“From the Devs”: Running a Business with Roblox, by Block Evolution Studios
Are you looking to professionalize your Roblox development and form your very own Business? This article will provide you with the launchpad required to elevate your development.
Who are we? We are BlockFaceSteve and BlockFaceBob; we co-founded Block Evolution Studios with the intention of growing a successful business on Roblox. Within 6 months we have moved into our first office and are now working as full-time developers. We want to share our experiences both good and bad to help you achieve the same!
Building a case for business:
Before you start building, just like when you build a game, you might want to start with a set of objectives. What’s your plan, and how are you going to implement it? Let’s consider if business with Roblox is viable, and more importantly, if we are going to be able to turn a profit?
Roblox has recently seen massive amounts of growth, with the expectation to overtake Minecraft (on Google trends) soon. With no sign of slowing down, it’s reasonable to suggest that a business starting today on Roblox will grow (and turn a profit). This article aims to help developers, GFX artists, composers and any form of business associated with Roblox.
Consider your strengths and weaknesses at this point. What do you do really well? What areas need improvement? Try to plan around issues before they come up. An example problem:
We didn’t have any of GFX developers while producing Zoo Tycoon, so we rolled out the game before updating and improving the game art. This ultimately required us to overhaul our branding after release, potentially losing customers. In retrospect, we could have identified this lack of talent and preemptively acquired it.
Starting up:
When you think startup, you might imagine new offices, business cards and a brand-new stapler. This is the first mistake for small companies. Start with making work profitable before investing. Roblox makes this easy super easy; all you need to get started is a computer connected to the internet. Begin by deciding on who you are going to work with to build up your business. Then consider how you are going to communicate. Work online using VOIP (Skype, Discord, Zoom), and once profitable, consider moving into an office (if its geographically sensible to do so). We have found working together in an office has boosted productivity and reduced problems caused by poor communication.
The boring stuff:
Don’t forget to consider the important admin tasks associated with starting a business. Check your local tax and business laws before starting work or you could face hefty fines. When in doubt, consult a professional. Use accountants to help you sort and manage your finances; they can advise you on the best solution for your business accounting. Sometimes there may be local services that are specifically designed to help startups, such as incubators and business hubs. Business hubs will help connect you with other startups for experience sharing.
Fun tip: Business hubs and Incubators offer the some of the cheapest office spaces in town! Consider this when shopping around for workspace!
Why start a business?
Okay after the boring stuff, I’m sure your starting to have second thoughts… but wait, it gets better!
Here's a few reasons why:
· A single brand improves recognition
· All team members receive equal credit for their work
· A business image helps customers and clients take you seriously
· A business helps disconnect content and business issues from individuals
· You might receive potential tax benefits and government support
Teamwork makes the dream work!
Never to be overlooked, the employees of a company have the greatest impact on your success. When recruiting people prioritize the individual over their skills. A small team of dedicated friends will always outperform a disjointed bundle of experts. Always try to have a balanced team covering all the skill areas you need evenly. Too many programmers may result in releases delayed by incomplete building work. It’s useful to encourage people to become multidisciplinary. This enables your company to adapt and change to fill skill shortages at different stages of development.
In order to keep the ball rolling use project planning tools to help track each person's work. My personal favorite is a Kanban board (e.g. Trello, Microsoft Planner) Here's an example:
Build a brand:
A successful brand isn’t dependent on logo quality but more importantly the meaning users associate to it. Use your logo in lots of places to ensure people associate your products with your brand. Linking social media, group pages and other media outlets will consistently present your business as one cohesive brand.
This will help you sell your content and maintain customers loyalty to your products. A few quick tips:
· Use the same logo throughout e.g. (loading screens, group pages, twitter)
· Link to and from social media regularly
· Associate yourself with other strong brands to increase exposure. (i.e. https://devforum.roblox.com/t/official-roblox-brand-guidelines/62894 )
Good luck!
We wish you all the best, and can’t wait to see new businesses forming! Share your progress with us on Twitter as you grow!
Don’t forget to check out our place, and play some of our games, on Roblox. You can see it here.
