SCARS: The Game of Imperfections

Roy Morejon:

Welcome, entrepreneurs and startups, to Art of the Kickstart, the show that every entrepreneur needs to listen to before you launch. I’m your host, Roy Morejon, president and founder of Enventys Partners, the world’s only turnkey product launch company. From product development and engineering to omnichannel marketing, we’ve helped our clients launch thousands of inventions and earn more than 1 billion dollars in sales over the past 20 years. Each week, I interview a startup success story, an inspirational entrepreneur or a business expert in order to help you take your launch to the next level.

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Welcome to another edition of Art of the Kickstart. Today, I am super stoked because I am talking with the co-founders of Bonfire Socials and the creators of SCARS: The Game of Imperfections. With me is Erin and Alex, the co-founders. Thank you so much, Erin and Alex, for joining me today on Art of the Kickstart.

Erin:

Hey. It’s nice to join everyone. Hello.

Alex:

Yeah, thanks for having us.

Erin:

I’m Erin.

Alex:

Alex.

Roy Morejon:

Yeah, pleasure to have you guys. And I’m really excited about this game for one, because I’m a bit of an introvert, so communication can always be difficult. At least that’s what my wife says with me. But I think the art of communication is definitely lost. And again, with this pandemic, we’ve all spread out and I think we’re starting to deepen our connections again by at least having more interpersonal opportunities to speak with folks. But I’m really excited about what you guys have created here. So if you would, share for our audience and tell them about the product that you’ve both created.

Erin:

Yeah, you really hit the nail on the head, Roy, with the purpose of SCARS: The Game of Imperfections. It’s a conversation card game that tries to bridge the gap of small talk, which is it serves a purpose. It’s also incredibly painful, and it can be hard to… Like, what do you say? The issue of introverts. So that’s what we tried to solve with our game, is storytelling which is, for ages, that is what humans have always done. That is how we have strengthened bonds and furthered humanity in general, is both through community and through storytelling.

Alex:

Yeah, absolutely. And so through the pandemic, we realized that that issue of, I guess, basically from the social media age, everyone started only really discussing and talking to each other over social media, and the general lifeness of everything was a bit pulled back. So we really wanted to find a way to circumvent that issue, and SCARS was what we came up with.

Roy Morejon:

Amazing. So was this something that started at the kitchen table between the two of you, or having groups of friends over that you just didn’t know where to start the conversation with? Talk about that process, because I think a lot of founders have those moments where they’re just like, “Oh, that might be something. That might be a product. That might be an idea.” How did it start for the two of you?

Erin:

Yeah, so where it started was the COVID-19 pandemic. We have a lot of conversation cards ourselves, and we wanted to throw our hat in the rink. But there are… It’s a very saturated market currently, and conversation cards are a dime a dozen. So we wanted to do something that was particularly special, engaging.

The art of asking a tasteful question, something that is not too self-indulgent, me personally, I don’t want to turn to someone and be like, “So what was your favorite thing about me when you first met me?” Ooh, I can’t do that. [inaudible 00:04:12]-

Alex:

Yeah-

Erin:

Go ahead.

Alex:

So essentially, I came back from rehearsals with a group. And she had come up with this concept of an idea and she pulled me outside the day after I get back, and I’ve been gone for two weeks, and she says, “What if we did something like this?” She had been very much enraptured by conversation cards for years. We have countless boxes. Our library is more so a library of conversation cards than it is books. And so she had this idea, and I’ve got a full sleeve and so she at one point asks me, “What is the story behind that one?” And it’s like, hold up. That’s the thing. That’s such a easy bridged question that can apply to anyone that has a tattoo or anything else like that, and it led into SCARS. And then we just started talking back and forth on the back porch, and over the course of the last two years, we developed this whole thing.

But it definitely came from something as simple as, what is that? Where did you get that? Why did you get? All those basic questions. And then my brain just wanted to take it and say, “Well, you can make money off of that, I suppose.”

Erin:

Mm-hmm. Yeah, because we were brainstorming other conversation cards, but again, it’s really hard not to be too self-indulgent, not to be too heavy or too light. No one really wants to answer about their favorite ice cream, right? But if you start asking somebody the stories of their life, and if they’re tasteful questions, you can get some really amazing stories about the person in front of you.

Roy Morejon:

Absolutely. And I love that because some scars are visible and most scars are internal, right?

