Portfolio: Gyson Inc.

Writer’s Note: Portfolio: Gyson Inc. was published originally as a Subscriber Exclusive on September 12, 2018.
Consumers across the universe may not know Gyson Inc. by name, but they’re likely familiar with their products. The company and its subsidiaries produce everything from carpets to cleaning solvents to industrial uniforms and even EVA suits. The wide scope of their products is impossible to categorize outside of one defining characteristic: they’re extremely cheap.

Gyson claims to make simple, streamlined products that everyone can afford. Critics, however, aren’t so diplomatic. They argue that the company sacrifices product quality to keep production costs low, and intentionally targets price-sensitive consumers. Tests by Whitley’s Guide have shown that Gyson products need to be replaced more frequently than their competitors, and that the cost of replacing them is often more expensive than mid-tier alternatives in the long run. Still, many consumers consider the products good enough to get the job done with a price point that’s hard to resist.

Despite their spotty reputation, Gyson has become a manufacturing powerhouse. All thanks to the vision and ambition of company founder and CEO Akiko Forsyth, whose unique life experience set the stage for one of the more controversial companies created over the last century.

A New Destiny
Akiko Forsyth freely admits that founding Gyson wasn’t what she expected to do with her life. Born in Boro in 2849, Forsyth was raised in the lap of luxury. Her family was a pillar of Caliban’s manufacturing sector ever since Humanity colonized the system five centuries earlier. Wealthy, well-educated and worry-free, Forsyth became a fixture at socialite soirees and established a reputation for successfully organizing grand events and drinking almost anyone under the table. In 2884, she was doing both in Fujin City when word arrived that a massive Vanduul fleet had attacked Caliban. Updates slowly trickled in over the following days, each one worse than the next. According to close friends, as the news grew more dire, Forsyth, frustrated and grieving, did what she did in most situations and began drinking. In the morning, she awoke to learn that Caliban had fallen. Her family and home system had been lost.

The news devastated her. Without a home or familial support structure, Forsyth fell into a deep depression and spiraled out of control, partying and burning through her inheritance. Eventually, friends staged an intervention to address her fatalistic behavior. Forsyth was hurt by their seemed betrayal and decided to leave them and the city behind.

Originally, she planned on continuing her lifestyle aboard her family’s luxury ship, but she no longer could afford a crew or docking fees. This forced Forsyth to trade it in for a less opulent one. However, without the status that her ship and fortune brought her, she found herself turned away from the high-end scene that once welcomed her. On her own, without anywhere to go and much to lose, she decided to visit Archibald on Yar, a place she had always been curious about, but had never dared to go. Forsyth loved it. The first visit would be one of many stops she would take while exploring the ‘verse.

Forsyth refuses to elaborate too much on this time in her life, but credits two experiences with setting the stage for her second act. The first occurred when she slipped the line and returned to Caliban.

“I’ll never forget finally going home,” she later admitted. “Nothing was there except ruins. In that moment, among the shattered remains of everything I had grown up around, I finally came to terms with the fact that I didn’t have a legacy to stand on anymore. My destiny was all my own.”

The second life-altering experience came shortly thereafter. Walking through the bazaar in Olympus, she wondered why so many of the locals wore helmets with chipped visors and deep cracks. She discovered that most of the helmets, which were necessary outside of Olympus’ sealed sectors and across the harsh environment of Ashana, were prohibitively expensive for many residents. This demand created a massive market for second-hand protective clothing yet, being an unclaimed system, a lack of regulation meant that their integrity was not verified. Forsyth found that many Olympus residents feared that a second-hand helmet would malfunction and lead to brain trauma or even death. Out of this terrible circumstance, Forsyth saw an opportunity, which was convenient since her credits were running dangerously low. All her traveling combined with a lack of income had left her perilously close to financial ruin. Motivated to reverse her fortunes, Forsyth remembered a stylish custom helmet that she and her friends had worn to an EVA party. It had been made by a private fashion designer from a thick transparent material that allowed her to survive in space yet show off her hair and makeup. While the version she wore was quite expensive, she knew that the tech behind it wasn’t. She worked with a local crafter to manufacture an inexpensive version that even Olympus residents could afford. The result was the ‘Ready-Up’, the now infamous softshell helmet made primarily of industrial-strength plastic. The helmet barely met UEE standards and received the lowest rating possible from Whitley’s Guide, but sales were strong. Forsyth had correctly calculated that many people would purchase a cheaply made, but certified safe, helmet.

