Cranium Games: From crying in a parking lot to a multi-millionaire

Hey rebel solopreneurs

Ever felt stuck creating digital products that no one seems to want?

Maybe you've poured your heart into the "perfect" course or template, only to watch your launch fall flat with zero sales.

Trust me, you're not alone.

Here's the thing: the gap between a flop and a hit often isn't about the product itself - it's about getting inside your customers' heads and finding clever ways to reach them.

That's exactly what Richard Tait did when he bounced back from being a rejected DJ to build Cranium, a board game empire that sold for over $70 million.

Ready to discover how a failed DJ turned his biggest rejection into a $70M success story?

Let's dive into this wild ride!

1: 🏢 Microsoft days: when a scottish kid dreams big

Growing up in Scotland, Richard Tait came from a family of servants.

His grandfather was a chauffeur, and his great-grandfather was a gamekeeper.

But his dad flipped the script by getting an education and landing a job at Polaroid.

"My dad changed the trajectory of our family," Richard says.

Talk about pressure to live up to that legacy!

Here's a fun twist: Richard's love for tech started with a Christmas gift - a music synthesizer kit from his dad.

While other kids were doing whatever kids did in the mid-1970s, little Richard was programming musical instruments.

Talk about a head start!

After graduating from the geeky Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh (his words, not mine!), Richard had his first big idea: software that would help people choose the perfect computer.

He spent months writing a detailed business plan and knocking on doors to pitch his idea.

Cool concept, right?

But Scotland in 1986 wasn't ready for it.

Bank managers looked at him like he was speaking alien language, and potential investors couldn't see past their traditional businesses.

His dream software never made it past paper.

But here's where it gets good!

Instead of giving up, Richard thought, "If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain!"

He packed his bags and headed to America!

Why? A friend told him it was "a country that celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit."

(Spoiler alert: That friend was totally right!)

Landing in America with big dreams and a Scottish accent, Richard's timing couldn't have been better.

Microsoft was growing fast and hungry for talent.

Despite fierce competition, he landed a job there in 1988.

Sure, they had plenty of coding wizards, but Richard brought something different to the table.

"I wasn't the smartest coder there, not even close," he admits with a laugh.

But he had a superpower that would prove far more valuable: he could rally people around a mission.

"I can galvanize people around 'we can make history.' I can bring out qualities in people they don't know they have in themselves," he says.

Over 10 years, he launched 14 (!) successful projects.

But in 1998, something changed.

His colleagues started calling him "old school."

Ouch.

You know that feeling when your newsletter subscribers drop off, or your social media engagement tanks?

That's how Richard felt - like he didn't belong anymore in the place he once loved.

Instead of forcing himself to fit in, he did something crazy: he quit.

No backup plan.

Just pure guts.

2: 🎧 Failed dj dream: when plan a crashes and burns

Now here's where it gets interesting (and a bit embarrassing).

Richard had this wild dream of becoming the next John Peel, a legendary British DJ.

At 32, he enrolled in DJ classes at Bellevue Community College.

For seven months, he studied and recorded demos.

After months of practice, Richard felt ready.

He put on his best suit, tucked his carefully prepared proposal and demo tape into his briefcase, and walked into Seattle's popular radio station, The Mountain.

He'd spent weeks crafting the perfect pitch: a fresh take on alternative music programming that he was sure would connect with Seattle's young tech crowd.

The station's CEO agreed to a quick meeting, but barely glanced at his proposal.

Her response was quick and brutal: "Sorry, this isn't going to happen."

"We're not looking for new talent."

Richard, desperate to get his foot in the door, made one last attempt.

"I'll do anything," he offered.

"I'll work for free, make coffee, whatever it takes to learn the business."

She shook her head.

"Look, you're just not what we're looking for. At all."

Picture this: Richard, standing outside the radio station, crumpling up his proposal and demo tape, throwing them in a trash can, tears running down his face.

His social identity was completely tied to Microsoft, and now he felt totally lost.

(Sound familiar to deleting a failed digital product or course?)

"When someone rejects you," Richard says, "they're not just saying your skills are bad. They're saying that you, as a person, are not good."

Ouch.

Double ouch.

The next few weeks were rough.

Richard spent a lot of time on his couch, binge-watching TV shows and avoiding the "so, how's the DJ career going?" questions from friends.

