How to make money by producing and selling board games. How to Start a Board Game Business Board Games Place for Companies as a Business

Mikhail Akulov and Ivan Popov turned entertainment into profitable business. The Hobby World publishing house, which grew out of their companies, releases more than 1 million games a year and in 2015 brought the founders more than 1 billion rubles. proceeds

HobbyWorld founders Mikhail Akulov and Ivan Popov (left to right) (Photo: Vladislav Shatilo / RBC)

hobby maze

Odessite Alexander Ushan came up with the board game "Find for a spy" based on his own experience. As a student in the early 2000s, he worked at a sugar factory, and once he had to come instead of the director to sign a major contract. In order not to betray his incompetence, Wushang tried to answer questions in a florid way, but at the same time sound confident. This is exactly how a player in the “spy” game invented by him should behave so that other players do not figure him out.

In the spring of 2013, Ushan presented the game at the Igrosfera exhibition in Lviv, where Nikolay Pegasov, development director of the Hobby World board game publishing house, noticed it. “He immediately said that he liked the game, and the next day we shook hands,” Ushan recalls. In September, Find for a Spy was published in a trial run of 2,000 copies in Russia, and in 2014, successful sales began abroad: in the US alone, in 2015, 80,000 copies of Find for a Spy, called Spyfall, were sold. The game has now been translated into 26 languages, and according to the company, about 200,000 pre-orders were made for the game in 2016. Its author, according to RBC estimates, could earn at least $30,000 on royalties from foreign sales alone.

Ushan is one of several Russian authors whose games were discovered, adapted and released by the Hobby World publishing house, founded in 2010 on the basis of two companies - Smart by Mikhail Akulov and Ilya Karpinsky and Fantasy World by Ivan Popov and Maxim Istomin. The history of Hobby World goes back to the early 2000s, when Akulov and Karpinsky opened the Labyrinth board game club in Moscow on Polyanka, and with it the Smart publishing house to release board games. “At that time, practically nothing was produced on the market, except for Monopoly clones and “roll the die, move the chip” walkers,” Akulov recalls. The partners decided to occupy an empty niche.

In 2003, at the club, Akulov met Ivan Popov and Maxim Istomin, who came to demonstrate their Berserk game. A year later, the club had to close due to losses. Akulov continued to release board games, and Popov and Istomin's "Fantasy World" - collectible card games(KKI): in addition to their own "Berserker", they began to release the role-playing board game Wizards of the Coasts in Russia. Over time, the two companies began to compete. “It became crowded in our niches, we began to climb into the territory of the KKI, and they began to make board games. At some point, we got the idea that it’s better to combine our assets than to compete senselessly: everyone was trying to increase that market share in which he didn’t really understand, ”recalls Akulov. “We had essentially different markets, and the more we started to overlap, the more obvious the idea of ​​a merger seemed,” recalls Ivan Popov.

It was Popov who initiated the merger of the two companies in 2010. In the combined company, the shareholders distributed their shares equally. It took almost three years to connect all business processes, but the effect appeared already in the first year: “The merger of assets gave us a very good boost - our revenue grew by 60-70% during the year,” says Akulov.

Now the company is registered on the Cypriot offshore Hobbyworld Limited, among the co-owners are Mikhail Akulov, Ivan Popov and other shareholders (their names Akulov and Popov are not disclosed). Small options are owned by employees of the publishing house.

Hobby World in numbers

More 1 million games published Hobby company World in 2015

From 290 rub. before 9 thousand rubles the price of Hobby World games varies, the average check for one box is 900-1300 rub.

More 1 billion rubles was the revenue of Hobby World in 2015

From 4% royalties are received by the author of the game from each box sold

$10-15 thousand worth developing a board game

Before 100% comes the profitability of the most successful games

Near 7 billion rubles amounted to the volume of the Russian market of board games in 2015

More 50 thousand board game titles released worldwide

Source: Company data, Discovery Research Group

To the west

Hobby World works in three directions: it buys licenses for Western games and adapts them for the Russian market; buys, develops and releases original games Russian authors; sells release licenses Russian games abroad.

Akulov began to develop the first direction back in 2002, when his company Smart bought a license from the German publishing house Franckh-Kosmos Verlags for Die game Siedler von Catan and began to produce it on the Russian market under the name "Colonialists". “It was a breakthrough for the industry: strangers came to the exhibition, got acquainted with one of the leading companies in gaming industry and received the right not just to buy boxes translated abroad, but a license to release this game in Russia themselves, ”recalls Akulov.

