Fun games don’t have to be complicated. This is exactly the philosophy that has made Craggy Games so successful. Viral hit games are gaining a lot of attention online. Read about the company’s journey in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What does the business do?
It offers unique handmade games.
Owner Kyle Czarnecki told Small Business Trends, “Craggy Games creates the highest quality handcrafted hook and ring games to play with friends. Bring your next game night, tailgate or party to a new level with the viral HOOKS! ring toss game”.
Business niche
Built in the USA with quality materials from a family-owned company.
Czarnecki says, “Each set is 100% handcrafted from real Southern Yellow Pine. Hand cut, hand polished and hand burned using an ancient wood preservation technique known as shou sugi ban.
How the business started
By two friends brainstorming.
Czarnecki explains, “The idea for Craggy was created by two lifelong friends who were looking for an excuse to spend more time together. As with so many small businesses, our original HOOKS! game started as a simple list of Etsy and it wasn’t until day 96 that the Craggy roller coaster started.
“With the power of social media and one viral TikTok video later, we realized that our one-car garage workshop was in need of a serious upgrade. With the amazing interest and support of our fans, we now have HOOKS! in stock in a warehouse and looking for the stars to grow Craggy Games!”
Biggest victory
Removal of a backlog of initial orders.
Czarnecki says, “When our videos went viral we were flooded with orders as the only company on the market offering our unique game. People all over the world wanted HOOKS! We were originally building the games by hand from the garage from an owner’s car, getting the materials from local Home Depots.Constantly running out of materials and having 18 hour days to build the games and ship them, we knew we had to bring a partner to get the games out (the important was for us to maintain the high-quality, hand-crafted feel of the game).while also being built in the USA).
“We found a partner who shared our values, went into the process together and created a working agreement with them. Having a partner who cared as much about quality as we did was very important to the longevity of the business /brand. We were able to focus on building other core components of the business now that we were no longer in the garage building.”
The biggest challenge
Fill orders after viral success.
Czarnecki adds, “If I had a crystal ball and knew how successful this would be from the beginning, I would have had 50,000 games ready to ship when the video went viral. At first, we were turning customers away from buying while we build the backend of the business.”
How they would spend an extra $100,000
Produce more games.
Team tradition
unplugging
Czarnecki explains, “We host quarterly ‘Disconnect Meetings’ where the team comes together and enjoys each other’s company, away from social media, away from electronics, without worries and having a good time. This fuels our internal purpose why we work to grow Craggy and keeps our work joyful and fun. We started this company as best friends, we will succeed as best friends, and one day we may leave this company as best friends.”
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Image: Craggy Games