Ingredient #1: Family
My husband, Peter, and I started our business in the jungle rainforests of tropical Australia.
We had a few thousand dollars and an idea to take a video game and experience it LIVE.
Today, we run three businesses:
I am a storyteller, entrepreneur, and mother of two. I'm also a sci-fi tragic, marketing enthusiast, and Table Tennis player.
Peter & I started our business more than 25 years ago as a bit of side-hustle.
When we started, we just asked our gamers for a few bucks to cover the cost of batteries.
I created a website, www.lasertag.com.au, and people worldwide started emailing us.
Saying, "Hey! What you are doing is cool. How can I do it too?"
We decided to move from the small town of Cairns to the big city, the State capital, Brisbane.
We wanted to build a business that gave the family regular and reliable cash flow.
We wanted to make a difference in people's lives and give them an experience that they would never forget.
One of those handful of experiences that the players would never forget.
When we moved to a big city, we asked ourselves: “Will people in the city love playing laser tag like they in my small town?â€
And do you know what?
People did!
In 2006, we started developing a brand-new live gaming technology.
By this time, we had spent 7 years entertaining thousands of players and listening to their feedback.
We took everything we had learned from our experience and the feedback from players and operators and instilled it into a new live-action gaming system.
Then, in 2009, we launched our patented system.
The timing was terrible.
It was just around the time of the GFC (the Global Financial Crisis).
Money was tight.
People were worried about investing in new technology and new businesses.
Many times, I felt like giving up.
But the support of my family kept me going.
My husband and my kids also work in the business. Since they were little, they have needed to work if they want pocket money.
Today, my daughter, Zabrynn, works in the office and on the field, running games. My son, Ben, works in our factory, manufacturing equipment, doing quality testing, and working in the field.
Our godson, Aaron, is one of our part-time Gaming COs and runs events for us while he is studying at University.
And the list goes on!
Over the last two decades, we've had (at various times) cousins, sisters-in-law, and brothers from another mother work in our team.
Together, we are a tight-knit team.
We have built a community of crew and Battlefield Operators. We've enabled millions of players worldwide to enjoy the thrill of live-action gaming.
