Captain_Commando
First Post
For those of you who don't know, I'm Johnny Tek, a NYC gamer who decided to open a side business while job hunting. I tried something similar earlier this year during a period of grief and personal tragedy but that had no chance of success and I stopped it before it went too far.
The current business has a smarter design that could succeed. It offers game master services for hire as well as children's entertainment performance storytelling (later this month). I'll be posting my progress on online forums and on my business site's blog. This thread will be a chronicle of the business.
Professional game mastering is a much unexplored concept with few people experienced with it. I've met one. A few others have posted on the forum threads I posted while brainstorming for this business. There are a few sites for businesses like Roleplay Workshop and Epic Vacations to see how people profit from game mastering.
Brainstorming is pretty much done. I know what I need to set things up. My goal is to have at least 1 client by the end of this month and to build that up to at least 1 per week by the end of the next month.
I made a lot of mistakes getting to this point and I've been deservedly mocked for it. I've learned a lot from those mistakes and I've come out of it a stronger person as well as a stronger gamer.
The business is still being set up. The full array of services won't be up until the 23rd. I've got a few possible leads that I'll follow up on by the end of the month.
I need the following to have a chance of making this work. After all the feedback, even though this business focuses on a niche market, it does have potential for success.
1. Recommendations and testimonials - I'll be offering free demos to credited game writers/designers to get their feedback and quotes. When I'm ready, I may try volunteering storytelling performances for schools and childcare centers to get their recommendations.
2. Writing Credits - I recently passed a writing challenge from a game pdf publisher and within a month I may have published credits.
3. Community Support - Without feedback and advice from the local gaming community I could never pull this off. I've met a lot of great gaming veterans who have shared their experiences with me.
4. Business Networking - By partnering with and gaining contacts with other businesses I can gain invaluable knowledge about starting up a business as well as improve the value of my services. I may also be able to trade services to gain resources I can't otherwise afford.
5. Pay-Worthy Service - I'd become active in the local gaming meetups to polish my skills. I've got enough materials for a great gaming setup. My writing will continue to improve and gain credibility as I submit more material for publishing.
6. Client Incentive - I'd accepted that the convenience of my gaming services alone was not enough of a sell. Through partnering with other businesses I can create a special client incentive package of coupons and discounts from the partnered businesses. Basic necessities/luxuries are the best for this. For example, a gourmet deli in Manhattan is interested in the idea of exchanging coupons ($5 off $10+ purchases) for advertisement and promotion. People have to eat anyway, and most of my potential clients would be in Manhattan, where such delis are popular places to buy meals. The idea is to eventually make it so that a client can save more money hiring for my gaming services than not hiring for them. In this case the bad economy works in my favor.
7. Room for Growth - If I can get enough client incentive, I can probably get a lot of clients. I can expand the business as an agency for game masters and professional storytellers and perhaps other forms of entertainment. I can hire writers, web designers, and game designers to expand the business in many different forms. A couple of examples are making a text RPG like Sryth and becoming a gaming event organization.
8. Good Advertising - Exploring possible leads, setting up online ads, and free demos for recommendations is the plan for now. If the business gets to a point where it can grow and afford more expenses, the business networking I've done so far has gotten me into contact with representatives of marketing companies so I can probably use that.
9. Flexibility - The hours are flexible so I can seek other forms of income (a regular job and game writing). I don't have to sit around in one place all day waiting for customers. I can add or adapt services as the situation demands. There are a variety of different services to be hired rather than just one.
10. Low Upkeep - The website host is free. I have all the gaming materials I need and I could borrow or trade for things I want. I can use the coupons and discounts I'll get from partnering with other businesses to reduce my business and living costs.
Client Incentive is probably the most important add-on so far. It could make paid sessions effectively free or even profitable for some clients' budgets and encourage repeat business. This is something that almost no free games offer. I probably won't start getting clients until I've started building the incentive package. I should have something by the end of next week. The package will keep growing as time progresses.
I'm still setting up the services but it's starting to look good. I recently changed my "About Us" photo and added some pics of my gaming materials. There's also a link to WotC's free pdf download of the quick start game play rules for DnD 4e for beginners that I approach with my services.
