13 THINGS I HAVE LEARNT FROM THE BUSINESS OF GAMING & ESPORTS

Community 1st.

Without a community of Gamers, fans and stakeholders, I got nothing to give. I always have to think of growing a community and audience for any esports events, teams, products and services. The more community-oriented I become the better I stay on top of mind awareness.

2. Investment in people

There are people in the community that have challenges in life in general but they are connected to me via my Esports dream, these young ones, I will have to find ways and mean to invest in their lives to make them better in life.

Some key assistance will be helping with their education or finding employment for them through my network or some monetary support when needed or paying for a hospital bill when one is sick.

2. Have a Product, a Service and a Program

A product can be anything that I am offering or providing within the Esports ecosystem. If I have a Product of goodwill, I can sell it. My service is how I treat people, and how I relate to players and fans during my event. My program can be my schedule of Events. I have learned that in Esports you can craft an event to become a product which is very sellable to clients and sponsors. But having a calendar of programs or activations will position it well for sponsorship and partnership.

3. Collaborate but be Selective

Collaboration is good but the truth is, collaborate with like-minded people who share the same values and principles as you. If I collaborate with anyone it is because we believe in each other and we need each other's to grow. Some collaboration when not properly done can lead to chaos and unnecessary rivalry in the end. One needs to be selective in partnerships that bring value to each other's brands. My philosophy has always been, no man is an island to himself or herself. We need each other to make it happen. But also not everyone is seeking your best interest, some will stick around because of their own individual interest. Get to know them and avoid them.

Remember, you can NOT go with everyone but you can always go with someone.

True collaborators will always build a solid foundation and backbone of support for Esports. And I am blessed with people across the Globe who genuinely want to see me grow and turn my ideas into realities. It is with such collaboration, I am able to do so many things and make Esports meaningful and impactful within my community for such collaborations which I also refer also to as Relationships.

4. Every Esports Engagement is Different

No single Esports activation or production can be the same from beginning to end. Each event has its one intricacy and challenges and vice versa each event also has its high point of satisfaction, happiness and deliverables.

So though the format of preparation and all can be similar, the overall experience is also different from each other. I love the grind and passion of each activation because it offers me a learning curve to always improve. Different situations call for different mechanisms of achievement, don't be afraid of the diversity that comes... be the difference

5. You got to pay the Price to earn the Prize.

My Esports Business is like any other business in the world, I got to put in the work. The kind of work that will bring recognition is what I call paying the price. It also means in other words ploughing my land or field thus if you are into farming, the very things you will need to do to prepare the land for planting is what I call paying the price. #TheHardWork. Going early to the event ground to clean up the place, and setting up branding panels, consoles, screens, and audience seating area, designing stream creative assets, all add-ups to the work. In most cases first to arrive and last to leave.

I lean that the kind of work I put in eventfully brings in the prize. The Prize here is the harvest or return on investment you have put into your business or the land you are ploughing, and for me, It is all the activities I continually do within the Esports space in Ghana and Africa to make things happen not for me alone but also for many other people.

6. Have a Plan but be Creative.

Every business starts as an idea then it evolves into Reality with a Plan. A Business plan, therefore, stipulates the vision and the mission which also informs the direction of the company, with Esports, as Technology advances, it is imperative to be creative to adopt and adapt to current trends within the industry. Creativity is being able to take what you have planned and evolved it within the current times and seasons we are in.

Yes, you have the plan and how things should go but think out of the box and be creative with all your engagements. I am always looking for ways to buzz up my esports ideas, test, try and try again and again with the plan in view. I have learned that being creative in my esports offering helps me to explore other avenues and opens my eyes to other fields of endeavours.

7. Your Imagination is Your Limitation

In the business of gaming, whatever you imagine doing is possible, the only limitation is my mind. If I keep feeding my mind with #Possibilities, it will eventually draw a roadmap or a compass to the destination. So Go ahead and imagine.?

