Executive Summary
Extreme Game Truck is the ultimate video game party. Have you ever thought about a new and exciting way to celebrate a birthday or special occasion? Extreme Game Truck is the answer! With multiple game consoles, Virtual Reality, Racing Simulator, Music & Lights, and your own personal Game Coach to keep the party going, Extreme Game is the most exciting way to party. We bring the party to you and when we leave, you are left with none of the mess and all of the great memories!
Kindly give readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located, and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Located in Glendale, Arizona. Extreme Game Truck is the ultimate video game party. Have you ever thought about a new and exciting way to celebrate a birthday or special occasion? Extreme Game Truck is the answer! With multiple game consoles, Virtual Reality, Racing Simulator, Music & Lights, and your own personal Game Coach to keep the party going, Extreme Game is the most exciting way to party. We bring the party to you and when we leave, you are left with none of the mess and all of the great memories!
Give us a brief description of yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
I’ve built custom video game party trailers for the last 12 years. Before that, I worked as a Human Resources consultant for 20 years.
What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (make significant changes in an existing business)?
A passion for entertaining and impressing guests.
How did the idea for your business come about?
I started a small bouncy house rental company and grew it into a statewide provider of party rental equipment. When we added game trucks to our portfolio, they took off like wildfire. The more attention we focused on them, the more they grew, until ultimately, we focused 100% of our attention on game trucks.
Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Barnum & Bailey.
What makes you different from other businesses in your industry?
A passion and never-ending addiction to impressing people. We will focus on the smallest detail if it makes our customers happy and adds to their memories.
To what do you most attribute your success?
Building relationships.
What do you think is the best way to achieve long-term success in business?
Always look for new ways to innovate – NEVER GIVE UP!
Where do you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
The most innovative mobile game trucks in the industry – possibly fixed locations.
Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Universal Studios
Who is your target demographic?
Parents who have kids between the age of 8 and 16
The only barrier to treatment is the patient. Once they step into our office, they will feel our love, passion, and commitment to getting them to smile:)
Please list 3-5 talking points about your business that you feel are most relevant to your target audience.
We provide a comfortable and safe environment for guests to enjoy an unforgettable video game party experience.
We will honestly do everything we can to accommodate specific wishes.
We consider a positive review to be the ultimate WIN for our whole team.
What are your overall thoughts on your industry? Any advice you could give people about your industry?
Sadly, many game truck companies have become complacent and forgot that the very core of our business is ENERGY and EXCITEMENT. The most successful game truck companies will focus NOT on renting a game truck, but selling an unforgettable video game party experience. We have the opportunity to completely shock and impress our guests; not just with our technology, but with our hyperfocused commitment to stellar customer service.
Is your business involved with any charitable organizations, social causes, or non-profit work?
Several – primarily focused on child development and education.
How do you give back and support your community?
Several non-profit events that benefit community-based organizations; primarily focused on kids.
How important have good employees been to your success?
Good employees is another term for ‘satisfied team members’. If we can take care of our team, they will take very good care of our customers. We allow our Game Coaches to treat the business like it was their own and we respect them as such. We take every opportunity to show our Game Coaches that we appreciate them. This is how we maintain a 5% turnover rate. We take the time to find out what is most important to our team, then we find a way to develop the job around them.
What motivates you?
Being of service.
How do you generate new ideas?
Talk with our customers and their children. They provide very valuable feedback and suggestions – more importantly, we act on those suggestions. Also, a good happy hour is always good for a fresh idea or two 😉
How do you define success?
A job well done.
How do you build a successful customer base?
Be human. Don’t be afraid to let our customers see us as human beings with families and the desire to put food on the table. We ask for referrals and show our customers how appreciative we are when they refer us to others. No greater advertising than word of mouth!
What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
The ability to control how much we can do for our community – also, the occasional freedom to take some quality time to spend with my family.
What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Our shop was burglarized twice in 3 days. Thieves stole everything we had in our shop. Left us with almost nothing. Our community found out about it and the outpour of encouraging messages and support was overwhelming. We were humbled by this experience and I quickly learned how fragile a business can be. We are very fortunate to have so many kind and thoughtful friends.
What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Collaboration. I recognize that I am not the smartest person in my organization and constantly ask for ideas and input. At the end of the day, if I make a decision, I stand behind it. If it fails, I take responsibility for it. Why? not sure; it’s all I know and it was how my father taught me.
If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
More education. I do not have a college degree. I can only imagine that a degree in business and/or finance would have been very helpful in many instances since I started my business.
What is your greatest fear in business, and how do you manage fear?
Failing my family. Failing my customers. Failing my goals. I imagine that most entrepreneurs share the same fears. Fear is good. It means we have something very valuable to lose.
How did you decide on the location for your business?
It’s where I live.
If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Walt Disney. Would love to dissect the unique thought process that he used to take imagination from an idea to reality.
What book has inspired you the most (or what is your favorite book)?
Ferdinand the Bull.
What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Time. Time away from family and friends. Time spent stressing over the smallest details. Time invested in trying to turn an unhappy customer into a customer who refers us to their friends. Time invested in figuring out where one dollar will be invested…marketing? equipment? more staff? Time is the most valuable commodity to entrepreneurs. It is finite and the sound of the clock ticking in my head can sometimes be deafening.
What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
1) Communication – don’t be afraid to speak to anyone at any time; and if you are, figure out how to, at least temporarily, overcome that fear. 2) Patience – success doesn’t come overnight; in fact, it may never really come at all. You have to be prepared to stick with it for the long game. Accept new ideas. Try new things. Slow down and figure out what to do next. Breath. If one idea or concept doesn’t work after several tries, try a new way or even a new business! Be ready to pivot if you have to. 3) Tenacity – Don’t give up. It won’t be easy. It will be hard…very hard. It will make you question why you ever decided to start a business in the first place. If your concept is sound and your plan is solid, stick with it. Not everything is a home run. You may fail. You WILL fail. A lot! But keep at it. Allow yourself to be ok with failure. Each failure is a detailed example of what won’t work. Cross that one off your list then try something else. Like Dori said, “Just keep swimming!”
What three pieces of advice would you give to entrepreneurs looking to get started in your industry?
Set a realistic goal. I said, REALISTIC. “making a billion dollars” is not a goal. it’s a dream. Becoming the most popular flower shop in your community is a realistic goal.
Make a plan…a detailed plan that includes finance and marketing. Have a step-by-step plan on what you intend to do to prepare, set up, run, and grow your business. It may be completely wrong, but you have to start somewhere.
Ask for help. It is impossible to start and grow a business on your own. People have remarkable capacity and they will help you if you ask for it. Recognize you don’t know it all. You probably don’t know S****. You don’t even know what you don’t know. Ask for help from successful people. Success can be contagious. Learn from them and open your ears and your mind.
Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
If you’ve ever been told, or if you’ve ever thought to yourself that you are moderately “crazy”, you will probably make a good entrepreneur.
What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Stubbornness.
Business Name
Extreme Game Truck
Contact Name
John
Business Phone
877-573-9873
Website
https://www.extremegametruck.com/locations/glendale
Email Address
john@extremegametruck.com