Spurred on by this success, Forsyth went back to the other sectors she had visited that could benefit from aggressively cheap alternatives. No one could have predicted just how far and fast Gyson Inc. would grow.

Sakura Slums
Finally in control of her life and fate, Forsyth parlayed the profits from the Ready-Up into the Gyson Inc. empire that exists today. She discovered that the skills she learned as a socialite could also command a boardroom, and found she was driven and focused like never before. Close friends claim that her relentless determination to grow a company across multiple sectors was driven by a need to ensure that her new legacy couldn’t be eliminated by one cataclysmic event ever again.

Gyson’s initial product expansion came from an in-house engineering department instructed by Forsyth to “reimagine essential products as affordable as possible”. Space, home, and industrial divisions were created to focus on specific products for those sectors. Meanwhile, Forsyth established their corporate headquarters and main manufacturing hub in Tram due to Asura’s low corporate tax rate, cheap real estate, and skilled blue-collar workforce desperate for jobs. Not only was her workforce there, so was her main market. Products that proved popular with her employees would often become successful across the Empire with people of ‘fiscally limited means’. Within a decade, Gyson Inc. manufactured everything from zero-g cutlery to imitation chicken foodstuffs.

With this meteoric growth also came complications and controversy. The company either ignored or responded litigiously to complaints about product quality. This came to a head in 2907 when Gyson found themselves in hot water over a class action lawsuit regarding coveralls. Though rated safe for salvage operations, plaintiffs claimed the outfit quickly degraded once exposed to common chemicals or astringent cleaners. The company appeared ready to argue the definition of ‘normal wear and tear’ until spectrum stories showed severe chemical burns and other injuries sustained by plaintiffs. The public outcry hurt the company enough to get them to settle the claims quickly, but without admitting fault. Then, instead of changing the coveralls, they added small print legalese to the package claiming the suit was single use only, thus indemnifying themselves of any issues from repeated use. Throughout Gyson’s legal struggles, Forsyth stood by her products.

“They may not last forever, but at least people can afford them.”

A second major scandal struck in 2914 when a hack revealed that a prominent Gyson executive called the company ‘Sakura Slums’, and meant it not as an insult but a goal. Much like how Sakura Sun had vertically integrated themselves into middle class lives, this executive wanted Gyson Inc. to be the brand that became integrated into every part of low-income individuals’ lives. The ensuing scandal forced Forsyth to publicly reject the term and fire the executive. It wasn’t enough; sales plummeted, and the company was on the verge of ruin. In the end, it would be Forsyth’s social prowess that would bring them back from the brink.

Having run with the popular and elite for most of her young life, Forsyth knew how fickle brand loyalty could be. While ‘Gyson’ had sentimental value for Forsyth, who named the company after her family’s former estate outside Boro, she also knew that consumers really didn’t care about the name. It was cost that they cared about. So, if people wouldn’t buy Gyson, then she would just give them brands they would buy.

She used most of Gyson’s remaining capital to acquire several bargain brands for their name recognition, kept the packaging, but replaced the products with Gyson-made versions. Doing business through these subsidiaries proved to be highly profitable and provided the company a way to distribute low-quality products without further destroying their own brand. By 2932, over half of the products manufactured by Gyson didn’t carry their name.

Today, Gyson Inc. remains one of the UEE’s most prominent manufacturers of ‘ultra-affordable’ goods. Through smart and steady stewardship, Forsyth achieved her goal of ingraining her company’s products into the lives of many across the UEE and cemented a new legacy for her family.

Verbraucher im gesamten Universum kennen Gyson Inc. vielleicht nicht mit Namen, aber sie sind wahrscheinlich mit ihren Produkten vertraut. Das Unternehmen und seine Tochtergesellschaften produzieren alles, von Teppichen über Reinigungslösemittel bis hin zu Industrieuniformen und sogar EVA-Anzügen. Die breite Palette ihrer Produkte ist unmöglich zu kategorisieren, ausserhalb eines definierenden Merkmals: Sie sind extrem günstig.