According to Akulov, Western companies were reluctant to give licenses to the Russian market: it was more profitable for them to produce everything in one place and sell ready-made boxes. Akulov and Popov, despite the difficulties with quality, were more profitable local production: it allowed to reduce the selling price by 25-50%. In addition, the sale of boxes is not so profitable for the seller, says Dmitry Kibkalo, founder of the Mosigra company. If we are talking about a foreign brand, the percentage of deductions in favor of its owner reaches 8-10%, and their total amount can exceed hundreds of thousands of dollars, says Akulov.

The criteria for selecting games are simple. “The game should be unique - not a mixture of existing engines, but a one-of-a-kind mechanism. And Mikhail and I should like it, ”says Ivan Popov. At the same time, the game should be wrapped in a beautiful shell and be adapted to the market. “For example, the very famous game Carcassonne was conceived at one time as a game about a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and now it is more like a puzzle about picking up a castle, which is sold in millions of copies around the world,” he gives an example. But, despite experience and numerous tests, the game can fail. “For example, one of the top 3 US sales games, King of Tokyo, sells very poorly in Russia,” Akulov cites the example. “And the game “Load and Carry”, on the contrary, has been withdrawn from sales around the world, but it is very different here in Brazil.”

The search for authors in Hobby World is carried out by the production department, which is then taken to finalize the games. If a Western game can be adapted and released in a month, then in the case of authored games, the process of finalization sometimes takes more than a year. Authors receive royalties in the amount of 4% from each box sold. When signing the contract, the publisher pays them an advance payment in the amount of royalties for half of the minimum circulation (about 2-3 thousand copies), and then the authors receive a percentage of sales every six months. Only professional authors who have several games published in thousands of copies can fully support themselves through royalties - for most developers, this is a hobby that brings additional income. According to Akulov, the company does not buy the entire rights to the game. “We are interested in the fact that the author also earns money with us. If the game will sell in large numbers, he will be interested in improving the game and releasing add-ons,” he says.

There is also a third way - the sale of Russian licenses to the West. So far, Hobby World has about ten games that are actively sold in Western markets, including Find for a Spy, Viceroy, World of Tanks: Rush licensed by Wargaming. In 2015, the company released about 150 thousand copies of its games in Western markets (in Russia - 1 million), in 2016 it expects to sell more than 300 thousand. If in Russia Hobby World supplies most of its partners with games at a 35-40% discount from retail prices, then in the case of Western wholesale companies, the discount on the game can reach up to 60%.

Production

When buying a license for Western games, Akulov and Popov produce most of the components in Russia, except for plastic ones, which, as a rule, are purchased in the West. “The production of plastic is quite expensive, and it is more profitable to use it when Western companies collect global circulation for all territories. These are individual figures, and the production of each of them separately will cost quite a lot, ”says Akulov.

The first elements of its own production appeared at Hobby World back in 2010: contractors did not provide the required quality of work, Akulov recalls. “At first we left the assembly of elements to ourselves, then we began to do more on our own. We print the entire million games on our own, only ordering individual elements from contractors, ”says Akulov. Over time, they began to produce more and more on their own, and now the company organizes a full cycle of production of board games, not counting the production of cardboard and printing pictures, at a factory in Tver.

From the idea of ​​a game to the moment when a box with a finished board game appears on the store shelf can take from several months to a year, and the cost of developing one game can cost $10-15 thousand, says Akulov. At the same time, the profitability of successful games can reach 100%, he says. For individual games, profitability can reach 300%, says Dmitry Kibkalo, founder of Mosigra. “If we take the direct cost of paperwork, including royalties to the author, then it is 26% of the price on the shelf. But you need to understand that the product has been produced - then it needs to be stored, delivered, distributed, etc. The store has an average margin of 100%, and a huge part of it is lost in logistics. The final cost of the product is much higher,” explains Kibkalo.

In addition to Hobby World, only two Russian board game publishers, Mosigra and Zvezda, run a full game production cycle, including post-print processing, card cutting, etc., Kibkalo says. “This is a specific type of production that must be loaded. The business is quite seasonal, and if there is no load outside the season, smaller publishers cannot afford it,” he says. According to him, in 2015 Mosigra sold retail games for 525 million rubles. According to Mikhail Akulov, the turnover of Hobby World in 2015 amounted to 1 billion rubles, including foreign sales (he does not disclose the profit).

