Final Quest - Jim Kastama's Presentation

Jim had some interesting things to say. His focus was on turning the traditional model of innovation on its head. This concept, known as an Innovation Partnership Zone, emphasized partnering people first, followed by structuring an effort and finally gathering data on it. He feels that people are accustomed to passively accepting the genius handed down to them by researchers. This IPZ system aims at changing that and having dialogue between people and researchers every step of the way.

I particularly liked another focus of his: economic clusters. I have always found it fascinating the way that professionals in a given industry tend to group themselves geographically to encourage either collaboration, or sometimes competition. It got me thinking about the Redmond/Bellevue cluster of technology and interactive entertainment. That cluster could be a fantastic "in" for Dropkick Games, and a way for us to live in the video game industry culture. This would likely help us be more efficient, have other resources to reach out to, and give us a convenient base of operations.

Jim talked about having clusters be relationship oriented, allowing people to come together with dissimilar ideas and technology and creating something. This leaves the traditional method of decisions being handed down by management behind. I like this concept, and our company is trying to implement a fairly open, creative environment by dissolving traditional management roles at least as far as our game development cycle is concerned. We feel that creativity truly stems from individuals being free to collaborate. I liked hearing this sort of ideology reinforced by Jim's talk, and hearing stories of where it has been successful in the past. It gives me hope for our own system and our own future!

Quest #9 - Brian Forth's Talk

Despite my disappointment that Brian's talk did not in fact make up the entire quiz the next class day, his talk was very interesting. He spoke about a similar mindset that John Dimmer had, about how his part work experiences helped him build a skill set that allowed him to succeed as an entrepreneur. For John, this was his hopping around various companies that taught him things he felt he would need. For Brian, it was less purposeful, and a more retrospective approach. He found that as he built his business, Sitecrafting, he made use of his past experiences. I like the idea of using your experience as a vehicle for entrepreneurial success.

The biggest thing I took away from the talk was the idea of the "reality distortion field" that you can create as an entrepreneur. Brian described this as being the way that you present things to different people to get them to do what you want. He stressed that lying was never a solution, and that an entrepreneur's success depends on the trust relationships that he or she builds. However, something as simple as discussing a poor sales quarter with your employees can change depending on the distortion field you use. If you approach the situation by talking about the poor sales, people are likely to lose morale. If you tackle it as a temporary setback and look at the pipeline of future work and other positive factors, you completely change your employees' view on the situation. I think this idea is vital to entrepreneurship, because your role is truly to convince others that you are onto something important and valuable. This reality distortion field is a big way to tackle this responsibility.

The story of Brian's business is interesting in and of itself, too. Sitecrafting's growth out of an elementary school classroom is fascinating. In the case of my game development company, it was a very purposeful move, as it is something that all of us are passionate about. In his case, it was more a matter of discovering that there was a market for this talent of his without intending to.

All in all, Brian's perspective on things was enlightening, and something I will keep in mind as I move forward with my own business endeavors.

Quest #8 - Company Mission and Vision

While our company hasn't completed a mission statement or an overarching vision for ourselves, we've certainly talked about it. I will create what I feel is a synthesis of things we've discussed. However this will likely be only a prototype of what our final mission and vision will look like.

Mission:

At Dropkick Games, we are dedicated to bringing gameplay back to its roots, while providing new and meaningful adventures to players with the quality standards and attention to detail of the classics.

Vision:

We feel that as an industry, video games have lost some of the charm and careful crafting that made gaming a work of art from hobbyists, for hobbyists. We aim to help influence the industry in a return to these values, and give players experiences we feel that they are missing. We will strive to create personal and friendly relationships with our customers and the community as a whole, because we feel that community is very important in game development, and our products work in service to it.

Quest #7 - Graham Evans' Talk

Graham's discussion was a very practical one. He primarily tackled marketing, and how it affects a business' endeavors. I thought he put it well when he said that a great product with poor marketing will not do well, while a lousy product with decent marketing is more successful, and a great product with excellent marketing will do the best. He gave examples of British companies and their penetration into the U.S. market, and various factors that affected that. A common one was market research. I of course knew this was a part of the process of marketing, but Graham highlighted its importance very well. He talked about a store chain that made its way into the U.S. market, but did not take into account cultural factors in the way that Americans shop versus the way the British shop.

