Lessons we learned from building a game tools business

Lessons we learned from building a game tools business. Order the video at gamedevbiz.com.
(Keep in mind each of these deserves its own blog post, but more details are in the video)

Financial

Always try to have financial buffer
You’ll never know when you get paid for sure until you have that check, especially in consulting
You never know for sure when a deal will go through until ink is signed to paper
Invest in a good lawyer
Selling to small companies is extremely valuable, even though it’s less cash

Sales

Consider offering free evaluations
Building trust and good relationships matters more than anything
Don’t do hard sells
Always be confident, convey stability and success
Learn how to write a good pitch

Pricing

Try to find out what customers pay for similar products
Keep it simple
Think about the value you add and money you save people
Don’t have a “death price"

Networking

Do it. Network, network, network, network
Be public. Blog. Use social media. Go to events. Speak at events.
Do informational interviews with business owners who are in the place you want to be
Do informational interviews with potential customers
Seek out community-- get to know similar businesses and talk to them
Giving back is the right thing to do and also builds business

Happiness

Don’t work a lot
Be wary of investors
Stay small
Be polite and confident, but be yourself
Seriously question advice others give and don’t blindly follow it
Don't get sucked into the wrong mindset

What do I admire in entreprenuers?

People who genuinely care about others and take care of people
People who are fair to the point of going against the norm, who don’t underpay employees or rip people off just because other companies do it
People who are genuinely happy, and live balanced lives
People who don’t just care about tech and are tapped into their communities
People who make their own decisions and have the freedom to go against inefficient and toxic norms