Daily Inspiration: Meet Bridgette Sieffert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bridgette Sieffert.

Hi Bridgette, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
GraduateTheU got its start about three years ago during the beginning of the pandemic. At this time, my twin brother, Collin, and I were students at the University of Minnesota, and we both got to experience the adventure of online school. As most families did, mine stayed hunkered down in our house avoiding contact with people. My family has been avid board game fans for years, and this extra time together led to lots of games. It was during this extensive game-playing period that the idea to make a board game about the University of Minnesota blossomed. As then current students and a parent alum, we thought a board game surrounding the idea of students attending the U of M sounded like lots of fun as well as good information for family members and prospective students who are not familiar with the University. From here the idea grew into a full-scale production process. We developed the game concepts and goals, designed the board layout, researched game card content, and crafted the rules of the game. We then enlisted a family friend to help with the illustrations and a graphic designer to take our game to print. Then came the harder part, at least for me: business and marketing. As a computer engineering major these disciplines were a little outside my comfort zone. The actual development of the game was fun for me, combining two of my passions: board games and the University of Minnesota. But navigating supply chain issues, figuring out the best markets for advertising, and negotiating with businesses to sell the game, was a whole new challenge. I am so thankful for the experience, as it has continued to teach me so much and help me grow. Finally, almost three years later, GraduateTheU – University of Minnesota Twin Cities Edition is being sold in the University of Minnesota Bookstore as well as the University of Minnesota Alumni Market!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey with GraduateTheU has been filled with a variety of challenges. Creating a business during a pandemic has been a special kind of challenging. There were several supply chain issues with the biggest being the shortage of paper. This caused timing delays and increased production costs. Another very large obstacle I faced in creating this game was getting approval for all of the game content as well as sorting out licensing issues from the University of Minnesota. The University required us to let them review every aspect of our game, from board layout to the positioning of Goldy the Gopher to the content of our game cards. This was a long back and forth process of review and refine, but I am very happy to have the support of the University in the making of our game.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
GraduateTheU is a small business owned by a family of University of Minnesota alumni. Huge board game enthusiasts, we have been playing games together forever and were inspired to create a game of our own that captures and reflects our love of the University. GraduateTheU- University of Minnesota Twin Cities Edition was several years in the making but came to life from this desire. We designed gameplay and content to mimic student life at the University of Minnesota, allowing alumni to relive nostalgic experiences and prospective students and their families to learn about campus life and favorite places. As sole owners of our start-up business, I am proud of the fact that we were heavily involved in the development of our product from start to finish. From designing the board layout, to researching fun facts on our game cards, to assembling and packaging each game by hand, this has been a once in a lifetime experience for our family. It has been a LONG road to reach the point of game production, including supply chain setbacks due to the pandemic, paper shortages, and months of working closely with the U to secure content approval and licensing for the game. As we look back fondly and proudly three years later, we are very pleased to offer the only board game fully dedicated to life and experiences at the University of Minnesota!

What are your plans for the future?
Depending on if our game takes off, and in the very distant future, we would love to create this game for different Universities across the country. Our team is very passionate about the game, so if given the opportunity, we would love to bring it to other schools as well, so that everyone can get the chance to experience GraduateTheU.

Pricing:

• $59.99 for the GraduateTheU Board Game – University of Minnesota Twin Cities Edition

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://graduatetheu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graduate_the_u/