Graham also touched on some key "survival tips" of sorts when being an entrepreneur, similar to some of the maxims that Andrew introduced previously. "Know what you don't know" was probably the biggest thing he mentioned, and one that I think is key. Much like Andrew talked about, being aware of your strengths and weaknesses, your knowledge and your knowledge gaps, can make or break your business. Knowing your knowledge gaps allows you to either acquire people that complement those gaps, or can give you a checklist of things that you should work on learning.

Finally he talked about approaching investor groups, and provided an interesting tidbit of advice here too. He talked about how there will be investors that are interested in your idea and are involved in your industry, just as there will be some that are very uninterested. The advantage to pitching to the less interested investors first, interestingly, is that you will get more constructive criticism and be able to refine your pitch without taking a large credibility hit within circles of investors whom you really want to support you.

I felt that I learned a good handful of useful tips and perspectives from this talk, which I plan to keep in mind in the future.

Quest #6 - Kickstarter Brackets

This exercise is actually quite useful, as my company intends to use a kickstarter in the near future to allow us to pay for art assets and software needed to make our game as we envision it.

Here are some fictional brackets for backers to pledge to the kickstarter.

$5 or more - You will be immortalized in an acknowledgements section on our website! 

$15 or more - You get a digital copy of the game when it is released! You will also be featured in the acknowledgements on our website.

$30 or more - You not only get the above reward, but you also get a digital download of the soundtrack in any format you can imagine!

$50 or more - You get a digital copy of the game on release, an acknowledgement feature, and a 3x5 print of the cover art signed by our artist!

$75 or more - You get the above reward, and a digital download of the soundtrack!

$100 or more - You get the above reward, with TWO copies of the game on release!

$150 - You get all the rewards of the $50 package, with a limited edition CD version of the game soundtrack, signed by the composer!

Quest #5 - John Dimmer's Talk

Listening to John Dimmer's talk in Tuesday's class was quite interesting. He introduced himself by talking us through his various entrepreneurial endeavors. He graduated college and began acquiring skills to help him start his own company, and he referred to his knowledge base as an "armory" that he filled with weapons for his own business. This idea resonated with me a lot, enjoying the medieval era in history and much of the fantasy and lore that comes from that. Moreover though, I think this is a really valuable tactic for an entrepreneur. You make the most of the experiences you have, in order to better equip yourself for your endeavors.

John also talked about two business endeavors he is involved with now. The first was owning a series of Airstream dealerships. He owns the majority of the western corner of the U.S., having dealerships in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California. It was fascinating to hear about some of his tactics, from referring to the Covington location as "Seattle" to keep that portion of the airstream market to himself to trying to squeeze out competitors geographically. The second venture of his is co-owning a Honda dealership. This provided some interesting insight into dead ends. He and his partner were met with so much inflexibility from Honda that they couldn't fulfill their goal of having a series of dealerships. This was a valuable lesson because not only did they run into this problem, but they are now potentially looking to sell. This illustrates a second part to this, and that is that it's possible to simply alter your course and still come out ahead. Selling the dealership may not be ideal, but it can still make some profit.

On top of the entrepreneurial insight, I was interested in John's experience as an Angel investor. He talked about the way in which you approach Angels or get involved in a network if your area has one. This was useful information, as seeking Angel funding may be something in the future of my game development company, or future endeavors as well.

Quest #4 - Business Ideas

My primary business idea for this course is my game development company, Dropkick Games. I suppose that is misleading. This company already exists! However I plan to use my company for the business plan project in this class. Dropkick was born out of the South Sound Entrepreneur's Weekend as a matter of fact, which is very fitting in the context of this course. It was there I met two game enthusiasts that myself and two good friends joined with to create the company. We are working on our first title, hoping to release it for PC and Mac. Our goal is to create games that embody the same appeal and quality standards of the classics, while providing the player with a unique experience that they will find refreshing and enjoyable. In terms of growth, I can see this company growing in both staff size and the scope of our titles as well. This would mean making the transition from an indie company made of a few guys to something more corporate and hierarchical. However, things may work out such that we stay indie and are successful doing that, which would allow us the freedom and ease of workflow that comes with having such a small group.

A second idea I had was for a custom PC building company, based on the web, but with a personal touch. There are already custom PC shops online, but where this company would break the mold is in offering personal (via phone, email, or instant messaging) contact with a customer to determine just what they need and want. On top of this, the company would cater to two separate demographics: the traditional super user that wants a high end, custom machine with case mods and high end hardware, but also the more ordinary computer user. This business would attempt to pull in the market of people that would go into a Best Buy or Fry's in order to purchase a computer, and give them a competitively priced custom computer with the benefit of knowledgeable, personal help in selecting something right for them. Growth here would involve the hiring of personnel to communicate with customers on their needs, people to assemble the computers, and people to do accounting. This would free me to manage things like deals with hardware manufacturers or contracts with clients.