Gyson behauptet, einfache, optimierte Produkte herzustellen, die sich jeder leisten kann. Kritiker sind jedoch nicht so diplomatisch. Sie argumentieren, dass das Unternehmen die Produktqualität opfert, um die Produktionskosten niedrig zu halten, und bewusst preissensible Verbraucher anspricht. Tests von Whitley's Guide haben gezeigt, dass Gyson-Produkte häufiger ersetzt werden müssen als ihre Konkurrenten und dass die Kosten für den Austausch oft teurer sind als bei mittelgroßen Alternativen auf lange Sicht. Dennoch halten viele Verbraucher die Produkte für gut genug, um die Arbeit mit einem Preispunkt zu erledigen, dem man kaum widerstehen kann.

Trotz ihres makellosen Rufs ist Gyson zu einem Produktions-Kraftwerk geworden. Dies alles dank der Vision und dem Ehrgeiz der Unternehmensgründerin und CEO Akiko Forsyth, deren einzigartige Lebenserfahrung die Voraussetzungen für eines der umstrittensten Unternehmen des letzten Jahrhunderts geschaffen hat.

Ein neues Schicksal
Akiko Forsyth gibt freiwillig zu, dass die Gründung von Gyson nicht das war, was sie mit ihrem Leben erwartet hatte. Forsyth wurde 2849 in Boro geboren und wuchs im Schoß des Luxus auf. Ihre Familie war eine Säule von Calibans Produktionssektor, seit die Menschheit das System fünf Jahrhunderte zuvor kolonisiert hatte. Forsyth ist wohlhabend, gut ausgebildet und sorgenfrei, wurde zu einem festen Bestandteil der Socialite-Soirees und hat sich den Ruf erworben, erfolgreich große Veranstaltungen zu organisieren und fast jeden unter dem Tisch zu trinken. Im Jahr 2884 machte sie beides in Fujin City, als die Nachricht kam, dass eine riesige Vanduul-Flotte Caliban angegriffen hatte. In den folgenden Tagen kamen langsam Updates hinzu, die jeweils schlimmer als die anderen waren. Laut engen Freunden, als die Nachrichten immer düsterer wurden, tat Forsyth, frustriert und traurig, was sie in den meisten Situationen tat und begann zu trinken. Am Morgen erwachte sie und erfuhr, dass Caliban gefallen war. Ihr Familien- und Heimsystem war verloren gegangen.

Die Nachrichten haben sie am Boden zerstört. Ohne eine häusliche oder familiäre Unterstützungsstruktur fiel Forsyth in eine tiefe Depression und geriet außer Kontrolle, feierte und verbrannte durch ihr Erbe. Schließlich inszenierten Freunde eine Intervention, um ihr fatalistisches Verhalten anzusprechen. Forsyth wurde durch ihren scheinbaren Verrat verletzt und beschloss, sie und die Stadt zurückzulassen.

Ursprünglich wollte sie ihren Lebensstil auf dem Luxusschiff ihrer Familie fortsetzen, aber sie konnte sich keine Crew oder Dockgebühren mehr leisten. Dies zwang Forsyth, es gegen ein weniger opulentes zu tauschen. Doch ohne den Status, den ihr Schiff und ihr Vermögen brachten, wandte sie sich von der High-End-Szene ab, die sie einst willkommen hieß. Allein, ohne irgendwo hinzugehen und viel zu verlieren, beschloss sie, Archibald auf Yar zu besuchen, einen Ort, an dem sie schon immer neugierig gewesen war, den sie aber nie gewagt hatte zu gehen. Forsyth liebte es. Der erste Besuch wäre eine von vielen Stationen, die sie machen würde, während sie den Vers erkundet.

Forsyth weigert sich, zu viel über diese Zeit in ihrem Leben zu erzählen, schreibt aber zwei Erfahrungen mit der Vorbereitung ihres zweiten Aktes gut. Das erste geschah, als sie die Linie verließ und nach Caliban zurückkehrte.

