Why “Fun and Joy” is the Ultimate Business Strategy

Hey LinkedIn,?

Before you read this, try to get a free VeeFriends Cards pack, box, or rare trading card by clicking this and answering what your favorite animal is ?? The team might be surprising a few of you ??

For the November edition of LinkedIn 360, I’m giving you all a closer look into a special part of my world, specifically VeeFriends Cards. In under two years, since they were launched, these cards have emerged as an anchoring pillar within the VeeFriends Collectibles ecosystem, but more importantly, I want everyone reading this to really pay attention to the strategy behind what I’m doing with this intellectual property (and how you can use it for your own entrepreneurial endeavors).?

My hope is that this newsletter will offer some value for other business owners, brands, and creators on why building your business strategy around the concept of fun and joy is a remarkably good idea. If you’re in the process of trying to build an IP, grow an engaged community, or if you’re just interested in expanding into the collectibles space, this is for you.

As always, enjoy reading, and I hope it helps.?

The ROI of Fun and Joy

I believe there’s a huge missed opportunity in entrepreneurship today, and that is using fun and joy as a strategy to drive very real business results. When I say “fun and joy,” I’m talking about everything from interactive activities and games to live streams, events, S&D (aka, “surprise and delight” through giveaways) and more. It’s the strategy I’m using to build my own contemporary entertainment company, VeeFriends.?

Before we get to that, I want everyone reading this to really understand what I’m saying here. The “fun and joy” approach works for multiple reasons. First, it allows you as a business owner, founder or creator to play the long game. Entrepreneurship is hard, but when you build around something you actually enjoy, you can swallow the micro losses and keep going. It’s why every business I’ve ever created has felt more like a hobby than “work.” Wine Library worked because I love the wine retail game. VaynerMedia works because I love the marketing game… and VeeFriends will work because I love the dirt and the process of building out each VeeFriend character from my original drawings to a full-fledged IP with real relevance in culture … and just like Pokémon, Disney, Sesame Street or Marvel, I’m gonna get there by using fun and joy (like cartoons and trading cards) as a roadmap to growth.?

We’re living in a time when so many are getting into entrepreneurship because it’s “cool.” People don’t love business, they love what they think they’re gonna be able to buy for themselves from the business.. Instead, I think it’s time people start asking themselves, “what do I actually enjoy?” If you can find the cross-section of what you like and where the market is going, that’s the best.?

The second reason is simple… the world needs more fun and more joy, period. If you want to build your brand and grow a community that’s enthusiastically engaged with whatever you’re selling, what better way to do that than through something that people enjoy doing, or collecting, or sharing with their loved ones? We adults need more creativity and more play, especially when we can incorporate kids in our lives. It’s why “collecting” as a hobby continues to scale in relevance in society, and why we’re seeing such a strong return with VeeFriends Cards so early into the IP development.?

Why Cards and Collectibles Work

My own journey with sports cards and collecting started very early. I spent my years as a teenager setting up tables at different baseball card shows in New Jersey. I look back on those times with the best memories, and realize that they were truly the foundation for a lot of what I do today. It was fun for me to figure out the best ways to set up my display to get people to stop at my table. It was fun spending my time doing research and building a collection. There was really nothing like that ‘86 through ‘92 sports cards era, and I’m so glad that same joy I experienced as a teen is having a resurgence today.?

The TCG (Trading Card Game) Market is growing rapidly. In fact, the collectible card game global market size in 2021 was an incredible $12.9B. For example, Pokémon made 9.7B cards last year. VeeFriends is still in its early days as an IP and even earlier in the cards space, but we’re already seeing a massive response.?

Check out some stats around the sales of VeeFriends Cards and other collectibles on eBay:?

• 21k+ items sold on eBay secondary market
• 3,300+ active sellers
• $173 average sale price, 4x other leading IPs
• $4.2M in secondary market sales
• Series 1 VeeFriends card boxes 300% increase since launch in March 2022
• 40% international collectors

Let there be no confusion, fun and joy as a business strategy isn’t just “nice to have,” it’s driving real, tangible business results… but why??

Five years ago, I tried to tell everyone that sports cards were back big time – my best friends, my brother – but no one believed me. Looking back, I think it’s because they thought I was thinking with my heart. They thought my love and nostalgia for cards were clouding my vision, but I knew something huge was coming, and here’s why.

Around 2018, my son started getting into cards with his friends. Naturally, it was a huge connection point for him and I to bond and for me to teach him what I know. I figured that former card enthusiasts would now be getting back into the game as a way to connect with their kids. On top of that, I knew from VaynerMedia’s strategy work with companies like Hasbro and Mattel that toy franchises tend to loop every 25-30 years when parents get interested in teaching their kids.?

