Phuong Luong
Refection paper # 2

38 Studios’ Destruction: Lessons for Entrepreneurs

After years of establishing and seeking ways to develop; besides some achievement at certain moments, the fall of 38 Studios left valuable lessons at the idea of entrepreneurship.

Curt Schilling was a professional baseball player and he was passion about what he did. In 2000, Schilling started to seriously think about life after baseball and then he began with an idea of founding a gaming company. Schilling had his reasons to pursue the entrepreneurship path. For the first reason, he wanted to pursue his own ideas. He knows his product’s orientation – a product that people would enjoy themselves. He understands customers’ willingness to pay. Schilling also pursued the entrepreneurship path as being his own boss. Schilling realizes that the way to achieve his important personal as well as professional goal is to start his own gaming company. He funded the entire project by his own money from the beginning.

Not only having a clear vision about what product he wants to supply the market, he also has entrepreneurial characteristics. Schilling has the passion for the business. He devoted most of his time in pitching and working at 38 Studios. Schilling worked longer hours than everyone at the company. According to the case, Schilling started at GMG at 7:30 a.m. He would then rush out to arrive at Fenway Park by 1:30 p.m. for a game or practice. He would finally arrive home around 2:00 a.m. Even though, he was lack of knowledge in the gaming industry and company operating, he was willing to learn. He listened to feedback from people he worked with and opened to changes. Product/ Customer Focus was also Schilling’s strength as an entrepreneur. He wanted to develop a game that not just a sport game but a game that people would enjoy playing it.