Investing in Looney Labs

Updated March 2019

It's been more than 5 years since I updated this page - YAY for not needing to borrow money for a long time now!  But no matter how we run the numbers, if we want to be sure we have printed enough copies of Marvel Fluxx and Jumanji Fluxx for the holidays, I'm going to need to borrow some cash. The difference from our normal way of doing things is that these games will be printed in China, along with the printing of the Cardinal versions of the games - so the timing of payment changes. We normally print our games in Battle Creek, Michigan, and don't have to pay for them until 60 days after receipt, but for these games we need to pay for them up front months before we get to start selling them. And we need to make a lot of them, enough to last through Christmas and beyond Chinese New Year next year.

If you are interested in joining an elite group of friends and family who have helped make Looney Labs exist by loaning us money, please email [email protected]. Let me know how much ($10k or more) and if you prefer a 1 year note or a 5 year note. We pay 6% interest. A 1 year loan is all we need for this current cash flow crunch, but we can pay off something else if you want a 5 year investment. We pay simple quarterly interest, along with a letter about our last 3 months of operations and a copy of anything we published since the last letter.

Thanks for thinking about loaning us money! 

-Kristin Looney <[email protected]>

 


 

Updated September 2013

Looney Labs is a friendly little game company started in 1997 by two former NASA engineers, Kristin and Andrew Looney. Kristin started the company with the goal of publishing and selling the games designed by her husband Andy. Over the next decade, as their dedicated fan following grew, the Looneys established a recognized and admired brand, with a catalog of award winning games that led to many millions of dollars in revenue.  In 2006, Robin Vinopal was hired as Chief Operations Officer and over the next four years the company went from a new-product focused, fan financed, family-managed informal business structure to a profit focused, investor financed, corporate managed (yet still fun) professional business. And annual sales more than tripled in the process!

With a small, dedicated staff, Looney Labs has been marching forward into its second decade with vision, momentum and detailed plans for continued growth. With 15 card games in their beautiful new uniform packaging style, and all new packaging and retail marketing for their Looney Pyramids gaming system, as well as 2 new board games, their small line of games is now available in over 2,000 hobby, game and book stores in the US and in over 1,200 international stores in 24 countries. Even though the economy has struggled, Looney Labs has continued to steadily grow, with almost $1.5 million in sales in 2012. The company is on track to blow past this sales figure in 2013 with a simpler mass-market version of Fluxx and a new title, Monster Fluxx, in more than 1,700 Target stores; the recent release of the long-awaited Fluxx: The Board Game; the company's first party game, Choose One; and an iOS version of Fluxx for the iPhone and iPad that was introduced in December 2012.

As part of important reorganization efforts, Looney Labs shut down its fan club and demo team in 2007. With over 4,000 registered members, the program needed more time and resources than the company could afford and it was not measurably driving revenue. Although the fan club was an amazing asset and a focus that drives the Looneys, attention needed to be placed on internal restructuring, repackaging of existing games and publishing new games that would increase sales. 

Now, having built the company and its sales revenue to awesome new levels, Looney Labs wants to focus again on fans and consumer marketing efforts. A new fan club was launched in 2011 and membership has grown fast. The company currently has freelance marketing and PR help, as well as a new Sales & Marketing Director. With so many exciting things going on—needing to promote the new Target and iOS versions of Fluxx, increasing key account presence, and putting more resources into promoting existing product lines with our distributors in the hobby channel—our new sales and marketing team is essential to the company's continued growth.
 
However, to ensure enough sales revenue next year the company must also roll out new products—and that’s the “catch-22.” Looney Labs needs and wants to expand revenues without relying heavily on publishing new games. Although Andy has a new line of board games in final playtesting, the company first wants to build a vibrant demo team to help promote them when they are released. Fluxx sells itself without much effort, providing a healthy bulk of revenue with each new release, but to see these kinds of sales numbers reflected by brand new games as well—that will require a lot more promotion. The company has a sound and exciting marketing plan, but needs to give itself enough time and resources to make it happen.
 

If you are interested in additional information on investment opportunities at Looney Labs, please contact Kristin Looney ([email protected]).

 


 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This release does not constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy an interest, nor shall any interest be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the laws or regulations of such jurisdiction. The interests in Looney Labs are not registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the securities laws of any U.S. state or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, nor is such registration contemplated. Any interests in Looney Labs will be offered and sold under the exemption provided by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated thereunder and any other similar exemptions in the laws and regulations of other states and jurisdictions where the offering will be made.