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Judd King
Many Veteran Hands Help Steer a Ship Towards Innovative Game Play

Starlux Games, LLC, Judd King

Title / Role: Founder
Location: Los Angeles, California
Formed in: 2014
www.StarluxGames.com
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What do you do?

Remember being a kid, racing off with friends to go outside and play? We do! Our company began with the idea of using light-up game pieces to reimagine outdoor games. Now we offer a wide variety of group games to play outside or indoors all year round.

What inspired you to start your business?

At its heart, our company began on Boy Scout camping trips in the Sierra Nevada Mountains playing Capture the Flag. Working together as a team, sneaking around the forest, sprinting at full speed – it was the best game ever! These experiences took root as a business concept when one of us discovered an LED light shaped like an ostrich egg. Somehow, this strange object combined with a classic childhood activity and our first game emerged: Capture the Flag REDUX.

What's special about your business?

We encourage people of all ages to set aside their screens, open up their imaginations, and do something active! But, most importantly, we want people to interact together, form memories, and share experiences. We pride ourselves on doing this in an innovative and exciting way:

  • Bring people of all ages together
  • Motivate physical activity
  • Inspire teamwork
  • Provide a unique gift that feels good to give
  • Offer a thrilling group activity
What have been the high and low points of being a business owner?

High points: seeing people experience our games. For instance, I watched forty people charge each other across the desert, shouting battle cries and attacking each other using the (harmless) glowing foam swords from our game, Glow Battle.

Low points: attempting to enforce our patent against two more established businesses whose primary defense tactic was to bleed us dry with legal costs; the logistics challenges of doubling sales while dealing with pandemic-related supply chain issues.

What is your relationship with SCORE? SCORE client What influenced you to seek help from SCORE?

Our marketing lead was struggling to gain traction in a few regards. He suggested we check out the mentoring resources available at SCORE.

How SCORE helped.

At this point, I've worked with a number of SCORE mentors:

  • David Wild: as a former high-level employee at Hasbro, his insight and experience have proven consistently helpful, particularly regarding brand expansion
  • Jim DiRosa: high-level business organization mentoring, particularly in regard to company culture and hiring
  • Albert Viola: insightful and sound financial advice; his suggestion that we increase our prices due to the rising freight costs played a significant role in our profitability this past year
  • John Pietro: this guy knows how to cut to the heart of what our brand and specific products offer and provides valuable insight regarding positioning and messaging
What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting a small business?

I'd repeat my point mentioned earlier: It's a wild, insane ride, both financially and personally. Buckle up because it's not for the faint of heart.

What have you learned from your experiences as a business owner?
  1. Start with the thing that's most appealing to you. When I first started, I was trying to choose between three vastly different business concepts. I'm very grateful I chose the one that sounded the most exciting and interesting to me
  2. Give people a chance and only a chance. More often than not, they'll pleasantly surprise you -- but if they fail (not on the task but in their disposition), move on quickly!
  3. It's a wild, insane ride, both financially and personally. Buckle up because it's not for the faint of heart.
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Young couple meeting with a loan officer in her office
My mentors
David R Wild

I can help you OPTIMIZE your sales pitch and marketing strategy. My expertise includes launching...

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James R DiRosa

Start-up - Accounting - Marketing - Operations. I am here to support you in every stage of your...

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Headshot of Albert Viola
Albert Viola

I have over 40 years experience in corporate accounting and finance. Today, I continue to run my own...

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Headshot of John Pietro
John Pietro

Have spent over forty years in marketing and advertising business. Great deal of experience in food...

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1415 S. Main St., PO BOX 2446
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Santa Ana, CA 92707
(714) 550-7369

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