Doing more than thinking

I have been busy in the endless important details of starting a new venture - launching a Board Game. This has kept me from posting thoughts and blogging. Going beyond my day job at B-school had been exhausting. I have been juggling all the small every-day details of beginning something new.

Many of these important details are not in the textbook. There is no article in the Harvard Business Review on color combinations for box covers. There is no formula for

whether to focus on traditional isiZulu words or more urban isiZulu. I have struggled to find the right translation for terms like 'Yoh!' (Wow!, No way! or Oh-my-word!).

I was reflecting on my own micro-manufacturing efforts as I taught a Manufacturing-focused MBA class. I was teaching strategy formulation and we spent one session on the history of Tesla. I especially focused on what seemed like an impossible task at the time (2006) for Elon Musk and Tesla - creating a new automotive company and competing against the giants of Ford, GM, Toyota, BMW etc. It seemed impossible. And it was in many ways.

In 2006 Musk wrote a simple strategy statement and posted it on his blog. He told his team and the whole world what the strategy was. It was very simple.

He stated that the plan was:

1. Build sports car

2. Use that money to build an affordable car

3. Use that money to build an even more affordable car

4. While doing above, also provide zero emission electric power generation options

He then closed off the open and public blog with the provocation - "Don't tell anyone".

The MBA students, all executives in the manufacturing sector, debated these simple steps. Underlying the steps is a business model. It is easier to start in the premium expensive sports car segment because the economies of scale are more modest. It is also a customer group who don't mind paying more for awesomeness. This would allow Tesla to be able to get a foot in the door.

As I move towards a soft launch of 'Sho't Left - The Board Game' I am starting to look up and wonder how I can ever get a foot in the door. I am up against the mega board games in the store like Scrabble and Monopoly. I keep coming back to the Tesla story. How can I achieve the impossible task of making a game and selling it for a small profit. In my own humble small way I am manufacturing something.

From revisiting the story of Tesla and from my own observations of my own slow progress, my simple plan is as follows:

1. First make something cool.

2. Then find a way to do it affordably.

3. Then sell it widely.

4. While doing the above spend money and then earn money to be profitable.

When it comes to 1) I believe I am nearly there with my first version to be available for demo and informal sales. I need to find only 20 customers. This might be harder than it sounds. But I am optimistic. I have done lots of demos and informal testing. It is far from a final product but it is a solid 'MVP'. It is my own small version of the first truly sellable car Tesla built - something unprofitable but hopefully cool enough to get the next car built! I have not found the right segment yet where the faults of the product are overlooked for its benefits ... But I am trying.

When it comes to 2) I am very far from there. There is a route to affordable manufacturing. Others have launched board games on Kickstarter or through other ways. But even once I figure it out, it is going to need bravery and money to make it happen. I don't yet know how to do this. Kickstarter is not a common next step in the South African market. For Tesla this was their 'affordable car' - the Model S. It demonstrated that Tesla could build at scale, manufacture affordably, still make something awesome and sell it to the early adopters. This is my work for 2022. In my small world I will need to make 100-1000 games for the next version. How does one go about doing this? I will let you know the answer.

Then when it comes to 3) I am a novice. I am going to need to put the scissors and cardboard down. And I am going to have to pick up the phone and travel and meet people and demo the game. Tesla was extremely innovative in going direct to the customer and bypassing the dealers. The story of Tesla has also inspired me. What is my creative sales channel? How can I make my product so cool that people will want to buy it (pull vs push). How can I create interest? How do I release each version of the game in a way that creates excitement? Inspired by Tesla, I decided to call my MVP 'The Insider Edition'. This is a playful attempt to create a community of early supporters.

Then 4) is a proper headache. Tesla was always on the edge of disaster especially as things got real and the scale went from a dozen cars to tens of thousands. In the early stages it has been fine for me so far. I have been working within my savings, borrowing a bit against the mortgage but generally staying lean. But that time will soon end. I have not raised money. I don't even have a budget or a financial plan!

These are my thoughts as I sit on the verge of launching the product and selling to family, friends and fools. Don't tell anyone!