This post is a short review of my gaming business activity for the year.
Kickstarters
In 2014 I ran 5
Kickstarter campaigns. They were all successful, with some making
several times the amount set as a funding goal. Kickstarter has
helped me build a range of printed pads and notebooks that I am
immensely proud of. I cannot think of any better way to fund and
market such niche products. All of my Kickstarter projects are
carefully planned in advance. I usually set aside about 15% of the
funding as a contingency pot for the project, which if not used up
then becomes my profit. In the planning stage I look at a vast array
of funding outcomes from 100% all the way up to 2000% (20 times the
funding goal). My golden rule for Kickstarter is: Only start a new
project after all the rewards from the previous one have been posted.
This year I also ran my
first pre-order for print run of Isometric Mapping Pads. Although it
was not as successful as an equivalent Kickstarter, the pre-orders
still accounted for around 30% of the print run. It also allowed a
much faster turnaround than a Kickstarter making it ideal for smaller
projects.
2014 Kickstarters
- A4 Numbered Hex Pad
- A4 & A5 Grid Pads
- A2 Battlepad
- A6 Gamer's Notebook
- A5 Gamer's Notebook
Exhibitions
I've taken stands at 6
UK conventions this year. Attending the shows is a great way to reach
new customers. They can be hard work, but having done quite a few of
them now, I'm finding the preparations for them a lot easier. They
are also made a lot easier thanks to the help of my wife, who's
assisted me at all of this year's shows. One thing I have found is
that it is almost impossible to guess what will and won't sell at a
show. We've sold out of an item at one show, and then stocked up for
the next one and sold none of that item. Selecting what to take to
shows is a very careful balance of what will fit in our small
hatchback and what can be merchandised on a 2 metre stand. We tend to
overload both the car and the stand.
2014 Shows
- UK Games Expo
- Continnum
- Concrete Cow
- Dragon Daze
- Derby World Wargames
- Dragonmeet
Website
The Squarehex website
is something that I would like to have developed further this year.
For now though it remains just a basic shop front open to customers
from all around the globe. It features all the products created from
past Kickstarters and a small selection of games and accessories.
Business
Squarehex as a business
started in Spring 2013. Before that I had published issues of
Oubliette (first issue was 2010) but that was very much a hobby
activity. With Squarehex I planned to run it as a business, but one
without any financial pressure to meet a given level of revenue or
profit. My hope was that in the first year the business would make
enough money to cover the its internet and storage costs. It achieved
this with ease and this year it looks set to do better again. The
growth of the business has also meant that the stock has moved from a
75 sq' storage unit to a 160 sq' unit.
Whilst the scale of the
business is modest, I've still made sure that it is run correctly.
For every Kickstarter I keep full accounts detailing income and
expenditure along with profit and loss. Every project is also
carefully planned and budgeted for. I want to make sure that the
business is sustainable, and know from watching other Kickstarters that
one poorly planned project can be lethal to a business in the gaming
industry.
So that was this year,
if I get a chance I'll post a follow-up article in the New Year
detailing my plans for 2015. Thank you to everyone that has backed my
projects, bought things from the webstore, or from our stand at a
show this year. Also look out for the Squarehex January Sale which
starts on New Year's Eve.
