Starting Board Game Business

[DanielLewis]

I have been thinking about starting my own business because I'm tired of working for other people and making them richer as I do the grunt work. I want to do something I enjoy. No, something I LOVE. I know I love to use my creative energy to create something that others can enjoy. So, I have thought about inventing my own board game and trying to start a business selling it. My old best friend and I would make our own board games for fun and then play them. We had a blast, and I'm pretty good at it because I think I love the process so much and then the reward of people playing it and enjoying it. The ideas just flow.

I'm hesitant though because I'm doubting the feasibility of this idea. The board game industry might be very competitive. And even when I do come up with an awesome board game (which I know I will ), then I have to spend money to get it manufactured. Who knows how much that will cost. Then I will likely have to pitch the idea to some investor or company to get more money to produce it in mass. It's like, I don't know. I know I have the talent and love it, but it seems too unlikely to succeed. What would you do? Would you pursue something like this that you love to do and risk the financial loss and time loss for the potential success?I just don't know what else to do. I only know of a few things I really would love as a career: musician, creative writer, business owner/entrepreneur, graphic designer, etc. Something has really caught me though about this board game idea. I even received to be what I thought of as sort of a 'sign' that I should pursue it. It happened a couple days ago. I was thinking quite heavily on this idea when, later, I watched a show called "million dollar idea" and on it the inventor of the famous board game/block game Jenga was profiled.

Any advice?

 

[theslowesthand]

Any advice?

Perhaps get some professional advice? Find a business mentor?

Like you, i have a talent/s, but it's so far got me nowhere for all the years i've put into it, and i've lost some money also due to lack of skills in marketing/etc.

My friend formed a business with 2 others - they do the marketing & the finances/accounting respectively, & he does the technical stuff which he has a talent in (programming/electronics). And it's gone great .. they have 20/so people working there now. I put their success down to right business, luck, talent/skills, commonsense, (?). That is, creating & running a business involves a LOT of stuff & MUCH hard work, not just the skills/ideas/talent (which probably only ~1/10 of the resources reqd).

That's why personally i very much doubt i'll ever run any kind of business, as i doubt i'll ever have all the "resources" needed. For you it may be different, but i wouldn't get your hopes up TOO much .. stay "realistic" about what's possible. That's just my 2 cents.

 

[DanielLewis]

Perhaps get some professional advice? Find a business mentor?

Like you, i have a talent/s, but it's so far got me nowhere for all the years i've put into it, and i've lost some money also due to lack of skills in marketing/etc.

My friend formed a business with 2 others - they do the marketing & the finances/accounting respectively, & he does the technical stuff which he has a talent in (programming/electronics). And it's gone great .. they have 20/so people working there now. I put their success down to right business, luck, talent/skills, commonsense, (?). That is, creating & running a business involves a LOT of stuff & MUCH hard work, not just the skills/ideas/talent (which probably only ~1/10 of the resources reqd).

That's why personally i very much doubt i'll ever run any kind of business, as i doubt i'll ever have all the "resources" needed. For you it may be different, but i wouldn't get your hopes up TOO much .. stay "realistic" about what's possible. That's just my 2 cents.

I know it takes more than just the talent and the product. You need to be able to market it. You need to have some business connections which would really help. In my position, I would just be hoping that I could create a good enough product that will draw people to basically help me make it successful. Otherwise, I don't really have any business or marketing experience.

And yeah, I know the toy industry is very competitive, but I at least see board games as a unique space in this industry because they're all unique. It's easier to create a unique board game like none out there, unlike inventing some new toy that's never been made. You know, it's like Pokemon was unique and that made so much money it's crazy, just from the card game alone.

I know it's hard, but I feel I must try. I will never know if I don't try. Didn't you think the same, that you have to at least give it a try? We all want to give our dreams a shot and I haven't done that yet.