"Ich werde nie vergessen, endlich nach Hause zu gehen", gab sie später zu. "Nichts war da außer Ruinen. In diesem Moment, unter den zerbrochenen Überresten von allem, was ich aufgewachsen war, kam ich schließlich damit zurecht, dass ich kein Vermächtnis mehr hatte, auf dem ich stehen konnte. Mein Schicksal war ganz allein meins."

Die zweite lebensverändernde Erfahrung kam kurz darauf. Als sie durch den Basar in Olympus ging, fragte sie sich, warum so viele der Einheimischen Helme mit abgeplatzten Visieren und tiefen Rissen trugen. Sie entdeckte, dass die meisten der Helme, die außerhalb der versiegelten Sektoren von Olympus und in der rauen Umgebung von Ashana notwendig waren, für viele Bewohner unerschwinglich waren. Diese Nachfrage schuf einen massiven Markt für gebrauchte Schutzkleidung, doch da es sich um ein nicht beanspruchtes System handelte, bedeutete das Fehlen einer Regulierung, dass ihre Integrität nicht überprüft wurde. Forsyth fand heraus, dass viele Olympus-Bewohner befürchteten, dass ein gebrauchter Helm versagen und zu Hirntraumata oder sogar zum Tod führen würde. Aus diesem schrecklichen Umstand heraus sah Forsyth eine Gelegenheit, die günstig war, da ihre Credits gefährlich niedrig waren. All ihre Reisen, verbunden mit einem Mangel an Einkommen, hatten sie gefährlich kurz vor dem finanziellen Ruin gebracht. Motiviert, ihr Schicksal umzukehren, erinnerte sich Forsyth an einen stylischen Custom-Helm, den sie und ihre Freunde zu einer EVA-Party getragen hatten. Es wurde von einer privaten Modedesignerin aus einem dicken, transparenten Material hergestellt, das es ihr ermöglichte, im Weltraum zu überleben und gleichzeitig ihr Haar und ihr Make-up zu zeigen. Während die Version, die sie trug, ziemlich teuer war, wusste sie, dass die Technik, die dahinter steckt, es nicht war. Sie arbeitete mit einem lokalen Handwerker zusammen, um eine preiswerte Version herzustellen, die sich sogar Olympus-Bewohner leisten konnten. Das Ergebnis war der "Ready-Up", der inzwischen berüchtigte Softshell-Helm, der hauptsächlich aus industrietauglichem Kunststoff besteht. Der Helm entsprach kaum den UEE-Standards und erhielt von Whitley's Guide die niedrigste Bewertung, aber die Verkäufe waren stark. Forsyth hatte richtig berechnet, dass viele Menschen einen billig hergestellten, aber zertifizierten sicheren Helm kaufen würden.

Angespornt von diesem Erfolg ging Forsyth zurück zu den anderen Sektoren, die sie besucht hatte und die von aggressiv billigen Alternativen profitieren konnten. Niemand konnte vorhersagen, wie weit und wie schnell Gyson Inc. wachsen würde.

Sakura Slums
Schließlich in der Kontrolle über ihr Leben und Schicksal, teilte Forsyth die Gewinne aus dem Ready-Up in das heute existierende Gyson Inc. Imperium auf. Sie entdeckte, dass die Fähigkeiten, die sie als Sozialarbeiterin erlernte, auch einen Sitzungssaal beherrschen konnten, und fand heraus, dass sie angetrieben und konzentriert war wie nie zuvor. Enge Freunde behaupten, dass ihre unerbittliche Entschlossenheit, ein Unternehmen über mehrere Sektoren hinweg zu wachsen, von der Notwendigkeit getragen wurde, sicherzustellen, dass ihr neues Erbe nicht jemals wieder durch ein katastrophales Ereignis beseitigt werden konnte.

