Michael Sampeck has extensive experience with firearms and missions, but these days he's usually armed with a laser gun and his missions often involve birthday cake.
A veteran who served in the Marines, Sampeck spent part of his time in service in North Carolina. During this time, he visited the original Battle House, an ultimate laser tag experience for family, friends, and coworkers. He developed a great appreciation for the brand and its vision. After he ranked up as sergeant, he retired from the service and returned to Texas to earn his degree in marketing, but thoughts of Battle House stayed with him.
He set the gears in motion to open his own franchise of Battle House in Plano, but had to face a few roadblocks. In the midst of the loan process, his bank merged with another bank, complicating proceedings. To top things off, the shopping center containing Battle House was sold.
In spite of these obstacles, Battle House Plano opened with a bang. “Opening Day was on Black Friday and then the grand opening did really well,” Sampeck reflects. “It was a great turn out and a lot of people were saying ‘This was so much fun!' and 'This was more of a workout than I thought it was going to be!’”
Battle House Plano offers realistic armor and firearms inside a 15,000 square foot building. Their top priority is for every participant to have fun while being safe.
“With Battle House, it is definitely a word of mouth because people realize that it is not traditional laser tag,” Sampeck shares. “It’s tactical. It’s still the same technology as traditional laser tag, but it looks cooler and the main attractions are the missions and arena.”
Reflecting back on his journey, Sampeck believes that in order to own a successful franchise such as Battle House, one needs to be resilient, confident and not afraid to fail. Someone needs to have a strong connection with their mentors and they have to have commitment.
Sampeck's wife, mentors, family and church group definitely provided him with a supportive community during the difficult days before opening. “You need to surround yourself around people who are going to support you, but they are going to tell you some hard truths,” Sampeck adds. “You need someone who’s going to poke holes in your projections or in your business model.”
If Sampeck could give his younger self a piece of advice, it would be this: "The path is not always straight, but that’s okay. It will work out —have a good head on your shoulders and have some faith."
To learn more about Battle House Plano, visit battlehouselasercombat.com.