Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracie Jae.
Tracie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m a native Houstonian with three, now adult, daughters ages 20, 22 & 24. I have a BA in Business Administration which I completed the year my eldest daughter graduated from high school and an MA in Strategic Communication and Leadership which was completed two years later.
My professional background has been primarily focused on non-profit management with a short foray into education. I have always had an entrepreneurial inclination, but wasn’t sure how or when it would play out.
For the better part of the last three years, I created and lead workshops that helped individuals ask themselves better questions and in doing so, I realized that a failure to ask questions is creating problems in most of our relationships.
On July 3, 2017, the idea to create a question-based card game woke me out of my sleep. By the end of July, I had a prototype for the first deck of I’m Glad You Asked cards.
I’m Glad You Asked is a card game designed to create conversation and build community. Each deck has 52 cards, like a standard card deck. It is intentionally designed as a non-competitive game which is intended to encourage participation.
I invited a few friends to a small gathering to test it out. One of those friends offered to front me the money to get the first 250 decks and we sold out of those within a month & a half. So far, we have sold approximately 600 decks of cards and are taking steps to scale from here.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The largest challenges I have faced so far can be tied back to capital. Because this has been a bootstrap business, I have not had money to invest in fancy packaging or an extensive marketing campaign. Our sales so far are from word of mouth and limited social media publicity.
I will say, on a positive note, the market is showing a need for this product and the feedback has been overwhelming positive.
Games That Change – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Games That Change is on a mission to end social disconnection by creating tools for human interaction. Our core values are: Questions are important. Mistakes are okay. Feed the happy. And love first, always. We are currently known for the game I’m Glad You Asked.
We are probably better known for the name of the game than the name of the company. I am most proud that we have created a product that encourages positive human to human connection. One of the things that sets us apart is the non-competitive nature of our product. We hope that conversations are birthed and relationships are bettered as a result of playing.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of this Games That Change journey has been realizing I’d reached the end of the first 250 decks and needed to reorder. In my overall career, I think I was most proud of getting a first-time position as a grant writer on the strength of my cover letter without any grant writing experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gamesthatchange.com
- Phone: 832-577-1510
- Email: letsplay@gamesthatchange.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/gladuasked
- Facebook: facebook.com/sogladyouasked
- Twitter: twitter.com/gladuasked
Image Credit:
Ellery Harris
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
