Self-employment

Road to success not all fun and games

His creation, Rukshuk(TM) - The Game of Rock Balancing, challenges players to create formations using an assortment of rocks. Just like winning players, Malcolm Bisiker has discovered that a solid foundation, a steady hand and determination can take you to unimaginable heights.

DAVID CHILTON
[ 2007-11-07 ]

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Malcolm Bisiker, creator of Rukshuk(TM) - The Game of Rock Balancing, had some rough times keeping up with demand. "We actually ran out of product a week before Christmas last year ... I remember sleeping in the factory, trying to get the product out," he recalls.

That foundation includes a degree in philosophy from Bishop's University in Quebec. "Why philosophy? My father told me it was a great way to train your mind and think," the Oakville native says.

Degree in hand, he travelled to England, where he knocked on doors in London's investment banking centre and landed a job as a junior financial analyst. He later established an office products company there.

Though that venture didn't pan out, Bisiker did find inspiration for his game of strategy. While in a London cafe, he watched a group of friends stack sugar cubes hour after hour. He wondered what was so addictive about the balancing game, so he tried it himself and was hooked.

But it wasn't until a near-death experience in a British Columbia avalanche that he decided to launch a version of the balancing game that had captured his imagination eight years earlier.


The experience reminded the outdoor enthusiast that life was short, and he took a break from his work as an analyst with a Toronto oil and gas company. "I had an epiphany and decided I had what I thought were enough skills to dive into the deep end and try to make it on my own again," he says.

From design to testing, Bisiker has assumed a hands-on role every step along the way -- even teaching himself graphic design so he could create the logo. "I did the same with legal and intellectual property stuff. I'd rather have a thousand or two thousand dollars in the bank and a few sleepless nights."

Within just three months, Rukshuk(TM) had made its way to a select number of toy stores in Toronto. "The first run was 1,000 games and we took a loss on it ... Before spending big bucks, I wanted to prove that it was going to sell. There's a real entrepreneur's trap that you fall in love with your creation. You must be open-minded," Bisiker says.

Since its launch in May 2006, the game quickly gained a strong foothold in the Canadian market, giving Bisiker the confidence to knock on more doors. Demand grew dramatically following the Canadian Game and Toy Association Gift Show and the game's inclusion on lists such as Today's Parent magazine's "2006 Latest & Greatest Toys."

But the road to success was not all fun and games. "From then, seven days a week, 18 hours a day, we were trying to keep up with demand," Bisiker says. "We actually ran out of product a week before Christmas last year ... I remember sleeping in the factory, trying to get the product out."

Seizing the moment has proven to be a winning strategy for Bisiker. While attending a gift fair in New York this year, he met the master sales representative of Pictionary, who has since taken on the Canadian creation. Bisiker is now exporting Rukshuk(TM) to the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Japan. He is also preparing to launch his second creation, Jakbo, which he describes as "chess meets Tetris."

"I'm fortunate. I'm surrounded by great family and friends who have been very supportive of me as I got this off the ground," Bisiker says. "It's definitely been a journey. It's not for the faint of heart."



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