Erin:

Right.

Alex:

[inaudible 00:05:57].

Roy Morejon:

And I think the beauty of this is it allows both, right, where it’s something as visual as a sleeve of tattoos. It’s like, what does that one represent? And there’s a story behind that because of the thought process, the design, the ink, the color, all of those things. There was a lot of pre-thought to that. But then again, when you’re with a more intimate group of friends and family, if you will, there’s opportunities there to learn more about people. And what better way than to do that through stories? We remember stories so much more so than we remember stats. And I think the stories of the scars are the ones that we probably remember most.

Erin:

Yes.

Alex:

Yes, absolutely.

Erin:

Yes, absolutely. You’ve got it. You understand us.

Roy Morejon:

I get it. No, I love the product. I think it’s much deeper, right, than most of them. Nobody cares what your favorite flavor of ice cream is. No one’s going to remember that. Maybe they will. The one time they have a chance to buy something for you and dessert, they remembered it was rocky road ice cream, and then you wow them. But there’s certainly other ways to wow people through their hearts, right?

Erin:

Yes.

Roy Morejon:

Through remembering those stories and those deeper connections that you can get with folks. And I think that’s what it sounds like your card game is going to be able to do.

Erin:

Yeah.

Alex:

Yeah.

Erin:

100%. A lot of people, they get really nervous when we tell them SCARS: The Game of Imperfection, all of the questions are body-centered questions. And they’re like… They get really antsy. They’re like, “What kind of questions are you going to ask?” But we aimed to ask questions you could ask someone at a bar. And yes, depending on how the person wants to answer, they can tell you a lot about the person that they used to be.

Alex:

Yeah. As shallow of a scar, as deep of a scar as you want, really.

Erin:

Mm-hmm.

Roy Morejon:

Indeed. So I’d love to know a little bit about both of your backgrounds and what led you down to this entrepreneurial path now.

Erin:

Yeah. So I’m a massage therapist. I’ve been doing massage for seven years, and that is a large inspiration for SCARS, is I have had all of my clients get on my table. They apologize about their body before they get on the table, and that’s not my job. My job is not to judge the person that is laying on the table. My job is to hold space for them and hopefully for them to walk up and walk away feeling amazing.

So that said, seeing, I like to say, the rolls, the cellulite, the scars, and seeing that everybody has a body and an experience and all of these stories that make up who they are, and these stories continue to change. That’s another thing that I love about our game, is that as long as you’re living and breathing, your stories to… your answers to the questions can change too. So that’s my background, is massage and how that inspired me.

Alex:

Yeah. Obviously, due to this room, I’m a musician full time. I have been since I was five. Never done a normal gig, if you will, and so I’ve basically been an entrepreneur my entire life. Went to the Berklee College of Music and left prematurely, like most of us, to go and do other things in the industry.

So I’ve always been somewhat attuned to how can you take this idea and make an actual product, refine that product and then put it out and make sure that it’s got a customer base that wants it, and how can you feed that customer base. So between her passion and my…

Erin:

Brain.

Alex:

I guess business sense, as limited as it is for a musician, we were able to team up and make this into something that’s actually tangible to where it can actually go out and help the people that want this type of thing.

Erin:

Mm-hmm.

Roy Morejon:

Amazing. If you would for our audience, because a lot of them get stuck at that point where it’s like, “Ah.” They have that aha, and they let it go and they never take that first step. If you would, walk me and the audience through what were those first steps. Maybe it was just the writing down of some intriguing questions and then going about how to find a manufacturer, maybe, or the design process of that. Walk the audience through how that all started.

Alex:

Yeah. So the initial phase, I don’t quite remember how long it took, but it was probably a good six months before we actually found a company that’d be willing to print this at a cost-effective margin just so we can see what’s happening, put it into actuality and see how it works. And the initial version of our game is not in existence anymore. We had categories. We had a whole different concept behind it. And so we partnered with NPC to make playing cards, it’s a company out of China, to go through and develop our first iteration. Then they sent it to us, we reviewed it. We tried it out with friends and family, and it was like this isn’t quite what we’re trying to get at, but the majority of the questions were there. And so we refined it again, and then we got a graphic designer to help us essentially build what this is, where it’s this lovely packaged, everything looks great.

