I ask because most of the posts I read here are from service providers. And while a decent amount of the info is relatable, I’d love to hear from people who sell physical products and have to deal with manufacturing, inventory, wholesale/retail/ecom sales, etc.
As for my business, I own and game company (board games, card games). My two current titles are aimed at kids 3 and up. My next title (going into production shortly) will be same demo, then the following two titles will be aimed at the whole family (ages 8+). While my business is mostly profitable, I’m basically investing every dollar back into the company (more inventory, more titles, more marketing/sales).
I’m just 2 years into my journey (mostly part time), learning an entirely new industry, and would love to hear stories from other people selling consumer goods.
Where are you in your journey? What struggles did you encounter/are you encountering? What was the hardest part in the early years? Hardest ongoing struggles? Did you have any aha moments that helped you turn a corner? Did you ever get to a place of any real profitability? If so, how long?
I don’t have much of a network of people doing anything similar, so thanks in advance…hopefully we get a good discussion.
Game developer (digital PC) working on a first title w my partner, but recently got into e-commerce selling/reselling TCGs as a side hustle since developing a commercial PC game takes a ridiculous amount of time esp for a small team.
What started a a a side gig has become almost an intense part time job, at the current pace it’ll be six figures in annual revenue. It’s been an eye opening experience, lots of work but also very enjoyable. It’s given me a lot of respect for retailers who can survive and thrive in all types of economies as it is a lot harder than it looks.
Even without a storefront it’s incredible the amount of strategic planning that’s needed to buy/acquire and manage inventory as well as figuring out ways to move said inventory to keep cash flow healthy to reinvest in new inventory. Predicting future demand and knowing how much to invest and where you can secure the inventory you need at the prices you need to make a profit are the most interesting and challenging parts of this kind of biz.
Would love to produce a board game or some physical add on for the game we’re developing as I really enjoy the physical experience of gaming in person, but that’s a whole different challenge.
The major aspects of selling physical goods is how labor and space intensive it is, neither of which are cheap esp in an inflationary environment.
I think I prefer digital production due to how much easier it is to scale. But there’s something about selling something tangible that is so satisfying.
Thank you! I agree that producing something tangible is very rewarding, and the reviews and comments we get are amazing. To know we’re making something that brings joy to kids and families is a great feeling.
But you’re right with digital products, it takes a lot of the costs out of the equation. Storing and inventory are my two main expenses. Other than that, it’s a pretty low cost business to run. Trying to find a way to merge digital and physical is my ultimate goal. There is a ton of potential to grow my sub brands across different touch points that don’t include large inventory costs.