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What It's About
Two sisters create a game that inspires real, human, person-to-person contact—no batteries required.
Business Model
Product
Skills Required
Design & Communication
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
Medium
Words of Wisdom
I think a good lesson for this one is that you can use MVP (Minimum Viable Product) principles for physical products. That’s something most people associate with tech or software, but I think it's impressive they did it with a board game. They started with a method that clearly won’t scale but they’ve already figured out how to streamline it and can keep doing that as they sell more.
Fun Fact
In the last year, board game sales in the U.S. grew by 28 percent, per NPD Group, and global sales increased to $9.6 billion in 2016 from $9.3 billion in 2013. In addition, playing board games brings families closer together in a time where technology often makes relationships worse. The Bundle Game capitalizes on both these trends.
Notes from Chris
Episode 620
Cassie and Jacklyn Collier grew up in a typical American household. The family was close, and that hasn’t changed over the years. In fact, Cassie and Jacklyn still live together to this day, currently sharing an apartment in the big apple, New York City. Some of their fondest memories are of playing board games with the family. They’d often sit at the table playing classic games, laughing over mistakes or other mishaps made while playing. Board games were a part of the family experience in the Collier household, something they’d bond over. Those same happy memories were the catalyst for starting their very first side hustle. One that’s attempting to recreate the magic of that family bonding experience, through a board game of course! But before I introduce the side hustle, let’s go back a few squares on the game board. The year is 2013, and the two sisters were struggling to find a Christmas present for their mom. They wanted to get her something truly unique and special. After brainstorming ideas they decided to create a board game that was custom made for the family. One that included inside jokes and anecdotes about all the members. The game was a huge hit! It was as if they rolled a Yahtzee or got a royal flush in poker. The perfect game! Not only did their mom absolutely love it, but the game created more memories of the type the game was about. It was like a recursive loop of board game goodness. The impact of the game sat with them and, over the next few years they created a few more for other close friends and family. Now, roll a 6, pass go, collect $100 and skip to September 2017. The sisters are living in New York City. Cassie is working as a financial analyst for Deutsche Bank and Jacklyn is working both as a nanny and actor. While at a party, the topic of the games came up. A friend suggested they try selling the games as a side business. They’d played with the idea before but that small piece of external validation tipped them over the edge. The girls decided it was time to roll the dice and enter the board game business. They called their concept The Bundle Game, a completely personalized board game designed specifically for your friends and family. Since May 2018, the Collier sisters have sold over $16,500 worth of The Bundle Game. All that off the back of $4,000 in setup costs. While that doesn’t take their time into account, they’re impressive numbers for a startup side hustle. What’s more, its given Jacklyn and Cassie a lot of faith that The Bundle Game could be something big. Cassie has decided to work part-time for the bank, and Jacklyn is limiting her acting roles so that she can spend more time on the business. It is time they’ll certainly need as they aim to work on automating as much of the process as they can over the coming year. Their long-term goal is to eventually go full time on the side hustle and make it their full-time job. It’s far from game over for these two sisters from New York City. Cassie and Jacklyn, it looks like you two really have this in the box!MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- The Bundle Game: Roll the dice, take a chance—learn more about The Bundle Game and the sisters behind it over on their website!
- Kickstarter | The Bundle Game: The Kickstarter campaign that started it all
- Childhood Game Master Earns $1 Million from Nerdy Kickstarter Campaigns: This Ohio man loves board games so much that he made his own—and when he tries to raise $6,000 through a Kickstarter campaign, he ends up with much more than he ever imagined
- Four Friends Create Conversations, Earn $400,000 in 8 Months: Dark winter days were no match for four Dutch friends looking to spark meaningful conversations
- Cards Against Humanity Inspires Six-Figure Party Game: Two friends in their twenties create a “nonsense” party game. Ten years later, they turn it into a side hustle that is now sold at Target
Quote of the Day
"We posted on Facebook asking who might want the game before we even had an idea of how to make them. But we figured it out! I think that if we tried to get everything perfect before we launched, we'd still be waiting to get started."
—Cassie & Jacklyn Collier #SideHustleSchool