And that took multiple months of just back and forth like, “Eh, let’s not do that cutter. Let’s do this.” But really, what it was to get to that point was A, because she wanted the dream to die countless times out-

Erin:

It’s true.

Alex:

… of just frustration.

Erin:

Yeah. Oh my gosh, yes.

Alex:

But for us at least, it was having this communication, ironically, to be able to say, “No, this is going to be fine. Let’s try this one more time. Let’s try it again. Let’s change this one thing, and that’s going to make everything else fall into place.”

Erin:

Mm-hmm.

Alex:

And we just did that a hundred times, and here we are now.

Erin:

Yeah, two years later. There have been so many delays and so many setbacks, and it has been so… And for me, I’m very impatient. So with the pandemic, I was like, “We’ve got to launch this now. Right now, when everybody can’t talk to each other, this is when they need it the most.” And here we are, two years later. And yeah, he has definitely… Alex has had to pick me up off the ground to just shove me in the right… Like, “Go. Keep going. Don’t give up.”

Alex:

Yeah.

Erin:

Did we answer your question, Roy?

Roy Morejon:

Absolutely, and I think it’s a common answer. It’s a trial and error, and a lot of people end up giving up, unfortunately. They just shelf it or they’re just like, “Yeah, you know what? This is too much for me,” or “It’s too much money or it’s just… We didn’t hit it right on the first go around, and let’s shelf it.” You know?

Alex:

Yeah.

Roy Morejon:

And I think that’s where a lot of people are getting discouraged, unfortunately, is just the first go around. And your friends and family aren’t always going to be the best litmus test for your product, right?

Alex:

[inaudible 00:13:01].

Roy Morejon:

And I think a lot of people fail there, where they get the pat on the head or the back and they’re like, “Oh, this is great. You’re going to be so successful.” And then once you get it out there, none of your friends and family end up supporting you, which is really unfortunate. But again, you have to think of the product and the audience that it’s going towards.

And I think something like this certainly is very broad, right, in terms of the overall audience because we need to be having these conversations. And I think just with families and everything like that, this is the best way to remember other family members by the stories that they tell. So I see this game lasting a long way, and I love the fact that you’re starting to think about these expansion packs too. Maybe some more intimate questions that you just ask your partner, or maybe questions that you just ask your family, right, and it’s just like, “Let’s get those stories out there.” So I love the idea and I love the fact of where you guys are headed with it. So congrats on what you guys have gone through so far.

Erin:

Thank you so much.

Alex:

Thank you so much.

Erin:

I love it.

Alex:

And I do want to circle back real quick to your previous question, which was one of the biggest things I did notice, and I see it a lot of time in my industry with my clients that I work with, is it’s easy to fall by the wayside whenever it takes a long time. And balancing the amount of time and how much you’re willing to put into that product is crucial. If you let it just sit for six months, you are not going to have the same drive to get it done. You do have to maintain that strive, the entire thing.

Erin:

And traction. It is so hard to gain traction again whenever you’ve slowed down.

Alex:

Yeah, yeah.

Roy Morejon:

Worth the fight, though, right?

Alex:

Absolutely.

Erin:

Definitely.

Roy Morejon:

Awesome. All right. Well, Erin, you drew the short straw, so you’re going to be my launch round contestant this afternoon. Are you good to go?

Erin:

Yay. I’m ready.

Roy Morejon:

All right. So what inspired you to be an entrepreneur?

Erin:

Oh. Oh, no. Aw, man. I am passionate about conversations and community in general. And they say to do what you love, and that’s what I love. And we made a product that helps make multiple people happy. [inaudible 00:15:18] answer?

Roy Morejon:

Absolutely.

Alex:

Ding.

Roy Morejon:

Definitely.

Erin:

Ding.

Roy Morejon:

So if you could meet with any entrepreneur throughout history, who would you want to have a game with?

Erin:

Oh, no. Oh, man. Oh, no. Can Alex answer instead?

Alex:

Six months ago, she would say Elon Musk.

Erin:

I would’ve, but he’s wilding out sometimes. Sometimes.

Roy Morejon:

How about, what’s your favorite card to play with someone?

Erin:

Okay.

Roy Morejon:

What’s your favorite question?