Spreading

At first, Akulov and partners sold their products through bookstores and small specialty board game stores and did not want to build their own network. “We developed as a publishing house and initially worked with small specialized stores that sold board games, because such stores develop the market the most,” recalls Akulov. As a result, Hobby World shareholders entered into a partnership agreement with the Hobby Games network (Lavka Miracles LLC), which will include 12 own stores (six in Moscow, two in St. Petersburg, the rest in the Russian regions, as well as in Kyiv and Minsk) and eight franchise . The network is engaged in retail sales of games of the publisher, and also serves other retail projects, such as a store merchandise for Wargaming and HobbyWorld.ru. According to SPARK, Hobby Games is 99.9% owned by"Hobbyworldlimited".

“Initially, Hobby World was the only publisher we collaborated with, but we expanded to three or four more foreign publishers almost immediately. Now more than 20 brands supply us with goods, ”Andrey Kuleshov, deputy director of Hobby Games, told RBC. At the same time, the share of Hobby World products in the sales of the Hobby Games network is about 40%, says Kuleshov.

According to Kuleshov, Hobby Games purchases goods from the Hobby World publishing house at a 35-50% discount (the discount varies by different types games) and sells at the publisher's recommended price. All Hobby Games stores, both own and franchised, work at the same rates. In addition to board games, they sell board game accessories, comics, fantasy literature related to the universes in which the games are developed. According to Kuleshov, one store brings an average of 1 million rubles. revenue per month, and it makes about 50 purchases per day with an average check of about 600 rubles. About 60% of sales are made online, however, most people come to pick up games on their own in order to have time to play them before buying, says Kuleshov. According to SPARK, the revenue of Lavka Miracles LLC in 2014 amounted to 76.5 million rubles, and net profit - 1.5 million rubles.

Now about 20% of all Russian Hobby World products are sold through the Hobby Games network. The rest is sent to customers directly, to bookstores in Moscow, as well as to other chains, including Metro, Media Markt, O'Key, Respublika, Seven Pyadey, Growth Games, IQ Toy Correct Toys and others. When working with small stores, Hobby World tries to meet halfway and ship small consignments of goods for a minimum amount of 15 thousand rubles, says Mikhail Akulov. “We form individual orders for stores. If a store wants two Munchkins, one Carcassonne and three Considerations, we place an order,” he says. According to Andrey Kuleshov, this is a valuable quality when working with a publishing house: “If we take too many games, then we will be limited in quantity, and the next game on our shelves may appear later than competitors in other stores. In addition, it is impossible to predict which of the purchased games will become a hit, and which one will lie on the shelves for a long time.

In 2011, Hobby World launched a franchise program for stores wishing to operate under the Hobby Games brand and opened the first franchise store in Kaliningrad. To expand the network, the founders of the company do not charge a lump-sum fee and royalties from the franchisee until the end of 2016 and expect to open two more own and 15 franchise stores during this time.

Future

According to the Discovery Research Group, the size of the board games market in Russia in 2015 amounted to about 7.5 billion rubles. - almost 30% more than in 2014. The crisis almost did not affect the demand for board games, largely because although they are comparable in cost to going to a cafe or cinema, they can be played repeatedly, Mikhail Akulov is sure. Prices for games from Hobby World range from 290 rubles. up to 9 thousand rubles per box. True, sales of games in the upper price category still sank by almost 50%. “Games with a lot of plastic components have become harder to sell because they are made in the West and their price has risen in line with the exchange rate. It has become more difficult for the consumer to spend 9 thousand rubles. for a board game, despite the fact that it is repeatedly replayable,” says Akulov.

According to Akulov, the potential Russian market of board games after the crisis could be up to $100 million.

• Which franchise to choose

In recent years, board games are gaining popularity again: they are often chosen as a gift, playing a board game can be a great time to spend with family and friends

Step by step opening a board game store

The benefit of board games is that they develop the child: his logic, fine motor skills, attentiveness, reaction, visual memory and other qualities. In addition, board games are useful as family communication - they take the child away from the computer and allow several hours a day to fully communicate with parents.

From a business standpoint, board game stores are not very common. The thing is that the consumer is little aware of the variety and types of board games. However, there is a need for desktop entertainment. The profitability of such a business is achieved through a bright assortment and competent sellers.

In favor of opening a board games store is the fact that there is simply no competition in this area. AT major cities you can hardly find 2-3 stores, what can we say about medium and small towns with a population of 100-500 thousand people.

The key to opening a business is choosing the right location. Important indicators here are: remoteness from the city center - the closer, the better (a sleeping area is not the best solution), and the traffic of a retail outlet - for example, the first floor of a shopping center.

