Business

Family fun blossoms into family business

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER — Family gatherings have proved fruitful for the Lewises. With the launch of their Pick Your Brain board game, the Minnesota-based family has turned its love for trivia into a budding enterprise.

Published

5 years ago

January 12, 2019

Oakland Post

By Paige Elliott

Family gatherings have proved fruitful for the Lewises. With the launch of their Pick Your Brain board game, the Minnesota-based family has turned its love for trivia into a budding enterprise.

The multi-category, knowledge recall game, created by family matriarch Celeste Lewis, was launched in the fall of 2018 and is now stocked in various stores in the Twin Cities. Below, Mark Lewis (ML), the game’s CEO, spoke with the MSR about its origins and inspiration.

MSR: What is the genesis of the Pick Your Brain board game? How did it come to be?

ML: My mother (Celeste Lewis) who is 83 going on 84 — it’s her concept. We’d get together at her house and she’d want to play a game, but she didn’t have Monopoly or any kind of board game to play, so she came up with this concept.

It started out as all of us sort of writing down how many TV shows we know. That’s how it all developed… We started playing the game at home. We’d come up with a topic and we’d see who could guess the most items on the topic.

MSR: So, how did it go from a family game to something you put on the marketplace?

ML: Well, we saw how much fun we would have with it, you know, coming up with the topics and some of the ribbing and the teasing and back and forth between family members — all in good humor and fun. And we were like, wow, there’s really nothing out there like that! Let’s take a run at this thing and see if there’s interest in the marketplace.

So, we did some research and figured out how we could market this, and have it distributed. And, I have a long history and background in demand creation [introducing new products to the market].

A number of us family members have a background in certain areas — for example, Erick, my brother, and his daughter Sarai. She did all the artwork and designed the packaging that’s on the box. She’s 18 years old and in college and has been doing [graphic design] for a long time.

And Erick is an entrepreneur and is always coming up with ideas. He brought together a lot of the elements that needed to be done, working with the different vendors, manufacturers and so on to produce the items of the game. He and I together then went out and started pitching it to different distribution channels.

MSR: What are some of those distribution channels?

ML: Right now, our largest distribution channel is the Games by James organization [all eight stores, including Air Traffic Toys and Games] that’s in a number of the malls here in the Twin Cities, and one mall in Wisconsin and one in St. Cloud…

One of the things that we wanted to do, because of all the traffic in the malls, is we’d go out and do demos in Games by James stores, introduce our game, and have people play it. And every time that we went to a location [to do a demo] we’d sell out in a two- to three-hour window.

MSR: So how is the game played?

ML: The box contains various topic cards with over 208 different topics. You try to list as many items of a chosen topic… The first person [who gets] up to 100 points wins. It’s about 45 minutes to play a complete game. It doesn’t tie up the whole day, you know, and you get a lot of laughter and teasing and all that; it is contagious that way.

The topics can be something as simple as colors — because the game is for [ages] eight and up and for the whole family — to cartoon characters, periodic table elements and different state parks, to name a few. We also have one that asks you to name as many Prince songs as you can. It’s a game that we take a lot of pride in, and we list on the cover that it was created in Minnesota.

$Pick Your Brain is billed as a game for the entire family. \\ Submitted photo$

[/media-credit] Pick Your Brain is billed as a game for the entire family.

MSR: What else sets this game apart from others on the market?

ML: There aren’t games like this that we’ve been able to find — and we researched and sat down and talked with the marketing director at Games by James. There’s no game currently that is as inclusive for the whole family and age groups and range of topics. If you’re looking for a family party trivia-type game, there’s no comparison.

MSR: Are there plans for a mobile app?

ML: We have an app [in the works]; it’s about 80 percent complete right now.

MSR: So, what’s next for the game? What are your plans for the future?

ML: We have received an official email from Games by James to carry the game permanently. They told us it was a huge success.

The other boutique locations where we’ve had the game [Heroic Goods and Games in South Mpls., Gathered Goods in Excelsior, and four Dreamers Vault stores] sold out during the holiday season, and that was without us doing demos…

We have ideas; there’s always room to grow, so we can do the next iteration with different topics. We’d like to see it at schools, nursing homes and assisted living places to try to bring some joy there, and hospitals, children’s hospitals. We’re just looking to introduce people to the game and try to, you know, bring a smile to their faces. That’s the purpose and passion behind it.

You can purchase Pick Your Brain games by going to pickyourbraingame.com or at various Games by James stores.

This article originally appeared in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

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State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

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4 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”

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Black Business Summit Focuses on Equity, Access and Data

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship. Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA), answers questions from concerned entrepreneurs frustrated with a lack of follow-up from the state. January 24, 2024 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, Lost Angeles, Calif. Photo by Solomon O. Smith

By Solomon O. Smith, California Black Media

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship.

Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA) was a guest at the event. He told attendees about his department’s efforts to increase access for Black business owners.

“One thing I’m taking away from this for sure is we’re going to have to do a better job of connecting through your chambers of all these opportunities of billions of dollars that are coming down the pike. I’m honestly disappointed that people don’t know, so we’ll do better,” said Omishakin.

Lueathel Seawood, the president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of San Joaquin County, expressed frustration with obtaining federal contracts for small businesses, and completing the process. She observed that once a small business was certified as DBE, a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, there was little help getting to the next step.

Omishakin admitted there is more work to be done to help them complete the process and include them in upcoming projects. However, the high-speed rail system expansion by the California High-Speed Rail Authority has set a goal of 30% participation from small businesses — only 10 percent is set aside for DBE.

The importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in economics was reinforced during the “State of the California Economy” talk led by author and economist Julianne Malveaux, and Anthony Asadullah Samad, Executive Director of the Mervyn Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute (MDAAPEI) at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Assaults on DEI disproportionately affect women of color and Black women, according to Malveaux. When asked what role the loss of DEI might serve in economics, she suggested a more sinister purpose.

“The genesis of all this is anti-blackness. So, your question about how this fits into the economy is economic exclusion, that essentially has been promoted as public policy,” said Malveaux.

The most anticipated speaker at the event was Janice Bryant Howroyd known affectionately to her peers as “JBH.” She is one of the first Black women to run and own a multi-billion-dollar company. Her company ActOne Group, is one of the largest, and most recognized, hiring, staffing and human resources firms in the world. She is the author of “Acting Up” and has a profile on Forbes.

Chairman of the board of directors of the California African American Chamber of Commerce, Timothy Alan Simon, a lawyer and the first Black Appointments Secretary in the Office of the Governor of California, moderated. They discussed the state of Black entrepreneurship in the country and Howroyd gave advice to other business owners.

“We look to inspire and educate,” said Howroyd. “Inspiration is great but when I’ve got people’s attention, I want to teach them something.”