Die erste Produkterweiterung von Gyson erfolgte durch eine eigene Entwicklungsabteilung, die von Forsyth beauftragt wurde, "wesentliche Produkte so erschwinglich wie möglich zu gestalten". Die Bereiche Raumfahrt, Wohnen und Industrie wurden geschaffen, um sich auf spezifische Produkte für diese Bereiche zu konzentrieren. In der Zwischenzeit gründete Forsyth seinen Firmensitz und seine Hauptfertigungsstätte in Tram, da Asura einen niedrigen Körperschaftssteuersatz, billige Immobilien und qualifizierte Arbeitskräfte, die verzweifelt nach Arbeitsplätzen suchen. Nicht nur ihre Mitarbeiter waren dort, auch ihr Hauptmarkt war vertreten. Produkte, die bei ihren Mitarbeitern beliebt waren, wurden oft im ganzen Reich mit Menschen mit "steuerlich begrenzten Mitteln" erfolgreich. Innerhalb eines Jahrzehnts stellte Gyson Inc. alles her, von Null-Gramm-Besteck bis hin zu nachgebildeten Hühnerlebensmitteln.

Mit diesem rasanten Wachstum kamen auch Komplikationen und Kontroversen hinzu. Das Unternehmen hat Beschwerden über die Produktqualität entweder ignoriert oder prozessual beantwortet. Dies kam 2907 zu einem Höhepunkt, als Gyson sich in heißem Wasser über eine Sammelklage bezüglich Overalls befand. Obwohl sie für Bergungsarbeiten als sicher eingestuft wurden, behaupteten die Kläger, dass die Ausrüstung schnell beschädigt wurde, wenn sie gewöhnlichen Chemikalien oder adstringierenden Reinigungsmitteln ausgesetzt war. Das Unternehmen schien bereit zu sein, die Definition von "normalem Verschleiß" zu widerlegen, bis Spektrumsgeschichten schwere Verätzungen und andere Verletzungen zeigten, die von den Klägern erlitten wurden. Der öffentliche Aufschrei schadete dem Unternehmen genug, um sie dazu zu bringen, die Ansprüche schnell zu begleichen, aber ohne einen Fehler zuzugeben. Dann, anstatt die Overalls zu wechseln, fügten sie dem Paket Kleingedrucktes Juristendeutsch hinzu, das behauptete, dass der Anzug nur für den einmaligen Gebrauch bestimmt sei, und entschädigten sich so für alle Probleme, die durch den wiederholten Gebrauch entstehen könnten. Während Gysons Rechtsstreitigkeiten stand Forsyth zu ihren Produkten.

"Sie mögen nicht ewig halten, aber zumindest können sich die Leute sie leisten."

Ein zweiter großer Skandal ereignete sich 2914, als ein Hack enthüllte, dass ein prominenter Gyson-Manager das Unternehmen als "Sakura Slums" bezeichnete und es nicht als Beleidigung, sondern als Ziel meinte. Ähnlich wie Sakura Sun sich vertikal in das Leben der Mittelklasse integriert hatte, wollte diese Führungskraft, dass Gyson Inc. die Marke ist, die in jeden Teil des Lebens von Menschen mit niedrigem Einkommen integriert wurde. Der darauf folgende Skandal zwang Forsyth, den Begriff öffentlich abzulehnen und die Führungskraft zu entlassen. Es reichte nicht aus; die Umsätze brachen ein, und das Unternehmen stand kurz vor dem Ruin. Am Ende wäre es Forsyths soziale Kompetenz, die sie vom Abgrund zurückbringen würde.

Forsyth, die die meiste Zeit ihres jungen Lebens mit der Popularität und Elite zusammen war, wusste, wie launisch Markenloyalität sein konnte. Gyson' hatte zwar einen sentimentalen Wert für Forsyth, die das Unternehmen nach dem ehemaligen Anwesen ihrer Familie außerhalb von Boro benannte, aber sie wusste auch, dass sich die Verbraucher wirklich nicht um den Namen kümmerten. Es waren Kosten, um die sie sich kümmerten. Also, wenn die Leute Gyson nicht kaufen würden, dann würde sie ihnen einfach Marken geben, die sie kaufen würden.

Sie nutzte den größten Teil von Gysons restlichem Kapital, um mehrere Schnäppchenmarken für ihren Bekanntheitsgrad zu erwerben, behielt die Verpackung bei, ersetzte die Produkte aber durch Gyson-gefertigte Versionen. Die Geschäfte über diese Tochtergesellschaften erwiesen sich als sehr profitabel und boten dem Unternehmen die Möglichkeit, minderwertige Produkte zu vertreiben, ohne die eigene Marke weiter zu zerstören. Bis 2932 trugen über die Hälfte der von Gyson hergestellten Produkte nicht mehr ihren Namen.

