Game design has always been a fascination of mine. As a 15-year veteran of the video game industry, I've helped design and produce roleplaying classics like Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and more. But these were sprawling, high tech 200-hour epics and I felt I was losing touch with the heart of my craft. I launched Famous Games Co to pursue a more intimate design space - tiny, 11-card sports games hearkening back to a simpler era.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
My first sales were in the business-to-business space, where I sold my games to corporate clients as brandable promotional items. When I felt the games were ready for the consumer market, I transitioned to Shopify to support a proper consumer-facing eCommerce model. My biggest source of consumer traffic now comes from highly active community sites in the board & card game niche like Goblins.net in Italy and BoardGameGeek in the United States.
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
I ship and fulfill all orders myself, enjoying the opportunity to interact with my customers directly. For back end apps, I use Remarkety for email autoresponders, Shopify's Product Reviews app for ratings and reviews, and Order Printer for invoices.
What are your top recommendations for new ecommerce entrepreneurs?
When deciding on what niche to enter, choose a niche that people are passionate about and build active online communities around. Get to know these communities and treat their members well, as they'll be your brand ambassadors to the world.