Job Well Done is a physical card game designed to gamify household chores for families with children aged toddler to 14. The pitch deck, originating from Startup Weekend Dunedin 2016, focuses heavily on the psychological link between childhood chores and adult success. The business model is built on low-volume physical production, projecting a modest profit of $2,842 on an initial run of 500 units. While the deck lacks a formal team slide and a specific investment ask, it provides a transparent breakdown of unit economics, including production, freight, and compliance costs. The strategy reli…
Key takeaways
- The product targets working parents with children ranging from toddlers to age 14 (Slide 5).
- The core mechanic uses three card types: Task, Action (for negotiation), and Reward (Slide 4).
- Marketing strategy is sequenced through focus groups, Pledgeme crowdfunding, and Shopify pre-sales (Slide 6).
- Unit economics are based on a 500-unit run with a retail price of $25.00 per deck (Slide 8).
- Production costs are estimated at $5.00 per unit, representing a 20% cost of goods sold before distribution (Slide 8).
- The deck identifies a specific profit of $2,842 after accounting for $12,500 in revenue and various operational expenses (Slide 8).
- Compliance and legal setup costs are significant for a small run, totaling $3,000 combined (Slide 8).
- The deck omits a team slide, competitive analysis, and a specific funding request for investors.
The Pitch for a Gamified Household
Job Well Done emerged from Startup Weekend Dunedin with a clear, albeit narrow, focus: turning the friction of household chores into a developmental game. The deck is a classic example of a 'lean' physical product pitch, prioritizing unit economics and validation steps over high-level vision or scaling metrics. It targets the universal pain point of parenting—frustration—and attempts to link it to the high-stakes outcome of adult success.
Slides 1-3: The Emotional Hook and The 'So What?'
The deck opens with a simple title slide featuring a cartoon character, immediately signaling the family-friendly nature of the product. Slide 2 moves quickly into the problem space, using a stock photo of an angry parent and speech bubbles containing 'Grrrrr!', 'Challenging', and 'Frustrating'. While the imagery is somewhat generic, it effectively identifies the emotional state of the target customer.
Slide 3 is the most strategic slide in the first half of the deck. It asks 'So what?' and provides a bold equation: Doing chores = Success as an adult . By framing the product as a tool for long-term child development rather than just a way to get the dishes done, the founders are attempting to increase the perceived value of the product from a 'nice-to-have' toy to an 'essential' parenting tool.
Slide 4: The Product Mechanics
Under the heading 'How it works', Slide 4 shows a photograph of physical prototype cards. The game is divided into three categories: Task , Action , and Reward . The inclusion of 'Action cards' that 'allow negotiation' is a key detail. It suggests the game isn't just a top-down command structure from parent to child, but an interactive system that gives children agency. The slide also notes that 'ALL family members get tasks', implying a lead-by-example approach that might appeal to parents who want to avoid appearing hypocritical.
Slide 5: Defining the Target Market
The target market is explicitly defined on Slide 5. The founders are looking for working parents with children aged toddler + to about 14 . The age range is quite broad, which could be a point of concern for investors—a toddler and a 14-year-old have vastly different cognitive abilities and motivations. However, the slide correctly identifies the psychographic profile: parents who are 'pressed for time' and 'want to teach life skills'.
Slides 6-7: Validation and Distribution
Slide 6 outlines a four-step marketing strategy. The reliance on Pledgeme (a New Zealand-based crowdfunding platform) and Shopify indicates a low-overhead, direct-to-consumer (DTC) approach. The slide also includes two early testimonials, one of which is attributed to 'Pledgeme', though it is unclear if this is a quote from the platform's staff or a user on the platform. Slide 7 provides the specific URL for the Pledgeme project, showing that the founders had already moved toward execution at the time of the pitch.
Slide 8: The Financial Breakdown
This is the most data-dense slide in the deck. It presents a transparent budget for a 500-unit run. Key figures include:
Revenue: $12,500 ($25 per card deck). · Production: $2,500 ($5.00 per unit). · Distribution: $1,750 ($3.50 per unit). · Fixed Expenses: $1,500 for legal, $1,500 for accounting, and $1,008 for subscriptions (Xero, Shopify). · Total Profit: $2,842.