Fast forward to now, and collectible cards are back in a major way… and VeeFriends Cards are quickly becoming a core pillar within our collectibles vertical. From our Series 1 cards to the VeeFriends Trading Card Game, it’s all about how enjoyment and comradery can build brand and community in real time. Families are building memories together through collecting the cards and opening packs. We see more and more kids introducing their parents to the VeeFriends Trading Card Game, and vice versa. Many parents and educators are embracing these kinds of games as they encourage strategic thinking, math skills, and social interaction among kids. Perhaps most importantly, people are collecting these cards and learning about kindness, positivity, and soft skills at the same time.?

All that being said, I encourage anyone reading this to watch what’s happening with VeeFriends Cards and understand how you can take some of these elements and make them work for you. Plus, keep reading for a fun chance to win your own free VeeFriends Cards!?

VeeFriends Cards

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VeeFriends Cards were the first physical expansion of the VeeFriends universe, adapting the characters into collectible trading cards.?

VeeFriends x ZeroCool Series 1 Cards

First came the VeeFriends Series 1 Cards, an ultra-limited release of 1,000 boxes produced by zerocool, each containing one pack of 10 premium cards. Released in March 2022, these cards expanded collectibility beyond the original Series 1 tokens, making the fun and joy of VeeFriends more accessible to an even larger community. For more information on the VeeFriends Series 1 zerocool Cards, check out this blog or watch the announcement video here.

Then, we expanded further into the cards space with a Series 2 release. These trading cards serve both gameplay and collectible purposes, offering flexibility and enjoyment for collectors. Whether you want to engage in thrilling competitions or expand your collectible set, the Series 2 VeeFriends Trading Card Game provides an immersive experience within the VeeFriends universe.?

About VeeFriends Trading Card Game

The VeeFriends Trading Card Game is an exciting, simple and strategic card game that is quickly becoming a core focus of both the brand and the community… and it’s based completely on the principles of fun and joy. It’s a numbers-based game, making it very easy for kids to play, but it also has strategic elements of poker which makes it fun for adults as well.

Gameplay

Here’s how it works:?

The game revolves around the characters’ total SCORE, which combines their AURA, SKILL, and STAMINA attributes. Each character possesses a score between 50 and 75, and rarer foil cards even have a score boost. Players engage in head-to-head battles, with the most powerful character score emerging victorious. In order to win the game, a player must acquire seven or more points in any single attribute.

Check out more alpha on the game and how to play, or watch an in-depth, step-by-step video tutorial here.?

The Early Days

Earlier this year, VeeFriends hosted the first ever VeeFriends Trading Card Game tournament at the 2023 NSCC (National Sports Collectors Convention) in Chicago. 52 competitive players gathered with their card decks to connect with friends, open packs, learn the game, and battle it out for the title of champion.?

Since then, the focus has been spreading awareness of the game, the collectible nature of the cards themselves and of course, growing the community, primarily through social media content and live stream sessions on the Fanatics Live platform.?

Fanatics Live?

Seeing the growth of live commerce, VeeFriends has joined as a strategic partner of Fanatics Live alongside notable brands like the NBA, MLB, WWE, and more. The VeeFriends team goes live on the Fanatics Live platform several times a week, bringing on guests to break packs, sharing details about what’s next in the VeeFriends ecosystem, and teaching the community? – new and old – about the characters, the card space, and more.

I also join in on these streams pretty often. Not only do they drive sales, they’re also crucial to the ongoing engagement and entertainment factor, helping us to build brand awareness around VeeFriends and expand the community. People look forward to these streams as a great way to learn, hang out with the community, and win tons of free giveaways. Many people get their first packs on Fanatics Live, they learn about the IP from OG community members in the chat and become a part of something special.?

For some people, it’s about flipping and making a profit. For some, it’s about the hobby of opening packs and collecting. For others, it’s about legacy or sharing the fun of cards with their kids. Either way, VeeFriends is still in its early days and many of our collectors are early in their journeys, and “fun and joy” have been a major pipeline to bring new people into the exciting world of cards and collecting.?

If you’re reading this, I want you to ask yourself, how can you incorporate more “fun and joy” into your business model? This is such a big subject matter for entrepreneurs… once you understand this .. so much perspective unlocks and allows for so much more happiness and joy and often financial ?? success.?

As always, thank you for reading. I also want to invite my LinkedIn community to join in on the fun and joy yourselves! The VeeFriends team will go live tomorrow, Tuesday, November 28th at 5:55 PM ET, and first-time viewers from LinkedIn can use promo code “LINKEDIN360” to get a VeeFriends Cards pack! SIGN-UP HERE (Follow these steps, but be sure to use “LINKEDIN360” when entering the code).

Note, the Fanatics Live app is currently unavailable for international and Android users, so the above link only allows you to watch via Desktop. To stay in the loop or If you have any questions, hit up @veefriendscards.