Both. Leverage is a board game of business created by ActionCOACH founder Brad Sugars. Every move uses a real strategy, and a coach turns what happens at the table into lessons for your own business.
LeverageGames The game of business
Play the game of business. Win in real life.
A six-hour, game-based business day like no other. Inherit a business on the Leverage board, created by ActionCOACH founder Brad Sugars, and race the other players to more profit and a business that runs without you, using more than 350 real strategies.
Come on your own, bring your managers, or ask for a private game day for your team.
Sound familiar?
You’ve read the books. Why hasn’t the business changed?
You’ve heard the advice a hundred times: know your numbers, systemise, build the team. Knowing isn’t doing. Lectures fade by Wednesday, and the business carries on exactly as before.
People remember what they do far better than what they hear. So we made business something you play.
- I know what I should do. I just don’t do it.
- Another seminar, another notebook in the drawer.
- My team switches off in training.
- I learn best by doing.
Where good intentions go to die
- Books bought, never finished
- Ideas that never become action
- Marketing that’s a guess
- Numbers you don’t keep score of
- A business that needs you every day
- Training that doesn’t stick
Take a turn
You’ve inherited a business. Grow it.
A taste of the game. Pick one of the 5 Ways to invest in, spin the wheel, and watch what a few percent does to the whole business. You have 6 turns.
Your business card
| Leads | 4,000 |
|---|---|
| Conversion rate | 25% |
| Customers | 1,000 |
| Transactions | 2 |
| Average sale | ₹2,500 |
| Revenue | ₹50,00,000 |
| Profit margin | 25% |
| Profit a year | ₹12,50,000 |
Change one number and everything below it moves. That’s leverage.
6 turns left
1. Choose where to invest
Pick a square to begin.
Profit growth
+0%
That was one player, five numbers and a few spins. On the day you also bid for system points in the four leverage areas, make deals, ask for your profits and race the other players. To win you need both: the profit and a business that works without you.
An illustration in rupees, not the game itself: the real board, cards and rules are for the day.
Leverage is played in two parts
Grow the profit. Free the owner. Do both to win.
Plenty of owners make money and still can’t take a week off. In Leverage, that doesn’t win. You need a profitable business that works without you, and no overdraft.
Part 1282 strategies
Marketing leverage
The battle of profits. Invest in strategies across the 5 Ways, spin to see how much each one grows, and multiply your way to a bigger monthly profit.
- Leads
- Conversion rate
- Transactions
- Average sale
- Profit margin
Part 284 strategies
Business leverage
The battle to stop working in the business. Buy, sell and bid for points in four areas until you score five out of five in each.
- Systems & technologyDocument and automate the business, so others can do the job without you.
- Testing & measuringKeep score: know the numbers, from marketing and from cash and profit.
- Delivery & distributionGet it out first time, on time, to the right place, every time.
- People & educationRecruit well, treat people well and train them to do an amazing job.
How to win: be the first to build your monthly profit past the target and score 5/5 in all four leverage areas, with no overdraft. Just like the real thing.
At the table
Every move is a business lesson
Nothing on the board is there by accident. Each piece of the game teaches something owners learn the hard way, only faster and for play money.
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Your business card
You inherit a business with its own leads, sales and margin.
The lessonEvery business starts somewhere. What matters is what you do next.
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Your playing sheet
Your 5 Ways spreadsheet, updated after every move.
The lessonKnow your numbers, and watch them multiply.
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The wheel
Invest in a strategy, spin, and see how much it grows.
The lessonTest and measure: not every idea pays the same.
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Your auditor
The player on your right checks your sums.
The lessonAudit now, and audit often.
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Payday
Pass Profits and ask the banker for your month’s profit, or lose it.
The lessonCash doesn’t collect itself.
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Deals and auctions
Buy, sell and bid for leverage points with the other players.
The lessonNegotiate well, and keep your word.
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The overdraft
Borrow if you must, and pay for it every month.
The lessonDebt has a cost. You can’t win with an overdraft.
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OOPS squares
Miss turns while everyone else keeps growing.
The lessonTime out of the game costs more than you think.
Why a game?
Life and games are just like a mirror
Watch how someone plays a game and you’ll see how they run their business: cautious or bold, scorekeeper or guesser, deal-maker or lone wolf. That’s why Leverage works.
- 01You learn by doingYou don’t hear about the 5 Ways. You use them, move after move.
- 02Mistakes cost play moneyTry the bold idea, borrow too much, back the wrong strategy. Learn it here, not in your business.
- 03You remember itLaughter, competition and a winner make lessons stick long after a lecture fades.
