096: Pictionary Inventor (Robert Angel) shares his Board Game Journey…

Background on Robert Angel of Pictionary:

Rob Angel was only 26 years old when he and his friends started the ground work for the phenomenally successful board game Pictionary. He was working evenings as a waiter with his future business partners. While spending days in his backyard with a paperback Webster’s Dictionary, a No. 2 pencil, and a yellow legal pad to work out the details of the game.

They built the first 1,000 games together in their tiny one-bedroom apartment. They did not have some “How-To-Manual” to follow. They just did what they loved. Rob followed his intuition and worked hard at it day in and day out, keeping an unwavering entrepreneurial spirit to build Pictionary into the global powerhouse that was its destiny.

For the next 17 years this relentless dedication resulted in distribution in 65 countries in 45 languages, with over 38 Million Pictionary games being enjoyed by people from diverse cultures and backgrounds around the world . Rob sold the brand to Mattel, Inc., in 2001, which now proudly carries on and continues the game’s legacy.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

[0:49] Rob is the creator of Pictionary. During his early years, Rob has no plans of becoming an entrepreneur. He didn’t even have any clue what he was going to do.
[3:22] When Rob was in college taking up a business degree, his father got fired from his job. Rob had to work to pay for his college tuition.
[6:02] After college, Rob and his buddies were always playing charades on paper game. This gave him the idea that their game could become a board game.
[11:35] Rob backpacked across Europe and gained a lot of wonderful experiences. He recommends travelers to visit Switzerland and Spain.
[13:35] After backpacking in Europe and coming back home, Rob finally knew how he can create his own board game when he saw the Trivial Pursuit game.
[14:47] Rob went through the process of gradually bringing the Pictionary game into a reality. There were a lot of steps that needed to be done.
[20:02] Rob had 3 guiding principles in their startup business, which is: 1. Going with their instincts, 2. No ego, and 3. Every decision they make was based on Pictionary.
[24:41] After selling their first 1,000 Pictionary games, Rob proceeded with their next batch of Pictionary, which is 10,000 pieces.
[26:29] Rob emphasizes on taking care of yourself both mentally and physically when running a business.
[29:16] When Rob experienced some lows, he tried to get back up again by taking a break and focusing on his family.
[31:09] 3 years into the business, Pictionary was already selling in different countries.
[33:02] Since Pictionary grew tremendously over the years, Rob decided to license the game. This was the biggest decision Rob made for Pictionary.
[37:52] Rob gave a good advice regarding getting an attorney that will look out for the best interest of the business.
[43:01] After licensing their game, the only major problem Rob and his partners encountered was how to get more involved with the business.
[44:49] Rob gave another advice regarding the licensing of the product. He emphasized the importance of doing what is right for your product.
[53:06] Rob’s passion for Pictionary fueled him from the start. He also has a lot of love for the business and his partners, which kept him going.
[55:48] Rob has a book coming up soon entitled Game Changer, which showcases the whole story of Pictionary.

Fabulous 4 Questions:

📖📚 Favorite Book(s)? The Art of War by Sun Tzu
🙌😎 Favorite Amazon.com purchase? Amazon Echo
🌱💸 Favorite Tool that's GROWN your Business? Rev Transcription Service
💭💡 BIGGEST Challenge keeping your Business from GROWING? Getting in my own way: Over thinking

Key Point from the Interview:

“You have to do what’s right for your product. You can’t trust somebody else to take care of it for you”

Resources Mentioned:

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