The first sale of his Konka was______. [br] [originaltext] "I actually sold

"I actually sold my first tin of Konka in 1977. I was going to Scotland and needed new boots. The guy at Alpine Sports in London sold me a pair and tried to sell me some wax too. I told him I made my own and why it was better. He took six dozen tins."
    Konka now sells a whole range of waterproofing products as well as waterproof clothing. Sales have increased at a steady 10 to 15 percent a year and today the company employs five people, who all spend around 30 percent of their time on research. "When we started, the biggest problem was getting customers to buy large enough quantities. So I offered them advertising by printing their logo on the lid in exchange for a minimum order. Two things happened. First, the shops bought more, and second, because people who were satisfied with the product know where to buy it, the shops with logos outsold the others."
    In the second year, he had a turnover of 50,000 units. He moved from his kitchen into a small workshop, making wax by night and selling it by day. He sold to outdoor shops all over the UK and he interviewed around the mountain centers in Europe, winning orders from the big names in boots, Fjell-raven, Edelweiss and Kaufmann, Van de Sport. Le Trappeur. France’s biggest manufacturer, ordered 60,000 tins. European sales outstripped those in the UK.
    Konka believes strongly in research and international marketing. He is a linguist (an ex-student of the School of African and Oriental Studies) and he makes sure his foreign language publicity material is accurate to the last accent. Unlike most British companies, he invoices in local currency. "I’d rather risk losing money on individual deals than losing a customer because exchange rates have changed."
    The big question now is whether outdoor shops can survive the recession. Four years of drought on top of economic decline have been bad for business. "Now, thank God. it’s raining. " Says Mr Brown.