What It's About
How a man in L.A. is revolutionizing Game Night with his "Game Night in a Can"—move over Apples to Apples!
Business Model
Skills Required
Complexity
Profit Potential
Words of Wisdom
The first step Jason took was to get the project funded on Kickstarter. He knew that by putting the product there before he’d invested any money at all he could test how the product would be received by people and tap into an existing market of people who fund games on Kickstarter.
Plus, having the social proof of people opening their wallets to fund a product and being able to say he was funded on the platform, would make working with customers and distributors a lot easier in the long run.
Fun Fact
When Jason isn’t creating and pitching ideas for television shows as Director of Development for Adam Levine’s production company 222 productions, he’s busy creating some of the most creative game nights in the galaxy.
From making up definitions for made-up words to seeing how many times you and your friends can bump rumps in 30 seconds and everything in between, you can find it in this unique "Game Night in a Can."
Notes from Chris
Episode 242
Standing on stage is usually where the best ideas of speakers and comedians and performers reach their final station. They’ve been edited and reworked so they’re ready for the public to experience. It’s rarely the place where new ideas are formed. Unless, that is, you’re Jason Lautenschleger. Around his day job as a director of development, Jason and his wife spend their time running live comedy game shows for the people of Los Angeles to enjoy. He wanted to share this feeling with people of America and allow them too the chance to feel what the crowd felt that night. He thought of creating a can that contained all of the improvised games, and their variations, so that people could play along at home. Giving it a does what it says on the tin name of Game Night in a Can, Jason set about turning this idea into a Side Hustle reality. By reaching out to people through social media and email, Jason was able to raise $22,000 for Game Night In A Can. When the first order of games arrived—disaster had nearly struck—and after spending $8,500 to order them—he found the spinners under the lid just didn’t work. So he sat for countless hours using a knife, sandpaper, and oil, making each individual spinner work. Excluding the $22,000 funding they raised, Game Night In A Can has made over $50,000 in its first year on Amazon, as well $25,000 through retail stores.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Game Night in a Can: Learn more about Jason and all of the mini-games in the can on his website!
- Kickstarter | Game Night in a Can: Check out the Kickstarter campaign that started it all
- What is an LLC?: Learn more about the pros and cons of starting your own LLC
- How To Find a Manufacturer or Supplier for Your Product Idea: Learn more about how you can find a manufacturer for your product
- Mom & Son Create 'Comfy Cup' Support for Young Athletes: A Kansas City-area mom and her 10-year-old son invent an unconventional (but essential) product for young male athletes that brings in more than $5,000 a month
Resources
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