We recently connected with Liliia Hermes and have shared our conversation below.

Liliia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

From Idea to Business: The Story of Our Paintball Club

Seven years ago, the idea of opening a paintball club didn’t come to me—it came to my son, with whom I now share this business. It all started when he decided to try something new—an indoor paintball game in Ukraine, using paintless balls. He enjoyed the experience so much that, even while managing a chain of supermarkets at the time, he became inspired to open his own paintball club.

A few weeks later, on his birthday, he gathered friends again to play paintball. This time, they played in the evening under the field lights, which gave the game a unique atmosphere. However, that night became his last game as a regular player. As he walked off the field, he was determined to start searching for equipment and a location to open his own club the very next day.

With just $1,000 at his disposal, he began by purchasing used gear and learning everything about paintball from scratch through YouTube and other online sources, as he had no prior experience in the field. The search for a suitable location took quite some time.

Four months into the search, when it seemed there were no suitable places, one of his acquaintances called and asked if his club had opened because her friends wanted to play for a birthday party. He explained that the club wasn’t open yet, so she mentioned they were going to a nearby recreation base instead. He began asking questions about the place: Was the space large? Were there trees? Was it suitable for paintball? To his surprise, the location seemed perfect.

When he visited, it turned out to be a great base with a lot of unused space. He spoke with the director and arranged to host a game for his friends, although the field was assembled using makeshift materials—pallets, tires, anything that could serve as barriers. The players loved it.

Right after the game, he returned to the director with a proposal to rent the space for regular games. And that’s how our business journey began—with enthusiasm, creativity, and a drive to create something better in the market.

Our Path to Success: From Paintball to Innovative Gaming Spaces

It took our paintball club just three months to gain recognition, and the business quickly began to grow. We expanded our space, built new fields, and it was at this point that my son and I started working together. I made a small investment to buy more equipment, which helped us grow even faster. Our club stood out from the rest: we had fortresses, two-story structures, and we designed large, well-thought-out game maps.

When the lockdown began, like everyone else, we stayed home. The situation in Ukraine was no different. One day, my son received a call from a friend suggesting they play the popular game “Among Us” on their phones. That evening, they played together with his friends and wife, and the next morning, my son called me with a new idea—he wanted to create a real-life version of the game in an indoor space. He quickly found the perfect location, and within a week, we signed all the necessary paperwork and began construction. I live in America, so I invested the funds while my son took full responsibility for bringing the project to life.

We weren’t afraid to take risks, even traveling to another city to order custom equipment—special devices worn on the wrist to track player actions. Everything went better than we had imagined.

The following year, we opened another venue in a different city—a stylish, modern facility with diverse games and a beautiful design. Unfortunately, we only managed to operate for one month before the war began. The construction had taken five months, and we had put a lot of effort and resources into it. Today, this venue is still operational, while we sold the rest of our locations.

Now, we have launched a new project in America, which has surpassed all our previous clubs in Ukraine. Why are we confident in our success? We offer unique services that can’t be found anywhere else.

1. We are against computer games—VR and others that children can play at home.
2. We are against passive arcade games.

Our goal is to promote activity, teamwork, motor skills, logic, leadership qualities, and self-awareness in children. We don’t just create emotions—we provide valuable knowledge as well. After 7 years of working in various locations, we’ve hosted countless events and know exactly how to deliver top-tier service and meet children’s needs.

My son Vitalik often reminds me, “Mom, the key isn’t in the parents’ emotions; it’s in how the child feels after the game.” We strive to give children excitement and something new, which in turn brings joy to their parents.

Liliia, 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?

:

How We Got Here

Apologies for combining everything into one text about how the idea came to be. Let me also add that we offer services such as indoor paintball, laser tag, laser maze, button fight, hide and seek, Among Us, gelly ball, gotcha, and soon we will be introducing even more exciting activities.

What we are most proud of is our exceptional service. In every game, whether for kids or adults, we ensure they are closely monitored and guided by our team. It is our duty to engage them, motivate them, direct them, and provide assistance whenever needed.

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

We hold this belief:
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the market or how high you’ve climbed—always be ready to lose everything! Be prepared to get back on your feet and start over. Don’t even think about starting a business if you’re not ready to lose or sell it. That’s business. If you built it once, you’ll do it even better next time.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

We hold this belief:
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the market or how high you’ve climbed—always be ready to lose everything! Be prepared to get back on your feet and start over. Don’t even think about starting a business if you’re not ready to lose or sell it. That’s business. If you built it once, you’ll do it even better next time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.spacelandwa.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAGg7nGRPYf/?igsh=YjQyaHVpajcyd3E0