His wife, seeing him spiral, suggested they take a break.

"Let's get away for a weekend," she said.

"Clear your head."

3: 🎲 Game-changing moment: when a rainy day sparks million-dollar magic

So they headed to a cozy cabin by Lake Chelan with another couple, their close friends from Microsoft days.

They had planned for hiking and outdoor activities, but Mother Nature had other ideas.

The rain came down in sheets, trapping them inside.

That's when someone pulled out a board game, and everything changed.

Stuck inside on that rainy afternoon, Richard and his wife found themselves in an intense game of Pictionary.

They were unstoppable – Richard's quick sketches and his wife's almost telepathic ability to guess them had their friends in awe.

"One more game!" their friends kept saying, but they knew it was hopeless.

The couple was unbeatable.

Feeling a bit guilty about dominating the game, Richard's wife suggested they switch to Scrabble.

Big mistake.

Within minutes, the tables had completely turned.

Their friends, both crossword puzzle enthusiasts, were arranging triple-word scores while Richard stared at his rack of letters like they were hieroglyphics.

His confidence from the Pictionary victory evaporated with each passing turn.

That's when it hit him.

Everyone at the table was smart and successful – they were all Microsoft high-achievers, after all.

Yet each game made some people feel like geniuses and others feel... well, not so bright.

In that moment of contrast, a question popped into his head that would change his life: "Why isn't there a game where everyone gets a chance to shine?"

When Richard called his dad to share his new dream of starting a toy company, his dad's response was... less than enthusiastic.

"What should I tell my friends?" his dad asked.

Talk about a confidence killer!

But instead of backing down, Richard replied: "Tell your friends I'm going to follow my heart. I'm going to create something magical that lets everyone shine."

(Bet his dad wasn't expecting that comeback!)

(Just like how your digital products should help different types of customers win!)

4: 🔍 Testing phase: when your living room becomes a lab

Instead of spending months perfecting their game in secret (sound familiar, course creators?), Richard and his friend Whit Alexander, whom he knew from their Microsoft days.

Here's the fun part - Whit wasn't just some random colleague.

They had worked together on Microsoft's atlas products, making detailed digital maps of the world.

Richard had noticed something special about Whit: he was amazing at building products, super organized, and had this incredible knack for figuring out exactly what customers wanted.

"I knew that together we could try to create history," Richard says with a grin.

It was like they were puzzle pieces that fit perfectly - Richard was the creative dreamer who could rally people around a vision, while Whit was the practical wizard who could turn those dreams into reality.

When both of them had left Microsoft around the same time, it felt like the universe was giving them a nudge.

"Perfect timing, perfect match!" as Richard would say.

They did something brilliant: instead of spending months perfecting the game in secret, they started fast and scrappy.

They printed the game cards at home on their inkjet printers and drove to Kinko's to make and laminate the game boards.

The whole idea?

Get something playable in front of real people as quickly as possible.

They moved at lightning speed - from initial concept to shipping in just seven months, which was unheard of in the games industry where development usually takes years.

Their secret weapon?

Rapid testing and iteration.

They would take these homemade prototypes to people's houses, watch them play, take notes on what worked and what didn't, then race back to make improvements.

The real game-changer was their first official playtest, right in Richard's living room.

They invited eight of Microsoft's toughest program managers - people known for their brutal honesty.

"They tore the game to shreds," Richard laughs.

But instead of getting defensive, they wrote everything down.

After each test session, they'd update the cards, head back to Kinko's, and try again with a new group.

"As daunting as it might feel," Richard advises, "whether it's software, a service, or a product, it's just creating something that you can start putting in front of other people and seeing if they like it."

(Hey digital rebels, notice how he didn't wait for perfection?

Your first PDF doesn't need perfect graphics.

Your first course doesn't need Hollywood production.

Just start!)

Then they brought out the big guns: they invited eight critical Microsoft program managers to their house.

These folks were known for their brutal honesty.

"They tore the game to shreds," Richard laughs.

But here's the genius part - instead of getting defensive, they took notes!

"If they like it," Richard says, "it helps you get over that sense of self-doubt, that sense of criticism from others who are questioning why you are even dedicating your life to doing it."

The testing didn't stop there.

They went full detective mode:

• Watched people play Pictionary and Trivial Pursuit to spot what wasn't working

• Researched games from the last 100 years (yes, really!)