My third, and admittedly less fleshed out idea, is to have a custom guitar and bass pick designing company. This would be another web based company, where a musician could send in an image to have printed on their picks, or choose from a variety that we would provide. Additionally, the company would provide a wide array of shapes, thicknesses, and materials like bone, wood or metal. This would allow players to attain something that looked like they wanted, and would feel and respond in a way that would suit their playing style. Expansion from here would come in the form of hiring staff, and partnering with music retailers like Guitar Center to carry some of our product, and allow us to interest players who visit these retail stores into getting a custom set of picks made.

Quest #3 - Thoughts On The Tech Entrepreneur's Guidebook Intro

Possibly the best thing that I took away from reading the introduction to The Technology Entrepreneur's Guidebook was the idea of motive. The author talks about the passion of entrepreneurship, and how the motive of the entrepreneur is finding and solving a problem. Their motive doesn't stem from just profit, but an actual desire to help other people achieve something. I have seen pretty clearly in class that Andrew is both passionate about creating ideas and businesses, and that he feels passion is what drives them and makes them successful. I really related to that, and having it reinforced in this text was great.

My passion for video games as a storytelling medium is what motivates me to play them, and that coupled with the desire to bring a creative and fun experience to others is what motivates me to make them. It may be that I have more of an entrepreneur's spirit than I realized.

The other element I liked about the reading was the emphasis on entrepreneurs being good leaders and visionaries to inspire their colleagues. The author demystifies the idea that entrepreneurs work alone, which is something I would not enjoy doing. I work best and enjoy myself most in a social setting, and as a result I am glad to see that this is also key to entrepreneurship. It's certainly true in my game development experience so far, where each member takes charge in their area of expertise to create something as a group.

I'm curious to read more of this text in the future, because it definitely got off on an interesting and reassuring foot.

Quest #2 - Erik Hanberg's Talk

Hearing Erik Hanberg, our first guest speaker, talk about his entrepreneurial adventures was encouraging to say the least. He showcased the variety of businesses he either created or was involved in, and even broke down his income between them. This, to me, was real proof that you don't need to have this fantastic blockbuster idea in order to be successful, but rather it is more important to have confidence and perseverance. When Erik talked about just "starting" to build your business and make your idea a reality as being one of the key parts of entrepreneurship, I think he was right. Conquering the obstacle of fear or hesitation is the first step and definitely a big one. He also talked about enjoying the work that you do, which encourages me because my startup company is something I absolutely love, and would very much enjoy working on if it takes off. I feel that I've already taken that initial step that Erik talked about, and seeing what he has done motivates me to continue.

Erik also talked about the learning process of building a business. He mentioned that the skills he would acquire from one endeavor would help him build the next one more easily. His marketing skills from his fundraising career helped him in Side X Side when he worked on that business full time with his wife. Her graphic design skills were put to use there as well. This alludes more to the long term lifestyle of an entrepreneur: that your first business isn't necessarily your only one. Erik has started multiple businesses, which is also encouraging to me, because it reminds me that I don't have just one shot to do what I love and that's it. Instead I have a lifetime of opportunities to leverage and enjoy. I related a lot to this talk, and hope to remember the tips, pointers, and perspective for later down the road.

Quest #1 - Thoughts on Startup.com Documentary

Startup.com suprised me in terms of the intimate way in which it approached the lives of Kaleil and Tom. Having heard about the film before watching it, I expected the filming to be a fairly distant chronicling of their company, perhaps showing meetings, workflow, brainstorming, etc. to show how the company grew. I pictured something sterile, and something business oriented. Instead I was greeted by very personal scenes in Kaleil and Tom's homes, their private offices, hotel rooms while on the road, and meetings with investors. The film really becomes a personal look at their entire lives during this period of time, and not just a corporate level look at their business model.

This was refreshing, because it shows the very human side of the growth of a startup. I got to see what they were thinking, how they were reacting, and what motivated them or set them back. This level of detail was not only really cool, but also a constant reminder that these are real guys and that they actually did this. It was honestly surprising to see how fast things might move from idea to company. At the same time, it was terrifying how much pressure and responsibility became involved so quickly. You could see the change in both Kaleil and Tom and it didn't take long for them to become tense and on edge. Each of these elements contributed to a unique experience and I felt like I gained a better understanding of all the various parts that have to come together during the process of forming and growing a startup business.