Come Play The Entrepreneur Game by EESpeaks to Learn How to be an Entrepreneur
We’re taught how to be workers but not how to venture off into our own businesses. School teaches us that the only way to be successful is to go to school then work for someone else, but what about the individuals who want more? Elliot Eddie was one of those people who wanted more, so he went and got it.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Eddie worked for multiple companies where he felt that he wasn’t using his brain enough. In the past, Eddie was a security guard, manager for Firestone, waiter at several restaurants, a mail clerk, customer service representative for AT&T, a gas meter reader and many more, yet all of them left him feeling empty.
“The only way to get more was to create it for myself,” said Eddie and that’s just what he did.
Eddie has built a company which boasts six small businesses: Superior Tax Preparation, P&E Reality (investment and development), DM Media Film & Television Productions (that has eight independent films with worldwide distribution), P&E Publishing (that has published five books), Risqué Creations (women’s designer jewelry) and EESpeaks (an international speaking company).
Originally from Bronx, NY, Eddie’s self-drive came long before his businesses. Eddie graduated in 1991 from Hamilton College in Clinton NY with a B.A.—double majoring in Theatre and Creative writing with a minor in Dance. According to Eddie, most of the plays were white plays. During this time, Eddie was also discovering who he was.
“I was trying to find my identity,” he said. In the process of finding himself, he brought his ideas to center stage by producing and writing his own plays.
As a 200-pound, 6’4” Black man, Eddie was always seen for something he was not, and all he wanted to be seen as was someone who could use their brain efficiently.
The Entrepreneur Game.
Through EESpeaks, Eddie created The Entrepreneur Game, which was released in January of this year. He was inspired to create a board game that teaches youth entrepreneurship because of his experience conducting an entrepreneur workshop with the youth through the BMER program (Black Male Emergent Readers) with the Richmond Public Library.
He said it broke his heart to hear youth say, “you have to be special to own a business and I’m not special.”
Through The Entrepreneur Game, Eddie wants the youth to understand and believe that “you can create your own world.”
The Entrepreneur Game is for two to six players and is recommended for individuals 10 years and older. Each game comes with a board game, dice, pencils, board players, fake money, playing cards and pre-printed pads to keep track of your income, liabilities and assets.
According to the game’s site, “we help children (and adults) tap into the latent talents and skills they possess and show them how to imagine, create and execute a plan to bring their dreams to life for the benefit of themselves, their communities and the world.”
The board for The Entrepreneur Game.
There are four decks in the game that are colored coded with some of the spaces on the game. If you land on a colored space, you must pick a card from the corresponding colored deck. The decks are green, yellow, red and orange.
The game begins with each player writing down on a piece of paper what type business they will open—the business must have a name. Players have the option to chose between a home-based business or brick and mortar. One player must be picked as the banker—the banker receives a $10,000 bonus to start the game for being the banker. Each player receives $20,000 from the bank to begin the game—one $10,000 bill and two $5,000 bills.
The list of rules may look strenuous, but Eddie says it’s an easy game to learn and play. Overall, the point is to have fun have while learning how to become an efficient entrepreneur.
“I want people to play this game and come out with the realization that ‘I can do this in real life,’” said Eddie.
For the full rules and to purchase The Entrepreneur Game, visit here.