Today we’d like to introduce you to Gregory Prinster.
Hi Gregory, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Top Shot BB Gun Bar is more or less a rebranding of Top Notch Axe Throwing, which was started in 2018. Axe throwing was a big hit, and we had four different locations at one point. Around 2022, we started exploring other options as we began to see a decline in the axe throwing industry. Around this time, our dad, Gary, had put together this makeshift shooting range with Red Ryder BB guns, and everyone enjoyed it, which sparked the idea for Top Shot BB Gun Bar.
Over the next two years, we developed a much more sophisticated target system, upgraded the guns, and developed proprietary safety technology. We then started having trial groups come in so we could see where we could refine different parts of the system, and here we are now! We have been open for a little over a year and have been receiving great feedback thus far!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We have two branches of our company. The brick-and-mortar side, where people go to shoot, drink, and have fun, is Top Shot BB Gun Bar. The other side is Top Shot Technology, which developed all of the technology that creates the experience.
It has been one bumpy ride… I can tell you that.
There is nothing like this on the market that has real physical targets, built-in safety, and runs at a commercial scale. Not only did we have to develop the target systems and enclosure from scratch, but we also had to find guns that worked in our setup. The airsoft industry has only had a few things close to this level of scale, so even finding the right vendors that can work with us to provide super durable and long-lasting parts has been a challenge.
But we have persevered. We are passionate about the project, and we have a good team put together to engineer everything, so we have been able to make great progress thus far. Over the last year of being open, every week we find a new issue that needs to be addressed. But we have a great team, high levels of engineering, and the right resources to continually develop and refine our solutions across the board.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are four brothers and their father making all of this happen. While being in business together can cause some fights about the best direction for the company, at the end of the day, it is a blessing to be able to do all of this together.
We each have our own lane, whether it is engineering, finances, operations, or building, but in the end, we all share a common goal for the company as a whole and support one another in that pursuit.
What really sets us apart is that we have a passion for shooting, while also having extensive business experience through our own ventures. So we are able to deliver the experience that customers want, while also creating a successful business. We are super proud of what we have been able to make. Beyond just the customer experience, the fact that we have been able to develop such cool technology that we designed, developed, and manufactured ourselves is a very cool thing.
What people should know about Top Shot is that we designed it to be safe and fun for everyone. We get couples, bachelor parties, team-building events, and both adult and kids’ birthday parties. We take safety very seriously and have had that in mind from the start. There were a few safety things we had to figure out that were non-starters for the company to even begin. Everything we have seen tells us that whether
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Resilience is everything. Building a business of any kind, at the end of the day, really comes down to how much determination you have to make it happen and the resilience you are willing to put forward in order to get there.
We faced endless challenges along the way while making Top Shot. Frankly, we considered giving up a few times. But of course, we persevered, and now we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Pricing:
- 35$/person for 1 hour
- 42$/person for 1.5 hours
- Special pricing for teambuilding/large groups
Contact Info:
- Website: https://topshotx.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/topshotairsoftbar/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575463090004
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMNSNVHWXh0