• Studied what made games addictive and popular

• Added wild twists like sculpting with eyes closed (because why not?)

Fun fact: Richard thought the clay sculpting activity was too childish, but Whit insisted.

During one test, Richard hid behind his couch (not kidding!) and watched a 40-year-old businessman turn into an excited 4-year-old while sculpting a golf course.

Guess who won that argument?

"Look at what's worked before," Richard suggests.

"If you're designing packaging, look at Apple - they're phenomenal. Copy 80% of what works and add your own twist to the other 20%."

(Hey digital rebels, hear that?

You don't have to reinvent the wheel - just make it spin better!)

5: 🎯 Target customer: when you stop guessing and start watching

Before we get to the distribution drama, here's something cool: Richard and Whit didn't just randomly pick their audience - they studied them like scientists!

They had a fascinating approach called "moment engineering" - designing games for specific life situations.

For example, their game Cariboo was created with a very specific scenario in mind: rainy days when parents are stuck inside with young kids.

They noticed that moms with toddlers were desperately looking for activities that could be both educational and genuinely fun for both parent and child.

So they created Cariboo as an early learners' game teaching numbers, shapes, and colors, but made sure it was engaging enough that parents wouldn't be bored to tears while playing it.

They called their ideal customers "dating yupsters" (young, upwardly mobile professionals who were dating).

Why?

Because during testing, these folks were practically fighting to play the game!

Richard noticed something fascinating: this generation was spending tons of time on computers and was desperately craving human connection.

They wanted fun evening activities, quality family time, and a break from their screens.

(Hey digital rebel, seeing any parallels with your audience's pain points?)

This laser focus on specific customers and moments?

That's what made their marketing work later.

(Keep reading - it gets good!)

6: 🚫 Distribution dilemma: when every store says no

Here's where things got rough.

They had 29,000 games manufactured but hit a wall: all the major retailers had already made their buying decisions at the annual Toy Fair, which they'd missed.

Sitting in Starbucks, feeling like complete idiots, Richard looked up and had his eureka moment.

Those people in line?

They were his target customers!

He turned to Whit and said: "Let's take our games to where our customers are rather than where games are sold."

(Hey digital creator, sound familiar?

Sometimes the best place to sell isn't where everyone else is selling!)

6: ☕ Unconventional path: when you create your own rules

"Orville Wright did not have a pilot's license," Richard grins.

"Don't ever be afraid to bend, or even break the rules."

Now this is where it gets really good.

Instead of crying over closed toy store doors, they went guerrilla mode:

(Hey digital rebel - stuck trying to get noticed on oversaturated platforms like Udemy or Gumroad?

Pay attention to what comes next!)

Let's talk about how they got into Amazon - and this is brilliant!

When Richard and Whit tried calling Amazon's buyers directly, nobody would pick up the phone.

But hey, they lived in Seattle (Amazon's hometown), so they got creative!

Instead of keep banging their heads against the wall, they found out who these Amazon buyers hung out with.

Guess what they did next?

They invited these friends over for fun game nights!

These friends had such a blast playing Cranium that when they went back to work the next day, they couldn't stop talking about this amazing new game with their colleagues (you know, the very buyers who wouldn't return the calls).

And just like magic - suddenly those same buyers were falling over themselves to get in touch!

Talk about thinking outside the box!

"That simple promise of 'Everything we do is going to give people a chance to shine' became a brand promise that people rallied around," Richard explains.

It wasn't about advertising - it was about making people feel special.

(Sound familiar?

Your digital products aren't just about information - they're about making your customers feel capable and confident!)

For Starbucks:

• Found David Brewster, who handled in-store tech

• Got lucky - he had a game-loving family

• Scored a meeting with Howard Schultz himself

• Became the first non-coffee product in stores

For Barnes & Noble:

• Had 15 minutes with a buyer who "didn't sell games"

• Spotted two women by the water fountain

• Convinced them to join an impromptu game session

• Boom! In 110 stores shortly after

They even turned down Walmart and Target initially to keep their product feeling special.

Talk about zigging when others zag!

But then came the Christmas crisis.

They'd ordered a huge batch of games from China, but - plot twist! - the port workers went on strike.

Richard and Whit could literally see their containers sitting on ships in the Seattle port, but couldn't get to them.

Other companies had seen this coming and stored inventory during summer.