The next important step is to create a product range. It is enough for a small island department of 20-25m2 to purchase 40-50 types of board games. Most popular games, those that you must have with a margin - mafia, jackal: treasure island, imaginarium and monopoly (classics of the genre). At the same time, one should not forget about the ratings of board games, regularly replenishing the shop windows with novelties of the gaming world. Average level prices in the store - 1500 rubles, markup - from 30 to 200%.

How much money do you need to open a board game store

• Commercial equipment (racks, showcases, etc.) - from 50 thousand rubles;

• Purchase of the first batch of goods - from 100 thousand rubles;
• Registration of an individual entrepreneur, opening a current account - from 2 thousand rubles;
• 1 month rental deposit - from 10 thousand rubles;
• Advertising and promotion - from 5 thousand rubles;
• Website development - from 15 thousand rubles;

• Other expenses - from 20 thousand rubles.

TOTAL ~ from 200 thousand rubles.

The uniqueness of the board game store is that it does not sell a product - it sells a mood. As the owner of a Tula board game store (OOO Igrotek) jokes: “Our client is children aged 0 to 99 years old.” More seriously, the main client of the store is children from 3 years old and adults up to 35 years old. It is important that the range of toys sold meets the needs of absolutely the entire target audience. There is really one problem. Many clients have a vague idea of ​​board games (other than classic chess and dominoes). Therefore, the main task of store sellers is to clearly explain the essence of the game, to make the client interested in the product.

According to the experience of Igrotek LLC, the main method of store promotion is a live demonstration of games. It is difficult for a person to understand what he pays 2-3 thousand rubles for, just holding a color box in his hands and listening to the description of the sales assistant. Another thing is when the buyer personally tried out two or three games he liked and fired up without fail to buy one of them.

It helps to promote the store and another way of promotion is the organization and holding of regular table game tournaments in some popular cafe or club.

In the heyday of online commerce, having a store with its own website is a big plus. It is not necessary that the site sells more than the real department. The main thing is that it should be laid out detailed description games, rules, recommendations for age groups, helpful tips and articles. This will undoubtedly increase the status of the store, and will contribute to sales growth.

Which franchise to choose

For start-up entrepreneurs, there is an option to open a franchise business. For example, you can conclude an agreement with the federal retail chain Mosigra. This network has 72 stores in 49 cities of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The conditions for joining the franchise network are as follows: lump-sum fee - 80 thousand rubles, total investment in the business - from 600 thousand rubles, business payback - up to 12 months.

Step by Step Plan to Open a Board Game Store

1. Choose a crowded place to trade. For example, a shopping center.
2. Pick up an assortment of board games covering interesting different age groups.
3. Prepare documents and register with state authorities.
4. Run an advertising campaign aimed at popularizing the store: organization of tournaments, interesting narratives about board games.

How much can you earn by opening a board game store

To determine the pricing policy of your business, you need to analyze the prices of competitors. At the first stages of development, the margin should be made a little smaller. You can also order board games in bulk directly from manufacturers. Simple actions will help the store pay off within 4-6 months. You can charge each board game from 30% to 200% depending on the demand for the product.

How to choose equipment for a board game store

For the normal operation of the store at the first stage, racks and shelves for placing goods will be needed. In the center of the hall it is worth placing a table for advertising campaigns and tournaments. The store should look neat and interestingly designed.

What OKVED to indicate when organizing a store

When organizing a board games store, you should use OKVED:

• 65 - Retail and wholesale of board games;
• 91 - sale of board games by mail or via the Internet.

What documents are needed to open

To organize a store, you need to register an individual entrepreneur. Every citizen of Russia who has reached the age of 18 and is not an employee of public services can register. Documents for registration of IP:

1. Application in the prescribed form.
2. Copy of passport, birth certificate.
3. Receipt of payment of state duty.

Which taxation system to choose

There are 3 optimal options for taxing a board game store:

• A single tax on imputed income.
• Patent system of taxation.
• Simplified tax system.

When opening a board games store with an area of ​​\u200b\u200bno more than 50 sq. m, experts advise using PSN: there is no need to submit declarations, a mandatory payment is made once a year.

The purpose of this project is to become a link between those who are fond of board games and those who are just starting to get acquainted with this hobby.

Game libraries of the project "Play with us!" - these are events where you can play various board games for free.

Ouse find details of upcoming games .

This project is dedicated to everyone who:

• likes board games or wants to learn more about them;
• appreciates live communication;
• prefers to spend time not only fun, but also useful;
• wants to find new friends and like-minded people.

