The Never Have I Ever… card game founder Jay Vohra sure knows all about that! Jay had it good! He was the Federal Sales Manager at Wyle Systems, Inc. and Vice President of Business Development for Federal Programs at Quality Software Services, Inc. a successful professional at successful companies in a thriving industry. Jay always knew he wanted to own his own business and change the world with his inventions but could never find it in himself to pursue his passion.
In college, Jay had many ideas that he thought could be marketed but he never got past the design thinking stage. “We all have these dreams and million-dollar ideas, but executing on them is where I fell short,” he said. Years later, Jay’s sister in-law had told him of a drinking game she played called I’ve Never. “She said she had the best time playing. There was lots of laughter and countless stories about each other,” Jay recalled. A few years later, Jay played the game with his family and friends. “It was so fun to hear stories of when we were younger and just reminisce. It was a great bonding experience and it made me realize how short life was,” he said.
Still more years went by when Jay found himself at his dad’s funeral.
"That’s when I told my wife I wanted to pursue my passion as an entrepreneur," said Jay. In 2003, Jay became the founder and CEO of Ideas Never Implemented, LLC. Jay hired a graphic designer to give his game idea a physical presence with a box, game pieces and more. A lawyer helped him trademark the phrase “I’ve Never” and Jay wrote the game rules and instructions, along with the questions (I've Never broken something at a friend’s house and not told them, I've Never talked to my pet about my problems, or I've Never had sex with a co-worker? And so on.) He then went on to present his game to a buyer at Spencer’s. The buyer loved the game, and after a successful test run; Spencer’s did a national roll out in 600 stores.
In 2005, like all good entrepreneurs, he left a thriving career to pursue his passion. He quit his job to run INI full time. In 2009, he rebranded the original game to "Never Have I Ever - The Game of Poor Life Decisions." He started with one product and was able to grow INI into a successful game company. Today, INI offers more than 65 products sold worldwide in retailers, including Target, Barnes & Noble, Spencer's, Amazon and more. The games are also sold in Australia, Spain, the U.K. and Canada.
He runs the company from his Potomac home with his wife, Ritu. Their grown kids contribute ideas for new games, social media marketing, game content, as do professional comedy writers Jay occasionally hires.
Happy with his level of success, Jay is not looking to grow into the next Hasbro. “I love my work-life balance and being able to spend time with my family and watch my kids grow up,” he said. In addition, he also helps other would-be-entrepreneurs explore the possibility of bringing their concepts to market, to hone on his core values of why he started his company, Ideas Never Implemented.