But nope, not Cranium!

They had to scramble and fly products from China to meet retailer demands.

Ka-ching went their savings!

"It took us a long time to recover from that," Richard admits.

But hey, sometimes the best lessons come from the biggest facepalms, right?

(Digital rebels, this is why having a backup plan for your launch isn't being paranoid - it's being smart!)

7: 🌟 Celebrity boost: when oprah's couch becomes your launchpad

Then came the breakthrough moment: Julia Roberts mentioned Cranium on Oprah.

They hadn't paid for it.

Hadn't pitched it.

It was pure love for the product.

But the best part?

Remember Richard's dad who wasn't sure about this whole board game thing?

Wonder what he told his friends now when his son's game was being raved about on Oprah!

(Remember this next time you're tempted to buy fake followers - authentic love beats paid promotion every time!)

8: 🌍 UK adventure: when you chase your dream across the ocean

Richard really wanted to launch Cranium in the UK (hello, Scottish roots!).

But finding the right partner?

Mission impossible.

Then one day, his teammate Adam rushed in: "Richard Branson is doing a book signing at Borders RIGHT NOW!"

So what did our hero do?

Grabbed a Cranium game and raced to the bookstore!

Standing in line with the game under his arm, probably looking like a total fanboy, he waited to meet his childhood hero.

The meeting could've been super awkward.

Instead, they bonded over having the same first name (sometimes the universe just hands you these moments), and Branson mentioned he loved board games.

Within days, Virgin was calling to launch Cranium in the UK.

Sometimes the craziest moves are the ones that work best!

9: 🚕 Taxi wisdom: when life lessons come from unexpected places

By 2007, Cranium was absolutely crushing it - Game of the Year winner 5 out of 6 years!

But Richard was tired.

Really tired.

In a taxi to the airport after a toy industry event, he met a driver who changed his perspective.

This guy had three kids, had served in Iraq for two years (where his wife left him), and was working hard to make ends meet.

But instead of complaining, he was calm, confident, and happy.

As Richard got out of the cab, the driver looked him in the eye and dropped this wisdom bomb: "Remember in life, it's not how many times you get knocked down. It's how many times you get back up."

(Spoiler alert: This advice came in handy when the 2008 financial crisis hit, and they made the tough but smart decision to sell to Hasbro!)

10: 💫 Final chapter: when you know it's time to level up

By 2008, with the financial crisis looming, Richard and Whit noticed something worrying: big retailers were pushing inventory risk back to manufacturers.

Instead of panicking, they got strategic.

They went to their board with a clear message: "There's a storm coming. We might not weather it alone. It's time to find a bigger ship."

Some might call this giving up.

Richard calls it being smart.

The result?

A $75+ million sale to Hasbro - not bad for a failed DJ and his Microsoft buddy!

🎉 The Happy Ending

That little game that started with inkjet-printed cards:

• Sold over 2 million copies

• Won "Game of the Year" 5 times out of 6 years

• Launched in 22 countries

• Built a devoted fan base called "Craniacs"

• Sold to Hasbro for $75+ million in 2008

• Still brings families together today

The best part?

Richard says it wasn't about the money.

It was about those little moments - like when someone tells him about their dad impersonating Elvis during a game of Cranium, or families bonding over Christmas playing his game.

Remember that DJ rejection?

Richard says: "We built the third largest game company in the world. I would never have been the third best DJ in the world. Never. Something happened when that door closed."

🎯 Your turn!

"The crazy part is jumping from something safe to chase a wild dream," Richard reflects.

"Start in the evenings. Test it on weekends. Build your confidence brick by brick before making the big leap."

(Perfect for you rebels still hanging onto your 9-to-5 while building your digital empire!)

"Then, when you see those first sparks of success, take that jump and feel the wind rush past. That moment when you realize you're onto something? Pure magic. That's when you truly soar."

Look, you might not be creating the next Cranium, but you ARE building something that could flip someone's world upside down.

Your digital products, courses, templates - they're not just files, they're springboards for people to shine.

Remember Richard crumpling up his DJ demo tape?

That could've been his final scene.

Instead, it was his opening act.

Your next flop or ghosted pitch?

Not your ending - just the setup for your breakthrough moment.

Let the good times roll for you! 🍨

Your "partner in rebellion with the status quo" vijay peduru