Entrepreneur Lessons from Candy Crush Saga

If you are familiar with the game Candy Crush Saga, you will understand this post better. I used to wonder what the fuss was about this game and how my friends would stay up late playing this game, until I got sucked in.

Now since I started this blog, I started playing this game with a different perspective and here some things I learnt from playing this game. I have come to understand that in life there are lessons around us to learn and If we are listening to these lessons and applying it to our life daily we will definitely succeed:

Lesson 1: You must start at level 1
No matter how far you wish to take your business, you must take the first step. The biggest brands all took that very first step and they are successful today just because they had the courage to take the first step. Taking the first step to starting any business comes with uncertainty and different levels of constraints. My advice is do not second guess yourself or your vision. Take that business idea and run with it. What follows next is dependent on what level you want to take your business. You can decide to move to the next level or stay put on level 1 making the same amount of money!

Lesson 2: The next level is a different level
The higher you go the colder it becomes! The more you desire to expand your business, the tougher it becomes. The saying tough times never last but tough people do applies here. Do you want your business to remain a small business or are you thinking of taking it global. No matter the level of complexities you face in the business world, be as tough as the challenge you face.

Lesson 3: Chocolates as Distractions
Distractions will come in different forms. What will keep you afloat is your ability to focus on your vision and goals. Play the game strategically - understand the game, learn the tricks or you will remain stuck on the same level for a long time. Sometimes, you will be offered life lines in the form of color bombs that clears the path for you - Be patient when you use these lifelines on the other hand if you take too long to decide it will be covered up by a chocolate.

Lesson 3: Repetition is Key
When you fail, you are given a brand new opportunity to do it different - How often do you fail and how often do you learn from this failure? Practice they say makes perfect. Repetition gives you a chance to learn something new every time and do it a different every time. In Business, you are not guaranteed success on the first attempt. If you fail the first time, go back to the drawing board and learn from the mistakes - it could just be a minor detail that needs adjustment - what are your marketing strategies, how are you engaging your customer, how is your product package, what is your unique selling point. When I design a product or watch a movie or read a novel there is a tendency to miss some minute details because I can't wait to get to the end - I read it all over again and this time it is even clearer to me. If your end is to make profit in business then take your time to repeat the processes involved ultimately you will get to the end if you get it right over and over again.

Lesson 4: The Power of Engagement
So I am on level 200! Most times I wonder how I had the time to get to this level because I used to think that playing this game was a waste of my time. So how did Candy crush get me hooked? Engagement! What are you doing differently at each stage of the customer’s life-cycle to make sure that they are always hooked to your product or services? Are you springing surprises at each level or is your business offerings the same year in year out? Think of what you can do differently to your products or service to make it more appealing to your customers and take them to level 200 or higher!

Lesson 5: Never give-up
As simple as this sound - It is fundamental.  You will only reach certain levels in business if you are resilient, if you are willing to repeat the process differently and if you are willing to engage with your customers consistently. Remember - How high you go depends on how often you are willing to try again.

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