Heute ist Gyson Inc. nach wie vor einer der bekanntesten Hersteller von "ultra-affordable" Waren in der UEE. Durch intelligente und stetige Führung erreichte Forsyth ihr Ziel, die Produkte ihres Unternehmens in das Leben vieler Menschen in der gesamten UEE zu integrieren und ein neues Vermächtnis für ihre Familie zu festigen.

Writer’s Note: Portfolio: Gyson Inc. was published originally as a Subscriber Exclusive on September 12, 2018.
Consumers across the universe may not know Gyson Inc. by name, but they’re likely familiar with their products. The company and its subsidiaries produce everything from carpets to cleaning solvents to industrial uniforms and even EVA suits. The wide scope of their products is impossible to categorize outside of one defining characteristic: they’re extremely cheap.

Gyson claims to make simple, streamlined products that everyone can afford. Critics, however, aren’t so diplomatic. They argue that the company sacrifices product quality to keep production costs low, and intentionally targets price-sensitive consumers. Tests by Whitley’s Guide have shown that Gyson products need to be replaced more frequently than their competitors, and that the cost of replacing them is often more expensive than mid-tier alternatives in the long run. Still, many consumers consider the products good enough to get the job done with a price point that’s hard to resist.

Despite their spotty reputation, Gyson has become a manufacturing powerhouse. All thanks to the vision and ambition of company founder and CEO Akiko Forsyth, whose unique life experience set the stage for one of the more controversial companies created over the last century.

A New Destiny
Akiko Forsyth freely admits that founding Gyson wasn’t what she expected to do with her life. Born in Boro in 2849, Forsyth was raised in the lap of luxury. Her family was a pillar of Caliban’s manufacturing sector ever since Humanity colonized the system five centuries earlier. Wealthy, well-educated and worry-free, Forsyth became a fixture at socialite soirees and established a reputation for successfully organizing grand events and drinking almost anyone under the table. In 2884, she was doing both in Fujin City when word arrived that a massive Vanduul fleet had attacked Caliban. Updates slowly trickled in over the following days, each one worse than the next. According to close friends, as the news grew more dire, Forsyth, frustrated and grieving, did what she did in most situations and began drinking. In the morning, she awoke to learn that Caliban had fallen. Her family and home system had been lost.

The news devastated her. Without a home or familial support structure, Forsyth fell into a deep depression and spiraled out of control, partying and burning through her inheritance. Eventually, friends staged an intervention to address her fatalistic behavior. Forsyth was hurt by their seemed betrayal and decided to leave them and the city behind.

Originally, she planned on continuing her lifestyle aboard her family’s luxury ship, but she no longer could afford a crew or docking fees. This forced Forsyth to trade it in for a less opulent one. However, without the status that her ship and fortune brought her, she found herself turned away from the high-end scene that once welcomed her. On her own, without anywhere to go and much to lose, she decided to visit Archibald on Yar, a place she had always been curious about, but had never dared to go. Forsyth loved it. The first visit would be one of many stops she would take while exploring the ‘verse.

Forsyth refuses to elaborate too much on this time in her life, but credits two experiences with setting the stage for her second act. The first occurred when she slipped the line and returned to Caliban.

“I’ll never forget finally going home,” she later admitted. “Nothing was there except ruins. In that moment, among the shattered remains of everything I had grown up around, I finally came to terms with the fact that I didn’t have a legacy to stand on anymore. My destiny was all my own.”

The second life-altering experience came shortly thereafter. Walking through the bazaar in Olympus, she wondered why so many of the locals wore helmets with chipped visors and deep cracks. She discovered that most of the helmets, which were necessary outside of Olympus’ sealed sectors and across the harsh environment of Ashana, were prohibitively expensive for many residents. This demand created a massive market for second-hand protective clothing yet, being an unclaimed system, a lack of regulation meant that their integrity was not verified. Forsyth found that many Olympus residents feared that a second-hand helmet would malfunction and lead to brain trauma or even death. Out of this terrible circumstance, Forsyth saw an opportunity, which was convenient since her credits were running dangerously low. All her traveling combined with a lack of income had left her perilously close to financial ruin. Motivated to reverse her fortunes, Forsyth remembered a stylish custom helmet that she and her friends had worn to an EVA party. It had been made by a private fashion designer from a thick transparent material that allowed her to survive in space yet show off her hair and makeup. While the version she wore was quite expensive, she knew that the tech behind it wasn’t. She worked with a local crafter to manufacture an inexpensive version that even Olympus residents could afford. The result was the ‘Ready-Up’, the now infamous softshell helmet made primarily of industrial-strength plastic. The helmet barely met UEE standards and received the lowest rating possible from Whitley’s Guide, but sales were strong. Forsyth had correctly calculated that many people would purchase a cheaply made, but certified safe, helmet.

