We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chrissy Fagerholt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chrissy below.

Hi Chrissy, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Understanding the answer to this question has beena journey in itself! A lot of entrepreneurs have a clear goal in mind, or a problem they want to solve. The mission behind EAP Toy and Games has been a discovery in myself, how I connect with others, and using that skill to help other people connect. The skill? Through play, laughter, and being silly.

I began my career in games after a fateful night spent with friends from my childhood, when we decided to play a game we made up on the spot for our own, pure enjoyment. I simply wanted to take the joy we experienced together that night, put it in a box and give it to other people, so we did! Our game, Friend or Faux, was born. After a successful Kickstarter, Friend or Faux is now licensed with Goliath, a major publisher. There was one problem…Friend or Faux is an adult party game for people 18 and up. We started to get requests for a family friendly version, including my own kids who were 6 and 10 at the time. Who knew that kids and families were interested in a game that uses questions based on real life, would be something people were looking for? So, we got to work.

With a new look and a new name, You Who?! hit the streets for play testing. I had no idea, watching families and kids play the game would make me recognize the power of play in connecting others. But, why? People (kids/teens especially) don’t want to think that is what they are doing, they just want to play and have fun with the people they are with. I witnessed siblings, parents, grandparents, friends, etc. laughing, sharing stories, calling each other out on their baloney, it was incredible! We managed to turn ‘Let’s talk’, into ‘Let’s play’ and no one was the wiser, including me! The game was created to make people laugh and enjoy each other’s company, we had no other agenda creating You Who?! It comes from an authentic place of focusing on real life, because real life is funnier than we think. We just need a reason to talk about it, including the simple things, which often create big laughs. laughter is a powerful, pressure free tool for people to connect.

Now, as a parent of a pre-teen and teenager, the battles are different and staying connected can be harder. But, one thing i can always rely on are games, nothing like friendly competition to bring us together. Play more, connect more!

Chrissy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After graduating college with a degree in communications, I chose to follow my creative side after working a part time job in a flower shop, that turned into a 17 year career as a floral designer. Floral design not only allowed me to express myself creatively, but I felt invested into what I was doing because of why the flowers were being used. I loved hearing about proposals and weddings, or finding out why there was a reason to celebrate an occasion, but also to provide comfort in times of sorrow or distress. I dabbled in the world of greeting card and invitation design and ultimately realized, everything I had done up until game inventing involved some sort of way to connect people, and where I felt most comfortable doing so was through humor.

After turning my attention to game creation, using my experience as a parent, creative, and friend, I wanted to use all my talents to create products that people of any age could enjoy.

But no other lesson, than my kids turning into teens, has taught me I need to work differently as a parent to keep the connection between us alive, open, and fun! Watching families, kids, friends, adults playing games I have created, that give them reasons to be open and silly, has been the ultimate reward. My agenda became clear….play more, connect more.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Every day I question whether or not I am making the right decision in starting a business where there is a lot of competition. What I have come to discover is that, as in a lot of markets, the game and toy industry is male dominated. Women’s voices are just what this industry needs!

My very first experience of pitching a game idea about 5 years ago, had a curious reaction to a couple of men in the industry who mentioned that it was interesting to see women creating a party game intended for adults. While I was surprised by their surprise, it was a wake upcall, that different voices need to be heard and expressed in this industry. A different point of view, sense of humor, and life experience makes for exciting products, we just need to be given or take the opportunity to share it!

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Getting the opportunity to license my first game to a major publisher was so exciting, but ignorance is bliss! The stars aligned for us to make that happen. We had a product the company needed. Since then, I have come to learn, the odds of getting something licensed are as little as 3 %. Rather than let this news deter me, I took matters into my own hands and decided to self publish. I had confidence that my products were good and that people would want them. This is a risky, scary decision, with a lot of unknowns. With that being said, it has been a crash course in educating myself in a lot of areas of business, including manufacturing, finance, sales, marketing, etc.  Manufacturing outside of the country adds a layer of complexity, so I found outsourcing the manufacturing with the help of a company called GPI, was the best decision I could make.  GPI manages the communications with china, uses trusted factories, and keeps me in the loop of all details.  Some days I find myself just trying to keep my head above water. I have discovered, while I understand a little about a lot, investing in experts of their field helps bring out the best in my products.

Use companies that are reputable, even if they may cost more than your other options. Pay nice, or buy twice! In order to do this, you need to do the research, connect with others in your field and find those who are not only good at what they do, but are excited about what you are working on.

Contact Info:

• Website: eaptoyandgames.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eaptoyandgames/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissy-fagerholt-929391130/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@eaptoyandgames