Project Paintball Update AND Fundraising for Expansion
Summer 2021
We started fundraising for startup costs – hoping to hit a goal of $16,000. We received $8,000, which was enough to start. These early days were filled with hard work, chainsaws, and mulchers – all to prep the land for paintball.
Fall 2021
With the land now cleared, we started to look for affordable obstacles. God opened the doors wide by giving us access to a nearby paintball field that went out of business a year ago. As the weather cooled, we also went into administration mode – setting up our website, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Business listing.
Winter 2022
KC winters are cold, so we continued administration, rounding out our LLC, payment systems, bank account, and insurance. We also started purchasing our actual paintball equipment and established a relationship with a local CO2 vendor.
Spring 2022
As the weather warmed, we started ‘beta’ testing – wow, those early days were exhilarating! – including a massive fundraiser for Lion’s Week. Hanging the safety net was the final piece in getting us ready to go LIVE.
Summer 2022
Our first official OPEN PUBLIC day was June 25 – we had 5 paying customers! Staff gets to play when there is a small turnout like that and in spite of the 90+ degree heat – we had a blast! We are only open on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month – so when we need to close due to lightning or an excessive heat warning – it really hurts. Still, we hosted a few birthday parties and started getting some super positive google business reviews.
Fall 2022
We’ve handled a number of private parties – birthday, bachelor, and corporate team building. We’ve processed more than 150 customers. We currently have 3 paid staff – Joel Miller, Jack Lepak, and Rebekah Lee – all are rockstar employees. Our monthly revenue covers our salary and paintball expense – but we lean on TDA for monthly bookkeeping and insurance costs. Our initial paintball equipment and paintball purchases were done under ‘bulk’ order through various dealers. Bulk discounts are nice – but we moved forward with getting a Missouri resale license and have recently become dealers ourselves of 2 of the largest paintball brands in the industry: Tippmann and Valken. This is HUGE news – as we can now get everything at dealer prices AND we can begin selling equipment to those interested in purchasing.
Fundraising Needs – Equipment and Expansion
Every week there are new private party reservations, and we continue to get good reviews on our Google listing. Now that we’ve been in it for a while – we have plans for the next phase:
- Equipment – we currently have 24 sets of rental gear. Our goal is to have 40 sets by the end of the year. With 40 rental sets, we can process more concurrent customers and really increase revenue. Additional Equipment – $1500
- Field Size – we currently have approximately 1 acre. Our goal is to double that by the end of the year. Field Expansion – $1500
- High Pressure Air (HPA) System – we started with CO2 rental tanks. We lease four at a time and have a great relationship with the regional vendor. CO2 is cheap – but the industry has switched over to something called High Pressure Air to power their paintball markers. We are one of the few fields still using CO2 – and our goal is to purchase an HPA system by the end of the year. HPA System – $5000
This update is to report on the exciting news that Project Paintball is up and running. Our name is getting out there and customers are coming and leaving very happy. This is our second and hopefully last fundraising campaign for Project Paintball. Our goal is to make our upgrades and become completely self-sufficient by 2023 – and to eventually pour back into the Daniel Academy. Please consider donating to Project Paintball – so that we can reach this $8,000 expansion fundraising goal. We are a single member LLC formed under The Daniel Academy – so all donations should go to The Daniel Academy for disbursement to us and tax receipt to you. You may give through the TDA PayPal Link – but for larger donations we ask that you let us know (info@projectpaintballkc.com) and send a check to avoid expensive payment system charges.
Thank you for your support!!!