Spurred on by this success, Forsyth went back to the other sectors she had visited that could benefit from aggressively cheap alternatives. No one could have predicted just how far and fast Gyson Inc. would grow.

Sakura Slums
Finally in control of her life and fate, Forsyth parlayed the profits from the Ready-Up into the Gyson Inc. empire that exists today. She discovered that the skills she learned as a socialite could also command a boardroom, and found she was driven and focused like never before. Close friends claim that her relentless determination to grow a company across multiple sectors was driven by a need to ensure that her new legacy couldn’t be eliminated by one cataclysmic event ever again.

Gyson’s initial product expansion came from an in-house engineering department instructed by Forsyth to “reimagine essential products as affordable as possible”. Space, home, and industrial divisions were created to focus on specific products for those sectors. Meanwhile, Forsyth established their corporate headquarters and main manufacturing hub in Tram due to Asura’s low corporate tax rate, cheap real estate, and skilled blue-collar workforce desperate for jobs. Not only was her workforce there, so was her main market. Products that proved popular with her employees would often become successful across the Empire with people of ‘fiscally limited means’. Within a decade, Gyson Inc. manufactured everything from zero-g cutlery to imitation chicken foodstuffs.

With this meteoric growth also came complications and controversy. The company either ignored or responded litigiously to complaints about product quality. This came to a head in 2907 when Gyson found themselves in hot water over a class action lawsuit regarding coveralls. Though rated safe for salvage operations, plaintiffs claimed the outfit quickly degraded once exposed to common chemicals or astringent cleaners. The company appeared ready to argue the definition of ‘normal wear and tear’ until spectrum stories showed severe chemical burns and other injuries sustained by plaintiffs. The public outcry hurt the company enough to get them to settle the claims quickly, but without admitting fault. Then, instead of changing the coveralls, they added small print legalese to the package claiming the suit was single use only, thus indemnifying themselves of any issues from repeated use. Throughout Gyson’s legal struggles, Forsyth stood by her products.

“They may not last forever, but at least people can afford them.”

A second major scandal struck in 2914 when a hack revealed that a prominent Gyson executive called the company ‘Sakura Slums’, and meant it not as an insult but a goal. Much like how Sakura Sun had vertically integrated themselves into middle class lives, this executive wanted Gyson Inc. to be the brand that became integrated into every part of low-income individuals’ lives. The ensuing scandal forced Forsyth to publicly reject the term and fire the executive. It wasn’t enough; sales plummeted, and the company was on the verge of ruin. In the end, it would be Forsyth’s social prowess that would bring them back from the brink.

Having run with the popular and elite for most of her young life, Forsyth knew how fickle brand loyalty could be. While ‘Gyson’ had sentimental value for Forsyth, who named the company after her family’s former estate outside Boro, she also knew that consumers really didn’t care about the name. It was cost that they cared about. So, if people wouldn’t buy Gyson, then she would just give them brands they would buy.

She used most of Gyson’s remaining capital to acquire several bargain brands for their name recognition, kept the packaging, but replaced the products with Gyson-made versions. Doing business through these subsidiaries proved to be highly profitable and provided the company a way to distribute low-quality products without further destroying their own brand. By 2932, over half of the products manufactured by Gyson didn’t carry their name.

Today, Gyson Inc. remains one of the UEE’s most prominent manufacturers of ‘ultra-affordable’ goods. Through smart and steady stewardship, Forsyth achieved her goal of ingraining her company’s products into the lives of many across the UEE and cemented a new legacy for her family.