Unless you have been living under a rock for the past six months, you have probably heard about a little movie called Obsession.
Written and directed by Curry Barker, a YouTuber turned filmmaker, this not-so-little horror movie is reportedly approaching $400 million at the box office from a $750,000 budget. Insane. And it deserves it.
The Vendra team went to watch Obsession last week. It was my second viewing, which was helpful for the jump scares…
I did not expect to be comparing a horror movie to Vendra, but after watching it again, what I kept thinking about, minus that car scene, was not just the movie itself. It was what happened after people watched it.
In its second weekend of release, Obsession’s box office numbers went up. That almost never happens with theatrical releases, and very few movies manage to grow after their opening weekend.
It tells us that a lot of people watched it, experienced it, and cared enough to tell other people to go and see it.
For Vendra, there is a lot we can learn from that. The first job from a customer matters, of course. Getting someone to try Vendra, submit an RFQ, and trust us with a build is a huge milestone. But the real signal is what happens after that first experience.
Do they come back with another part? Do they send more work? Do they introduce us to another team member? Do they trust us with something more complex the next time?
A good launch can get you noticed, whether you are releasing a film, or growing a company. But long-term momentum comes from what happens after the first interaction.
That is where execution matters. That is where experience matters. And, crucially, that is where trust is built.
For Obsession, the second weekend was the signal that the movie had moved beyond marketing and into word of mouth. People were not just aware of it. They were telling other people to go.
For Vendra, the same principle applies.
The first order matters, but the bigger opportunity is becoming the manufacturing partner customers come back to again and again, because the experience was good, the supplier fit was right, the parts were made properly, and the team knew they could trust us when it mattered.
We’re obsessed with winning new customers, but where we really thrive is earning the second order, the next program, and the trust that brings teams back again.
World-class execution and experience are what turn a first project into a long-term customer.