What is the peculiarity of the game library "Play with us"?

• Only the best board games are presented at the game libraries: current classics of games from all over the world and novelties that have recently appeared in Russia.
• Here you will be helped to choose games according to your taste and mood, as well as understand their rules.
• Most places will offer you a discount on your favorite board games.

Where and how often do these games take place?

Usually games libraries take place on weekends about once a month. With each new event, the Let's Play with Us project is becoming more and more popular. Over 30 have already joined us. largest cities Russia and neighboring countries.

See the addresses of the nearest toy libraries and the exact time of the event.

How to participate in the game library?

All events of the project are absolutely free and do not require pre-registration. Just find the game library of your city in the list, come and play with us!

Where can I find the latest news about the game libraries?

Follow us here on the official page of the project!

Photos from already held game libraries

You can try yourself as an entrepreneur, start a startup or learn how to trade on the stock exchange without risking your finances in reality. Numerous business games will help with this, from the classic "Monopoly" to the modern "Startup" in the field of IT.

Anniversary Edition of Monopoly

Price: 1 790 rub.
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Board game "Startup"

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Board game "Business Life"

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"Level Up: human leveling system"

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Board game "LibertEx"

Price: 2 490 rub.
Buy: mosigra.ru

Board game "Market"

Price: 632 rub.
Buy: labyrinth.ru

Board game " Cash flow"

Price: 5 290 rub.
Buy: fingames.ru

Board game "Antimonopoly"

Price: 1 990 rub.
Buy:
For those who want to build a career from scratch, going from a simple manager to the CEO of a large corporation, you should try the game "Corporation. Think - and grow rich!". Here you will have to make deals, produce and promote the products of your company. Unlike other games, here the players have an image that, at a certain level, allows you to close deals automatically and can play a decisive role - just like in life.

Price: 317 rub.
Buy: multytoys.ru

The selection was prepared by Stella Pokrovskaya

Sales of board games in Russia increased by 3 billion rubles in 2017. When the market is covered by a supply of 25-30%, this option of activity allows you to make good money. Business payback can be achieved within 3-6 months. You can write games yourself, enter into contracts with authors, adapt Western analogues. There is an option to purchase a franchise. When investing from 300 thousand rubles. you can count on profitability up to 200%. "Hobby World" and "Igroved" are vivid examples of the organization of a similar business in Russia, which managed to reach multimillion-dollar turnover and conquer the Western market.

Is Board Games a Profitable Niche for Business?

In recent years, board games have been actively gaining popularity in Russia. In 2016 alone, the turnover of this market amounted to 10 billion rubles. How is this possible in a century information technologies, saturated mobile applications and computer programs for gamers?

The most commonly cited reasons for the active spread of desktop entertainment are:

• the desire of people to take a break from gadgets that have become an integral part of modern life;
• the possibility of live communication with loved ones in the circle of family or friends.

Reference! To date, more than 50 thousand varieties of board games have been created and distributed in the world.
Source: RBC

In Russia 10 years ago, only children's games with chips and dice from the Soviet past, checkers, chess, lotto, dominoes and several world bestsellers - Monopoly, Carcassonne and Scrabble could be found on the market.

The situation began to change in 2010-2011, when the first companies appeared that began to produce Western franchises and develop their own versions of this kind of fun.

Currently, only 25-30% of the board games market is covered, which means you can make good money on this. It is important to take into account the features of this segment of the Russian economy:

1. Competition between sellers is active in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In other regions of Russia, it is felt weakly.
2. Games are most often an unplanned purchase. Therefore, it is important to know how much the inhabitants of a particular region are willing to spend on goods outside the list. In Moscow it is 1,000 rubles, in St. Petersburg - 700 rubles, in small towns - 300-500 rubles.
3. In large cities, such entertainment is sold more efficiently in specialized board game stores, and in medium and small cities - in the departments of toys, leisure goods, and gifts.
4. The minimum circulation of one game is 500-600 pieces. - in a smaller quantity to produce such a product is unprofitable.

Interesting fact! The segment is characterized by the phenomenon of "chain advertising": out of 10 players who have passed several rounds in "Scrabble", "Uno" or other board game, 2-3 people will purchase a separate copy for themselves.
Source: Vedomosti

Business model: board games as a way to earn money

Why can the idea of ​​producing and selling board games be considered a profitable business option in Russia?

