Kingmakers Origin Story
Origin Story
From the beginning, Malika (Founder and CEO of Kingmakers) has worked towards the goal to create a workplace where employees can work within their values, make an impact on the lives of others, and grow into their unique talents.
“When I began Kingmakers, I did so with the idea that I would have a positive impact in my sphere of influence and wouldn’t get too caught up in ‘the world.’ For me, this has largely meant my team. A priority has been to create a space where people who work for me can be themselves.”
From 2014 to 2020, Kingmakers served the public as a board game parlour in Columbus, OH (and later in Indianapolis, IN). In the evenings, this unique guest experience was beloved by hobbyists, novices, and everyone in between.
During the day, Kingmakers worked with corporations and organizations by hosting large-scale, board-game based Team Bonding Events.
Transition
In Spring of 2020, Kingmakers adapted to the changing workforce and began facilitating board game events for remote-first teams. In a bittersweet moment of change and growth, both board game parlours shut their doors.
Now Kingmakers offers virtual team bonding experiences for business leaders who understand the value of investing in radical employee care. Through facilitation and customized board game-centered experiences, Kingmakers is an innovative approach to team bonding that enhances joy, connection, and inclusion for companies with hybrid and remote employees.
Do you think you’ll reopen the parlours?
Short answer: No. It’s not in our plans moving forward.
Long answer:
We talk about the swift evolution toward team bonding in the virtual space as a happy accident, knowing we were always moving in this direction as a company, closer to Malika’s original goal. Not only are we positioned to be a great place to work as a small team, but we also get to take what we have learned and support the care of employees at like-minded companies (like yours).
We’re proud of who we were and we’re so excited about where we’re going.