What if our team just qualified to compete in a life-changing event halfway around the world. Think of the excitement, the sense of accomplishment, and how good it is going to be to finally step out onto the world stage. But then we realize there is no money to pay for the tickets, or the accommodation, or even a bit of spending money.
What if our live event just finished, with an audience we could only dream about, and some truly spectacular winners. But then we realize that the funds we planned to set aside for prizes had to be used for something more important at the time.
What if we finally closed the deal on the perfect venue for our esports club. It is an amazing location, just the right size. But then we realize we don’t have any money left over to buy the PC’s or consoles our players are going to need.
Why does this happen more often than not?
Shared Goals
Do you have big goals for your esports team, or tournament, or enterprise? I’ll bet the answer is a big “YES!” We are gamers, right? We know what thinking big and winning feels like.
But the one thing holding us back from reaching our goals is money. There is never enough investment to start out or grow our business. We don’t have enough money to send our team across the world, or even across town. And there is never enough to be able to pay for that spectacular venue we see in our dreams for our next tournament.
Well, we are not alone.
In Season One of the Gamers Change Lives Podcast we spoke with so many successful esports entrepreneurs and others. Our guests were from everywhere: Africa, India, Asia, MENA, Europe, the US, and Latin America.
They are doers, ingenious, full of energy and imagination. They do not ask for permission or a road map. They are adventurers.
The one common theme we learned from them all is that it takes money to make things happen. It takes money to create jobs and to change lives.
But let’s face it money can be hard to find, especially in some parts of the world, maybe in your part of the world.
Status Quo
We know the drill. For many of us to find the investment and sponsorship revenue for our esports activities of all kinds we probably:
- Ask our friends and family (again)
- Reach out to our esports network, to people who have been so generous in the past
- Try to recruit sponsors, but not always with the results we need
- Look for potential investors, but maybe we just don’t know where to look or what to say to them
- We work hard to get sponsorships for our next tournament to pay for the last one
- And always, always we dig into our own pockets
Is this your world? If so, would you like it to change?
Problems with the Status Quo
The problem with this approach is that there are limits. How many times can we go back to our friends and family, our networks, and our mentors? These people want us to succeed. They really do. But they may not have the resources to help us get to the next level, to where we really want to be. And honestly, how much more money can we afford to spend ourselves?
The Big Idea
Season Two of the Gamers Change Lives Podcast is titled “Follow the Money”.
We know that there are plenty of sources of money out there. And they exist in every part of the world, including yours. Trust me on this. Many of the people handling investments and sponsorships as well as in the government don’t know about esports. They think of esports as their son or daughter playing Fortnite, or FIFA, or COD. They don’t think of esports as an opportunity for smart business deals. Not yet anyway.
Who is going to tell them? You are. And in Season Two we are going to help you do just that.
What if we could hear esports entrepreneurs talk in detail about how they have been able to recruit real investors – and from the investors themselves? Investors come in many flavors – VCs, NGOs, and even the government.
Think of learning from sponsors and the teams, tournament organizers, and streamers who have done so many deals – some crazy but most not – that it will spark our imagination. We will soon realize that yes, we can do this.
Have you heard of media rights, merchandising, and streaming as sources of revenue? You will.
Recap and Rally Cry
We all want to create successful teams, tournaments, and venues for esports that make a difference in our lives and in the lives of others. And have fun doing it.
But to get there, it takes money. So often we just don’t feel like we have the ability to pull it off.
Instead of going to the same sources in the past that haven’t always worked out, we can learn from others who have cracked the code, who are willing to share their stories on how they have been able to secure investment, recruit sponsors, and find other ways to make money that can truly make a difference in our esports world.
No, we are not going to be handing out money in Season Two. Instead, we are offering something much more valuable, the stories of others who have found the resources to do exactly what you want to do.
“Finding funding in esports is not rocket science. It is learning where to look, what to say, and how to close deals all from people who have done it before.”
Join Us
Join us on our journey in Season Two of the Gamers Change Lives Podcast: “Follow the Money”. Subscribe today and be the first to hear of our new season and to hit the ground running on changing your esports adventure forever.