• Firstly, according to statistics, even in the crisis years of 2014-2016, computer entertainment sales fell by $150 million, and the board games market continued to grow.
• Secondly, with independent development and sale to a publisher, profitability can reach 200-300%.
• Thirdly, you don’t have to wonder where to find start-up capital - you can start with 5-10 thousand rubles.
• Fourth, it is important to understand that games with simple rules are most in demand.

Reference! Games of average complexity for children and teenagers in the price segment of 100-500 rubles are in higher demand on the Russian market. Expensive and complex board games for adults (500-3,000 rubles) are less popular.
Source: RBC

Business organization options

There are several options for organizing a business based on board games:

1. Buying a franchise. A method for beginners that allows you to quickly find your customers and achieve payback in a few months.
2. Independent development of games and their sale while maintaining authorship to a specialized publishing house. Initially, the author sends a prototype of the game to the publisher. If the latter is interested, a contract is concluded. The publisher bears all the costs of making and selling the game and appropriates the proceeds, paying the author 3-10% of each released box.
3. Independent development, production and sales of desktop entertainment. Such a risky and bold idea can be further diversified with printing based on prototypes of third-party authors.

Note! You can open a retail outlet by registering an IP. It is also worth considering the possibility of using the simplified taxation system (STS).

Product feature - first steps in business

Before starting a business based on board games, it is important to work out a number of important nuances in detail:

• The target audience. It is important to understand who the product is designed for: boys aged 15 or youth 25.
• Subject. Any board game has a different theme - knights, wars, dinosaurs, movies, etc. It depends on which shelf in the store it will fall on.

Important point! Topic and target audience should be in strict accordance with each other. Any buyer, considering the game, will always ask himself the question: “Is it for me?” and "Why should I buy it?".

Before you start selling your game or franchise product, it's important to take a "cognitive resilience" test. To do this, you need to gather one or more groups of 6-8 people and, at the end of the game, answer the following questions:

1. Are the rules of the game clear?
2. Is the plot interesting?
3. Are there any shortcomings and errors?

If the test results turn out to be disappointing, then it makes no sense to build a business based on the chosen version of the game.

Important point! Technical questions matter. It is necessary to control the quality of printing images, the presence of constituent elements in packs (chips, card cubes, etc.). A box with a board game should be elegant, neat, stable and have a bright and memorable design.

Technical side

The purchase of equipment for printing, laminating, packaging games requires enormous costs. That is why you can use the services of third parties.

Source: Habrahabr website

How to organize sales?

When opening a board game store, you can choose one of 3 options:

• Combined outlet. Along with the main product, toys, goods for recreation, hobbies, and leisure are sold here.
• Leisure club with point of sale. In this case, the fee is charged for the game in the game. In addition, players can buy desktop entertainment home, place bets, get a prize, buy a hamburger and cola, etc.
• Online store. The most reliable option that reduces the risk of investment. You can start selling with running games, and then expand the range.

Advice! The first batches of games can also be sold on the basis of agreements with the departments of toys and leisure goods in large supermarkets.

Advertising is the engine of sales

An important role in sales is played by advertising, which is based on word of mouth and social networks. Flyers (POS materials) are best distributed in shopping and entertainment areas. Advertising partners, which consists in the exchange of Lithuanians with shops of toys and goods for recreation, also works effectively. A less effective option is advertising on a billboard, transport, and online ads.

The main segment of buyers - young people aged 25-35 years. In this regard, advertising near cafes, educational institutions, fitness clubs seems to be effective.

Staff matters

The sales assistant of a table of a specific product must meet a number of requirements:

• to know in detail not only the composition of the boxes and the prescribed rules of the game, but also to understand it from the position of the player;
• understand what can be advised to the buyer, based on his age and interests;
• be able to interest in the game, explain its essence and order.

How much can you earn selling board games?

If the author transfers the game to the publisher and expects to receive royalties, then his costs will be about 5-10 thousand rubles. to create a game prototype. Typically, royalties are paid on the number of copies published, not on the number of copies sold. If the minimum lot is 500 pieces, then you can count on revenue of 25 thousand rubles, because:

• the average cost of a game is 1,000 rubles;
• the average percentage of royalties is 5% of the cost.

In this case, payback can be achieved in the first month of operation. With other options for organizing a business, the situation is different.

* - Independent business does not require payment of royalties and a lump-sum fee
** - The franchisor can provide the buyer with advertising materials and place ads on the website and in in social networks; he also partly bears the cost of design and printing of products.

Reference! According to statistics, an average of 50-100 game sets can be sold per month. The average revenue in this case will be 50-100 thousand rubles. In this scenario, you can count on payback within 3-6 months.