The inclusion of 'Accounting fees (compliance)' and 'Legal (set up costs)' shows a realistic understanding of the costs of starting a business in New Zealand. However, the $500 advertising budget for a $12,500 revenue target suggests a very optimistic Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) of $1.00 per unit, which may be difficult to achieve in a competitive parenting market.
Slides 9-10: Summary and Close
Slide 9 reiterates the core value proposition: a 'fun and unique product' that helps families 'learn life skills'. It emphasizes the 'test before doing a large run' philosophy, which is a sound strategy for physical goods to avoid excess inventory. Slide 10 is a standard 'Any questions?' closing slide that mirrors the branding of the title slide.
What Job Well Done Does Well
The deck is exceptionally clear about its unit economics . Many early-stage pitches gloss over the reality of shipping and compliance, but this deck puts them front and center. By breaking down the costs for a small 500-unit run, the founders demonstrate that they have researched the manufacturing and logistics chain. The focus on validation through crowdfunding is also a strength, as it proves market demand before the founders spend significant capital on a large production order.
What is Missing from the Deck
The most glaring omission is a Team Slide . In a Startup Weekend context, investors want to know who is building the product—is there a designer, a child psychologist, or a logistics expert on the team? Without this, the project feels like a solo hobby rather than a scalable business. Additionally, there is no competitive landscape . Apps like ChoreMonster or physical products like Melissa & Doug chore charts exist, and the deck fails to explain why a parent would choose this card game over those established alternatives. Finally, the deck lacks a clear 'Ask' . It tells us the profit of a 500-unit run, but it doesn't say if they are looking for $10,000 to cover those initial costs or if they are just presenting the plan for informational purposes.
Founder's Guide: What to Copy
Use the 'So What?' Slide: Every founder should have a slide that explains the deeper purpose of their product. Job Well Done successfully elevates a 'chore game' into a 'success-as-an-adult tool'. This shift in perspective is what makes a product investable.
Granular Unit Economics: If you are pitching a physical product, copy the table format on Slide 8. Showing that you understand freight, distribution, and even software subscription costs (Xero/Shopify) builds immediate credibility with investors who are wary of founders who only focus on 'top-line' numbers.
Sequenced Validation: The four-step plan on Slide 6 (Focus groups -> Crowdfunding -> Pre-sales -> Market) is a textbook example of how to de-risk a startup. It shows a disciplined approach to growth that doesn't require millions of dollars in upfront capital.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the primary problem Job Well Done aims to solve?
- The deck identifies the 'frustrating' and 'challenging' nature of getting children to do chores (Slide 2). It positions chores not just as housework, but as a critical foundation for 'success as an adult' (Slide 3), suggesting that the product solves a long-term developmental need rather than just a daily cleaning issue.
- How does the game actually function?
- According to Slide 4, the game involves all family members receiving tasks. It introduces a 'negotiation' element through 'Action cards,' which likely differentiates it from a standard chore chart. The loop concludes with 'fun and meaningful rewards' that are 'up for grabs,' utilizing a gamified incentive structure.
- What are the specific unit economics for the card game?
- Slide 8 provides a granular breakdown. A single deck retails for $25.00. The cost to produce is $5.00, with distribution adding $3.50 and freight adding $0.30 per unit. This leaves a gross margin of $16.20 per unit before fixed costs like marketing, legal, and software subscriptions are applied.
- What is the go-to-market strategy for this physical product?
- The founders propose a four-step validation model (Slide 6): focus groups for product testing, a Pledgeme crowdfunding campaign to secure initial capital, Shopify for ongoing pre-sales, and finally a full market launch. This sequence is designed to ensure 'market validation from confirmed pre-sales' before committing to a large production run.
- What critical startup information is missing from this deck?
- The deck is missing several standard components: there is no mention of the founders' backgrounds (Team slide), no analysis of existing chore-tracking apps or physical competitors, and no specific 'Ask' regarding how much investment they need or what equity they are offering. It functions more as a project proposal than a venture capital pitch.