Erin:

So my favorite question, it asks, “an you snap your fingers? Can you whistle? And can you move your eyebrows?” And what I love about this question is that everybody starts snapping their fingers and then everybody’s whistling, and they’ll ask all of these questions that… You see, the beauty of the game is not exactly the questions. It is all of the doors that are opened through the questions. So people will be like, “Can you wiggle your ears?” Which is not asked on that question.

Alex:

It always comes down to that.

Erin:

But everybody, they start pulling their hair and they’re like, “Oh, look. Nope, not me.” So that one, because it’s so interactive and it’s so easy. You wouldn’t expect it. It’s a beautiful card.

Roy Morejon:

Nice. Yeah, no, I like that it’s an opener. I think my kids would be like, “Oh, I can put my tongue in a W or something like that.”

Erin:

[inaudible 00:16:50].

Roy Morejon:

All the weird things you can do with your face, right?

Erin:

Mm-hmm.

Roy Morejon:

All right, I got three more questions for you. Any book that you would recommend to our listeners?

Erin:

Oh, Set Boundaries, find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab is an amazing book. Also, Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown.

Roy Morejon:

Yep.

Erin:

And yeah, I think that I’m… There are so many on our website. There’s a resource page that is all about just self-help and community, and that is where I would go: to our website.

Roy Morejon:

Amazing. Great reads. Second to last question. What advice would you give to a new inventor or entrepreneur that’s looking to launch their new product?

Erin:

I would say it takes a whole lot of trust in yourself. I think that you have to keep pushing yourself and keep… It’s okay to be critical and to refine it and make it the best that it is, but there’s going to be plenty of people out there that your product is not going to be for them. That’s fine. Your product is going to be for someone else, and you have to be the one that is on your own team.

Roy Morejon:

Absolutely. It’s better that way too, you know?

Erin:

Mm-hmm.

Roy Morejon:

We’re not making things for everybody, right?

Erin:

Yeah.

Roy Morejon:

Otherwise, it’d be air or water, right?

Erin:

That’s right.

Alex:

Yeah.

Roy Morejon:

All right, last question. And I know the crowdfunding campaign hasn’t launched yet, but given your experience and why you guys are choosing to launch SCARS with crowdfunding, what does the future of crowdfunding look like to you?

Erin:

Ooh, the future of crowdfunding. What does it look like to me? I think that it is something that a lot of people are turning to, ourselves included. I think that it is a wonderful way to get exposure and get your product out in front of a large audience. So, I mean, who knows where it’s going to go, but I can definitely see it growing a lot more.

I’ve had a lot of people ask me, “What is Kickstarter?” And, well, I think that we will all continue to learn that question over and over as these kind of platforms get larger and larger. I hope I answered the question.

Roy Morejon:

Absolutely. Well, Erin, Alex, this has been amazing. This is your opportunity to give your final pitch to our audience. Tell people what you’re all about, where they should go and why they should check out SCARS.

Erin:

You go. Go ahead.

Alex:

Oh. Well, if you’re looking for a game that is honestly a fantastic icebreaker, something that will allow you to share as much or as little as you want but still be able to be part of the group in that discussion, this is a great option. SCARS is going to touch on things that you wouldn’t even consider for yourself. And hell, after being with her for seven years, I still learn things about her from playing this game.

Erin:

Yeah, we play our own game. The game is customizable throughout the two expansion packs, and we hope to launch more expansion packs to help you curate a card deck that continues to grow with you.

Roy Morejon:

Absolutely. I love it. Erin, Alex, thanks so much. Audience, thanks for tuning in. Make sure to visit artof thekickstart.com for the notes, transcript, links to the campaign once it goes live. And of course, I got to thank our crowdfunding podcast sponsor over at ProductHype, the top newsletter for new products that just launched. Erin, Alex, thank you so much for joining us today on Art of the Kickstart.

Erin:

Thank you.

Alex:

Thank you so much, Roy.

Roy Morejon:

Thank you for tuning into another amazing episode of Art of the Kickstart, the show about building a better business, life and world with crowdfunding. If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode as much as I did, make sure to show us some love by rating us and reviewing us on your favorite listening station, whatever that may be. Your review really helps other founders and startups find us so they can improve their craft and achieve greater success like you.

And of course, be sure to visit artofthekickstart.com for all the previous episodes. And if you need any help, make sure to send me an email at info@artofthekickstart.com. I’ll be glad to help you out. Thanks again for tuning in. I’ll see you next week.