 Flashman14  | 28 Mar 2012 3:45 p.m. PST |
How did you acquire your start up capital?
1) credit card(s)
2) personal credit line
3) family loan
4) bank loan
5) SBA
6) Inheritance
7) through personal savings from regular income
8) none of yer got damn biznez |
| John the OFM | 28 Mar 2012 3:46 p.m. PST |
9) Holdong up liquor stores and rolling drunks. |
Splintered Light Miniatures  | 28 Mar 2012 3:50 p.m. PST |
I sold a bunch of painted figures I was never going to use at a Historicon flea market and used the money to hire 2 sculptors and a moldmaker/caster. When I only had a few packs, I sold lots of painted 15's to keep money coming in to get more sculpts made.
David
Splintered Light Miniatures |
| Ed the Two Hour Wargames guy | 28 Mar 2012 4:06 p.m. PST |
Worked a real job until walked the plank, er…entered the Industry full time. |
| teenage visigoth | 28 Mar 2012 4:49 p.m. PST |
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| GiantMonster | 28 Mar 2012 5:10 p.m. PST |
#7.
I used income saved from my day job to fund my first game release. Now I save the income from current releases to fund future releases. -Ken
Radioactive Press |
| SMPress | 28 Mar 2012 5:56 p.m. PST |
7 as well. Dont go into debt, it is near impossible to climb back out again… |
| Attila The Hun | 28 Mar 2012 6:13 p.m. PST |
#2. $10 USDk line of credit almost 21 years ago. |
| HistoriFigs | 28 Mar 2012 6:47 p.m. PST |
#10 (since #9 was already added) – stock options back in the days when companies still went public. Wasn't a fortune, but did allow us to get started. So sort of, but not quite the same as #7 |
| Spreewaldgurken | 28 Mar 2012 6:56 p.m. PST |
I just started small, ten years ago. My first game sold a few thousand copies, and then I did another game a few years later that did better. And the next one did even better, and so on. I don't do anything on debt. Each game pays for the next one. |
 Doctor X | 28 Mar 2012 7:01 p.m. PST |
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| musket1 | 28 Mar 2012 7:06 p.m. PST |
We started in our basement (1976). Using my original sculpts we made our own rubber molds and cast using type metal donated from the local newspaper (they set their own type in those days). My dad who was a welder made our original centrifuge, metal ladles, etc. We sold a few figures and rolled that meager income back into the business. Every penny of income was used to finance an upgrade(melting furnace, centrifuge, etc.). After a while we were able to pay ourselves a little occasionally. As the business grew it eventually became profitable. After 30+ years we are still in business! Jim (Musket Miniatures/Rustic Rails) |
| Ambush Alley Games | 28 Mar 2012 8:13 p.m. PST |
Same as Sam. Except five years ago. Shawn. |
| MicroWorld Games | 28 Mar 2012 8:38 p.m. PST |
#7, I work a second job on the weekends to fund sculpting and moldmaking. Not the best industry if you want to actually make money! |
| CorSecEng | 28 Mar 2012 8:52 p.m. PST |
I think I started with $50. USD First laser cut order was for local guys who gave me the idea to open the company. I worked full time but never put any capitol into the company. I ran off credit cards but paid them off most months. That was about 2 years ago. I built up $2 USDk or so of debt and froze it because I quit my full time job in July and have been pushing hard to get to a sustainable point before my savings runs out. I'm really close. The debt would have been gone if I worked 2 more months but my contract was up. Most of it was the R&D for the Omni-Stands. It really depends on what your company produces. Rules/paper terrain can be published through PDF for almost no overhead. Casting takes a bit of capitol to get started. I've been told the only way to make a small fortune in this industry is to start with a large on :) Jonathan Bowen
CorSec Engineering |
| IUsedToBeSomeone | 29 Mar 2012 1:47 a.m. PST |
Personal savings built up from a career in I.T. Black Hat has earned back the initial investment now and pays a living wage (though it helps having no mortgage and no kids!) Mike |
| Jerrod | 29 Mar 2012 2:17 a.m. PST |
Jed sold some starship blueprints. |
 etotheipi | 29 Mar 2012 3:13 a.m. PST |
7 – Used up save time and work. Saved a small piece of money, but the main investment was playtesting, analyzing, and tweaking scenarios and mechanics at groups and cons. |
| shaun from s and s models | 29 Mar 2012 5:07 a.m. PST |
never borrowed a penny, just had some saving and went from there, very much hand to mouth for years, so we owe no one money.
and of course buying cheap, getting things done for free and doing return favours ect. |
| pphalen | 29 Mar 2012 5:58 a.m. PST |
What's that joke?
Start with 2 million dollars… |
BlackWidowPilot  | 31 Mar 2012 9:04 p.m. PST |
Jed sold some starship blueprints.
That explains a great deal…
Leland R. Erickson
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| Rudysnelson | 02 Apr 2012 8:03 a.m. PST |
Personal Income which is why I have never expanded as much as desired. It is also why I am still in business after 29 years. No large loan payments. Nelson Time Portal, In Business since 1983 |
| Grand Duke Natokina | 02 Apr 2012 12:40 p.m. PST |
John"s got it. Everybody knows there's no money in banks anymore. |
