As we move into 2026, I always take some time in January to look back at my projects. To scan over the accomplishments, the failures and the learnings.
GAMENOOK was launched from a simple idea of building gaming accessories in a way that gives back to our planet, instead of taking from it. I had no experience in building products, nor in e-commerce. It's all completely new to me.
So I try not to be harsh on myself when looking back. If anything, I am incredibly proud of what GAMENOOK has accomplished in 2025. We officially launched, we designed, made and manufactured our own product, and on the 20th December, we sold our 100th product!
Our little idea of building a display stand for handhelds, made entirely of plastic waste, sold 100 units! Heck yeah.
Social media dulls the small wins. We didn't sell out, we didn't sell thousands of units, we're not even profitable yet, but this little win was one social media couldn't diminish.
It was like a pat on the back to myself, that my idea, with the help of our great designer, Joshua, actually works. People want it.
With the creation of this product, we definitely hit a lot of bumps in the road. Shipping has been our biggest pain. It's simply very expensive to ship products overseas from the UK. Which makes a £25 product out of reach for many who then have to pay and additial £10+ to get it.
It is a problem that we cannot solve at our size, just yet. And this problem will also hamper the growth of our next product. It's just what it is. Global shipping is a nightmare right now, but hopefully, as we grow, we can look at partnering with distributors, but that is a long way away.
Manufacturing has taught me that the creation of ideas isn't easy. Compromise is a must; the process takes time, and when it goes wrong, it really goes wrong. The aluminium moulds that we use are very expensive, and plastic can bend, expand, and shrink in ways that we did not predict. So, we've spent more than anticipated on perfecting our products, which has ultimately caused us to move into 2026 with a loss.
That said, it's not a major loss, and we're still deep in our newborn mode, thinking, planning, launching, so we still have time, little expenses thanks to our two-man team, and as of writing this, we have our first prototype of The Barrier.
Our second product has been in the works for many, many months. Getting the finalised prototype in our hands was another huge success and it looks better in the hand than it did in our design mockups.
The way the plastic creates a unique 1 of 1 design in collaboration with the beautiful art that collectable cards offer is a magical partnership that puts a huge smile on my face.
We're making some final tweaks and spending some weeks to perfect the colour variations that we want to offer from day one, and then it's ordering in the units, packing, and then marketing!
So still lots to do in that respect, but we're moving into 2026 with a plan and two products, which is very exciting.
We want this year to cement the vision and the direction of our brand, and hopefully by the end of the year, become profitable. Companies like ours don't exist because the profit margins are measly, and creating products from plastic waste is cumbersome, but we are no ordinary company.
Thanks to everyone who has supported and purchased a product. We can't wait to get the Barrier into your hands and show you what we are working on throughout 2026!
Happy collecting.
Team GAMENOOK