- 04You see yourselfHow you play the game is how you run your business. The table shows you.
What you walk away with
Six hours of play. Lessons for a lifetime in business.
It will change what you think is possible in your business, and you’ll want to play again.
- The 5 Ways in actionHow small gains multiply into profit.
- How to keep scoreThe numbers to watch, every month.
- Consistent deliveryProducts and services out on time, every time.
- Developing your peopleHow staff development changes a business.
- Systems that free youWork on the business, not in it.
- Cash and debtWhy the overdraft always costs more.
- Investing to growWhich strategies to back, and when.
- Your top 3 BFOsBlinding Flashes of the Obvious, for your business.
Ever more with ever less: the idea behind every square on the board.
Your six hours
A day that flies, and stays with you
Competitive, social and full of BFOs, with a coach at every step to connect the game to your business.
- 1WelcomeMeet the other owners, and the only rule: the only failure is the failure to take part.
- 2Learn the gameYour business card, playing sheet, banker, auditor and how to win.
- 3Play: marketing leverageInvest in strategies, spin, grow your 5 Ways and collect your profits.
- 4Lunch and networkingCompare notes, and deals, with the other tables.
- 5Play: business leverageBid for system points and race to a business that works without you.
- 6Who won, and your businessCount up, share your top 3 BFOs and turn them into actions for your own business.
A typical running order. Your coach keeps every table moving so you finish the game.
Who should play
Anyone who wants to win at business
No business experience needed to play, and plenty to learn however long you’ve been in business.
- Business ownersWho want more profit and a business that depends on them less.
- Managers and key staffWho should understand how the whole business makes money.
- Start-ups and new ownersLearn the fundamentals in a day, without the expensive mistakes.
- Advisers and partnersAccountants, bankers and consultants who help owners grow.
Two ways to play
Open game day
Book a seat
Play against owners from other businesses: new ideas, new contacts, and someone to beat.
Get the next datePrivate game day
Leverage for your team
Your managers and team around the boards, learning how the whole business makes money. A team day they’ll talk about.
Plan a private game dayYour seat
Your seat at the table
Make your expensive mistakes with play money, then take the winning moves back to your own business. One good idea from the day will be worth far more than the seat.
Get the next date- A six-hour Leverage game day with an ActionCOACH TNPY coach
- A seat at a small Leverage table, so everyone plays
- Your own business card and playing sheet
- More than 350 strategies to grow profit and build a team
- A coach-led debrief: what the game says about your business
- Your top 3 BFOs turned into actions
- Networking with other business owners
- The option of a Free Business Analysis with a coach afterwards
Seat fee: On request, shared with the next date · Seats are limited by the number of boards · Bringing your team? Ask about a private game day.
After the game
You’ve played it on the board. Now play it for real.
Most players leave asking how to do it in their own business. There’s a clear next step, and no pressure to take it.
- 1 Start here Leverage Games A day playing the game of business.
- 2 Free Business Analysis Your own business on the board, with a coach. Find out more: Free Business Analysis
- 3 BusinessRICH Two days on the whole business, and a 90-day plan. Find out more: BusinessRICH
- 4 Coaching Your coach, every move of the way. Find out more: Coaching
Or start with a half-day RICH seminar: SalesRICH FinanceRICH TeamRICH ServiceRICH
FAQ
Leverage Games, answered
Is it a game, or is it business training?
I’m not into board games. Will I enjoy it?
Most people who say that are the most competitive by lunchtime. You learn the rules in minutes, and the coach helps every table.
Do I need to be good with numbers?
No. Your auditor checks your sums, and the coach shows you how the numbers work. That’s part of the learning.
How many people play at a table?
Small tables of about four players, so the game moves quickly and everyone plays.
Can I bring my team?
Yes. It’s a great way for a team to understand how the business makes money. Ask about a private game day for your team.
How long is it?
Six hours, with a break for lunch and networking.
Is it in person?
Yes, around the board with other owners. Each game day states its venue.
How much is a seat?
The seat fee is shown with each game day. For your team on its own, ask us and we’ll quote.
What happens after?
You leave with your BFOs and actions. To go further, book a Free Business Analysis, or spend two days on the whole business at BusinessRICH.
Leverage Games
Ever more with ever less. Come and play.
Next game day
Save your seat at the Leverage table
Tell us who’s playing, or that you’d like a private game day for your team. We’ll send the next date, the venue and the seat fee, with no obligation.
- Tell us who’s playingJust you, your managers, or the whole team.
- Get the detailsDate, venue, coach and seat fee.
- Come and playBring your competitive streak.