If I don't expand the business, then after taxes (assuming I make enough this year to be taxed), I probably won't make much but a sideline income is possible. That's the main goal.
The current business has a smarter design that could succeed. It offers game master services for hire as well as children's entertainment performance storytelling (later this month). I'll be posting my progress on online forums and on my business site's blog. This thread will be a chronicle of the business.
Professional game mastering is a much unexplored concept with few people experienced with it. I've met one. A few others have posted on the forum threads I posted while brainstorming for this business. There are a few sites for businesses like Roleplay Workshop and Epic Vacations to see how people profit from game mastering.
Brainstorming is pretty much done. I know what I need to set things up. My goal is to have at least 1 client by the end of this month and to build that up to at least 1 per week by the end of the next month.
I made a lot of mistakes getting to this point and I've been deservedly mocked for it. I've learned a lot from those mistakes and I've come out of it a stronger person as well as a stronger gamer.
The business is still being set up. The full array of services won't be up until the 23rd. I've got a few possible leads that I'll follow up on by the end of the month.
I need the following to have a chance of making this work. After all the feedback, even though this business focuses on a niche market, it does have potential for success.
1. Recommendations and testimonials - I'll be offering free demos to credited game writers/designers to get their feedback and quotes. When I'm ready, I may try volunteering storytelling performances for schools and childcare centers to get their recommendations.
2. Writing Credits - I recently passed a writing challenge from a game pdf publisher and within a month I may have published credits.
3. Community Support - Without feedback and advice from the local gaming community I could never pull this off. I've met a lot of great gaming veterans who have shared their experiences with me.
4. Business Networking - By partnering with and gaining contacts with other businesses I can gain invaluable knowledge about starting up a business as well as improve the value of my services. I may also be able to trade services to gain resources I can't otherwise afford.
5. Pay-Worthy Service - I'd become active in the local gaming meetups to polish my skills. I've got enough materials for a great gaming setup. My writing will continue to improve and gain credibility as I submit more material for publishing.
6. Client Incentive - I'd accepted that the convenience of my gaming services alone was not enough of a sell. Through partnering with other businesses I can create a special client incentive package of coupons and discounts from the partnered businesses. Basic necessities/luxuries are the best for this. For example, a gourmet deli in Manhattan is interested in the idea of exchanging coupons ($5 off $10+ purchases) for advertisement and promotion. People have to eat anyway, and most of my potential clients would be in Manhattan, where such delis are popular places to buy meals. The idea is to eventually make it so that a client can save more money hiring for my gaming services than not hiring for them. In this case the bad economy works in my favor.
7. Room for Growth - If I can get enough client incentive, I can probably get a lot of clients. I can expand the business as an agency for game masters and professional storytellers and perhaps other forms of entertainment. I can hire writers, web designers, and game designers to expand the business in many different forms. A couple of examples are making a text RPG like Sryth and becoming a gaming event organization.
8. Good Advertising - Exploring possible leads, setting up online ads, and free demos for recommendations is the plan for now. If the business gets to a point where it can grow and afford more expenses, the business networking I've done so far has gotten me into contact with representatives of marketing companies so I can probably use that.
9. Flexibility - The hours are flexible so I can seek other forms of income (a regular job and game writing). I don't have to sit around in one place all day waiting for customers. I can add or adapt services as the situation demands. There are a variety of different services to be hired rather than just one.
10. Low Upkeep - The website host is free. I have all the gaming materials I need and I could borrow or trade for things I want. I can use the coupons and discounts I'll get from partnering with other businesses to reduce my business and living costs.
Client Incentive is probably the most important add-on so far. It could make paid sessions effectively free or even profitable for some clients' budgets and encourage repeat business. This is something that almost no free games offer. I probably won't start getting clients until I've started building the incentive package. I should have something by the end of next week. The package will keep growing as time progresses.
I'm still setting up the services but it's starting to look good. I recently changed my "About Us" photo and added some pics of my gaming materials. There's also a link to WotC's free pdf download of the quick start game play rules for DnD 4e for beginners that I approach with my services.
If I don't expand the business, then after taxes (assuming I make enough this year to be taxed), I probably won't make much but a sideline income is possible. That's the main goal.
