manager

It seems the sudden onset of the pandemic had teenagers feeling one impulse: to cover their walls in LED strip lights. Teenagers on Tiktok flocked to this trend in the height of quarantine, and it has since become even more popular. In all the frenzy around these products, Aiden Schachter ’24 seized the opportunity to take the strip lights to new levels, creating the LED cloud light. The product is a soft polyester cloud containing remote-controlled LED lights. When he was just 14 years old, Schachter created his first LED cloud light model, solely from an old stuffed animal. Hot-gluing the stuffing to an LED strip light, Schachter created the first prototype for his product. Ultimately, he was inspired by his love for flying. “There’s the tie-in with flying, [and] I’m a pilot as well, so I’m always up in the clouds, which I think is kinda cool,” he said. In addition to local events, like the Westport Craft Fair, he also sells on online platforms like Etsy and the Amazon business program, which allows him to buy his materials in bulk at a seller discount. As Schachter strives to increase profits, he values sustainability in his business practices. In 2021, Schachter decided to use the Nextdoor app to source recycled aluminum from the Westport community to build the framework of the clouds. “I donate 5% of my profits to charity at the end of the year,” Schachter said. “Last year I donated to climate change to offset my carbon emission, this year I’m doing a local based charity.” To aspiring entrepreneurs, Schachter highlights the importance of developing a unique product to experience success. “It can’t be something you saw on TikTok; it can’t be something you saw online; you can’t try and copy someone else,” Schachter said. “Ultimately, it’s really got to be a unique idea that you have to be passionate about. You got to know how to expand it, you gotta start slow, and it’s going to take a lot of time.” Schachter’s business isn’t his only passion or priority. While an entrepreneur, he’s also a pilot, wrestler and full-time student. “It’s really challenging just balancing my time. You get home at 3 p.m., not including wrestling season when I’m getting home at 6 p.m.,” Schachter said. “There’s a lot of time management. That’s the biggest challenge.” Observing his son balance his passions, Aiden’s father, Seth Schachter, expressed how his son has not only grown his business over the past few years, but has grown as a young adult. “It’s quite an accomplishment from the day he started,” Seth Schachter said. “We’re very proud and excited for this whole experience.”

ROOM DECOR Aiden Schachter ’24 creates cloud-like LED lights, commonly displayed in bedrooms.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Aiden Schachter ’24 has his products boxed and sold on platforms including Etsy and Amazon.