Elliott Eddie knows what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. He’s currently running eight businesses and now wants to energize others who have the same drive to work for themselves.
Eddie is hoping The Entrepreneur Board Game, which he created in 2019, will help accomplish that.
The game was born after Eddie, a renowned public speaker for Toastmasters, was invited to talk to a group of students at a Richmond public library. His topic of choice? Entrepreneurship.
“I think everyone has a gift, and they owe it to the world to explore that and bring value to the world,” he said. “It excites me that there are things that are possible for you to achieve. I love the possibilities.”
Eddie said during that presentation he was disheartened to hear one student respond, “I can’t open a business. You have to be special to open a business, and I’m not special.”
“That broke my heart,” he told Inno. “This child represents so many others around the world. What could I do to help them understand they really could open a business?”
Eddie thought about board games. He grew up playing Monopoly, which he said sparked his interest in real estate. After researching and discovering a game centered around teaching entrepreneurship didn’t exist, Eddie decided to create it himself.
The Entrepreneur Game begins by engaging the imagination. Players choose the type of businesses they want to start, name the business and decide whether it will be home-based or a brick-and-mortar company.
Throughout the game, players pick cards that ask questions or present situations they may face in the real world, Eddie said.
“It’s all about the choices, creative thinking and decision-making entrepreneurs have to make every day for the business in order to grow it,” he said. “You learn a whole host of 21st century skills, so you’re going to learn about budgeting; you’re going to learn about investing; you’re going to learn communication, negotiation; you’re going to learn all these skills we need whether you become an entrepreneur or enter into the workforce.”
To bring the game to life, Eddie said he raised funds through a kickstarter campaign. He said in less than four hours, the campaign raised $20,000.
“Right away, it tapped into the imagination of people as to what is possible,” he said.
Eddie has created an online version that allows players to connect with one another from all over the world.
“I really want to create an entrepreneurial movement, so people can innovate and create new ways of seeing the world, new ways of creating income for themselves, new ways of uplifting their communities and families,” he said.
During the pandemic, Eddie said interest in the board game increased. He noted that although many businesses closed as a result, interest in entrepreneurship increased. Many people innovated out of necessity, he said.
“People were able to adapt and create new things during times of crisis, and this is part of what the entrepreneurship game helps people to learn,” Eddie said. “The main lesson is, I hope they go out and try and not be fearful or let their dreams be suppressed.”