HPU senior starts business for custom gaming furniture
By Liz Reichart, A&E Editor //
Many High Point University students spend their senior year brushing up their resumé and applying for paid positions. Senior Kristopher Hovland will be doing no such thing.
Two years ago, the once Game Design major realized that he had never had a desk for gaming.
“I had spent thousands of dollars on computers and games over the past decade, but nothing on furniture. Why was that? Well, nothing existed, and that needed to be changed,” Hovland said. “There needed to be something for me to buy to make my gaming experience complete.”
As a second semester sophomore with a desire to unleash his creativity and business idea, Hovland hadn’t intended to act upon his ideas until he saw someone else trying to make his plans happen.
“I saw an article on IGN about this guy who is raising thousands of dollars on Kickstarter for a game desk,” Hovland said. “It was my idea and his desk wasn’t even that good. I immediately got back to work and had a detailed CAD drawing of the desk that night.”
This began the week of drastic modifications in Hovland’s life.
“Surging with desire to ‘shoot for the stars,’ I made a few more big changes that week,” Hovland said. “I went and officially changed my major, I entered the business competition, and began the long process of research and development on my own game desk. It was my single biggest week at High Point and I’m happy with every decision I made.”
By no means did this mean smooth sailing for Hovland’s gaming desk startup. One of the greatest challenges he faced was finding a manufacturer for his never-before-seen designs.
“The specifications of the desk plus me being a startup company offered very little flexibility,” Hovland said. “I needed a manufacturer that could build customized furniture, with unique parts, in small quantities.”
Many options Hovland pursued were dead ends, including a contact in particular given to him by the Small Business Association in Connecticut, where Hovland resides.
Hovland eventually ended up finding his manufacturing solution while pursuing another option. He came across Alibaba, a business-to-business wholesale website.
“I found one guy on there who was interested in building desks for me and was okay with my requirements,” Hovland said. “I then saw one of the companies that made cup holders also made pool tables. I shot them an email asking if they could make desks, they then asked for the designs, and agreed to begin prototyping.”
Hovland learned the lesson of perseverance the hard way, and for that he has become one of HPU’s newest entrepreneurs.
Many students at HPU and across the country have been inspired by Hovland’s story and the amount of diligence required to make it happen.
“Anyone out there can start their own business. You don’t need one hundred thousand dollars to build a company. Any product can be sold over the internet,” Hovland said. “If your product idea is really complicated, simplify it. Make something easier now, sell it, make money and then build your dream.”
Most importantly, Hovland believes that you must love what you do.
“Let your passion for your idea and for yourself guide your efforts. I was a game designer turned furniture entrepreneur because I found a way to blend interests,” Hovland said. “My ideas started big and I narrowed them down into something practical. It’s okay to be scared but don’t let that stop you from going out and trying to make something of yourself.”