8. Start Small With What You have.

I start my first Gaming hub on our house porch with one original Xbox console and months along the line added PS1 and PS2 consoles. The key thing here is

"You always have the means to start from where you are with what you have. You can also start with your gifts, talents or profession.

I recognised the modern business trajectory of esports but I also learned that Retro gaming is also another business venture, I can activate. There is no compulsory rule for next-gen consoles or PCs only for tournaments or events. One can diversify into the old and create a unique experience with Retro Gaming as well. The sports Business space has an infinite of ideas which can be explored. Again the limitation is my imagination, if I can imagine, and study the environment and the community I am in, I can make it happen.

9. Build Your Business with Respect and Empathy.

For most people when we talk about Esports the first thing that comes to mind is Computers, tech gadgets, Screens, RGB lights Controllers, play, fun, Virtual and electronic devices, well, that could be the visible representation that our minds draw us to, but "Esports is Human"?like any other traditional sports Humans makes the discipline great, so is Esports, the human element of Esports are the people involved and not the hardware and the platforms. Behind every console or PC is a human being playing and in the LAN Event are people with feelings and emotions that need #Respect and #Empathy. An Esports Business built on respect for the community, players, fans and stakeholders will stand the test of time and become a well-loved brand.

10. Win or Lose, Pain and Praise, Rejection and Acceptance are all part of the growth Process.

Someone asked me how many Esports businesses have I tried to establish and failed and how many people have fallout with me because we did not see eye to eye on Esports projects.

The question hit me hard, I began to recount all my attempts and failures... Well, like any human society, there are things which I will never have control over, for those, I do my possible best to solve, but losing or failing in a project or an event or tournament gone bad is part of my journey in life, the bitter lessons must be learned and move to pass it. The lesson in most cases is "People will come into your life and people will go, you got to accept that it is all part of the journey of life to appreciate every step of the way, the highs and lows days, the praise of people when things go excellently well and the rejection of people when things don't go your way or their way whether your fault or no fault of yours. I got to learn to forgive myself, and them and move past that phase of life.

I have leant to end the game and close that chapter... See that #GameOver signature. Take time off and #ReStart with a big bang. But in all, I never forget to celebrate with my team the big and small victories that come our way.

11. Anticipate...

I should always be on the lookout for something I can plug into with my Esports strategy. Some will be to build synergies or gain relationships leading to future mutual business collaborations. Anticipate new trends.

12. Build a Relationship

I speak of Relationship in Esports Business towards the future, Relationship in Esports calls for responsibility towards each other, it is a simple code of trust to look out for my good and I will look out for your good as well. Relationships build on transparency... For an Esports partnership to work the currency of Integrity and equity must be upheld at all times between friends, partners, investors, sponsors and stakeholders.

The Esports space as rightly defined is the Competitive play of video games... and as such in a real business sense, it is also Competitive in ideas, concepts, events and services towards a category of the audience whose interest, passion and love pivot on the video games, tech, sports and entertainment.

As businesses compete to get a greater market share, there are sometimes levels of toxicity among leadership... for me, the lesson has always been, to craft your dream and work it for all to see. Encourage others in their quest, but have a positive disposition towards everyone in the Esports marketplace and community.

13. Education is a Real Deal

I have learned that constantly learning and educating myself within the space is key to building a solid Esports business. I must educate myself on leadership, contracts, rules and regulations, branding and technical know-how. Business strategies will help me deliver the KPIs set for the Esports business plan that I envision.

Education is very key and its spans every sphere of the Esports Ecosystem. The foundation of sustainable Esports is deeply rooted in Education. Without education, we will lack the knowledge to empower ourselves to own Esports space, the way we want it and the way it should be for posterity.

I am Kwesi Hayford and these are my very own thoughts... Hope this helps someone somewhere in the world. You can also share your thoughts on what you have leant in Esports with me, anytime, any day.

Until another article or post.

Kind regards.