Ctrl V: Into A Different World

There is no doubt that Virtual Reality is an emerging technology, one that has the ability to impact society in profound ways. It allows you to teleport yourself into a variety of new universes and mirror your movements perfectly inside the game. VR is also appropriate for all ages, and controls for games are not so complicated, usually requiring one or two buttons.

Ctrl V, a very cool and distinctive brand, plays not only in a new and emerging market, Virtual Reality, but it is also played in an industry that has been around for decades, if not centuries – location-based entertainment. It is the world’s first reality arcade. They offer a fun, safe environment for their customers to experience some of the best virtual reality content, using premium equipment. And this at affordable prices! Their venue is perfect for birthdays, groups, corporate events, field trips and more!

As a brand that is making its way into the big market, Ctrl V is very blessed to have the management and C-level team also consisting of founders. This has resulted in the management and founding team being involved in the development of the company right from the start. Market research, concept designing, vendor procurement as well as vendor relationship building, they were closely involved in all of them. They have been instrumental in bringing on staff for the corporate office, the franchise business, and the franchise partners. Robert Bruski, CEO and Co-founder of Ctrl V, believes every leader should possess 3 key roles and responsibilities. First and foremost is envisioning the future and deciding on the next move of the business. The second key factor is to build and support a corporate culture. The third is to enlarge stakeholder profitability as the primary goal of the business is to make money. These strategies can only be successfully implemented with the help of a solid team.

Robert Bruski co-founded the company in collaboration with his childhood friend. At the start, it only focused on developing a piece of cinema technology for the Hollywood industry. However, that was short-lived, as the company pivoted and became a brand new initiative in the virtual reality arcade (LBE) industry. The company became successful, and Robert, utilizing his years of experience and knowledge, was motivated to start franchising. Expressing his views on the beginning of franchising, Robert states, “Not only would franchising help grow a new and unique industry, but it would provide aspiring new entrepreneurs all across the globe a chance to achieve their lifelong dreams of business ownership”.

Outsmarting Features

Ctrl V has a very typical franchise model. However, there are certain things that sets them apart from other models. Ctrl V has their own in-house suite of software, solely designed to improve experience. This helps reduce labor costs by a whopping 75% when compared to their competitors. Furthermore, Ctrl V has independent relationships with its vendors, which helps in lowering their CoGS by 3x than the competition. This finally results in a gross profit margin (after franchise charges) of approximately 80%. Their unique marketing and real estate strategy is responsible for many of Ctrl V’s locations to achieve a 40% return customer rate.

The Rock of Ctrl V

Robert Bruski believes that a franchise relationship is not an ‘us-them’ relationship. It is a business partnership where every member plays an equal role in the success of the business. Franchise owners are expected to treat their business and locations as their own, rather than someone else’s. Even when each member is responsible for their own departments or tasks, they should still come together as co-CEOs to build something very successful and profitable. Transparency, respect, and collaboration are key qualities that can help strengthen this relationship and make the business for both the franchisee and franchisor lucrative.

The Feathers on their Hat

Ctrl V has several notable achievements and milestones under their belt, the most obvious one being the first arcade of its kind in the world. Through franchising, they have also made it very easy for anyone interested in becoming an entrepreneur, and VR to achieve their lifelong dream of owning a business. Within just 3 years, Ctrl V has expanded to 3 countries, with over 20 locations to their name. Ctrl V has been listed in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 for 3 years in succession as well as achieved Entrepreneur Magazines Top New Franchises for 3 consecutive years. To top it all off, only recently, The Franchise Universe has declared Ctrl V has one of the top 10 franchise systems in the year 2021.