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Berwyn, IL —
Stickney resident and Morton West alum Brian Carlson's business plan may be as unique as his hopes for the company's proceeds.
Carlson is starting up a new business he calls Battle Royale to bring a more realistic form of laser tag to local offices and outdoor areas. If the company is successful, the seminary student hopes to use some of the profits from the company to help orphans in Honduras.
Carlson felt called by God to help orphans from his very first encounter while he was attending Cedarville University in Ohio.
“God sparked something in me to make me realize how much he cares for orphans,” Carlson said. “We, as children of God, have been adopted by Him, so it makes sense that we should also care a lot about orphans.”
Carlson first worked with orphans while on a school-sponsored trip to Mexico in 2006, and by 2008, he had decided he wanted to live in Latin America and work with disenfranchised youth.
“I decided pretty early on that I wanted to end up in Latin America working with youth on the fringes,” Carlson said.
He began teaching theology and philosophy at a wealthy bilingual school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Carlson said he had a desire to not only work with the well-heeled elite, but also with the youth in the slums.
However, after more than two years, Carlson couldn’t find a job working with the people he wanted to help in Honduras that paid more than $300 a month, and he decided to come home to Stickney. He’s currently pursuing a master's degree in divinity through a distance-learning program with Bethel University in Minnesota and working at The Cheesecake Factory to stay afloat.
While dreaming up business ideas with a friend for use in Honduras, Carlson came across outdoor laser tag. Rather than using futuristic lights, Carlson planned to make the experience as realistic as paintball. Then he brainstormed that the technology could be deployed in any environment.
The idea didn't work for Honduras, but Carlson plans on deploying the company stateside.
He's already purchased the equipment, and hopes to have a “mobile laser combat” business opened in January. Carlson envisions turning work zones into war zones for adults, and also appealing to teenage boys who enjoy video games such as Call of Duty.
“The tentative motto for the business is 'off the couch and into the game,’” Carlson said. “I believe that it's going to be a sport that anybody can enjoy because you can put a 7 year old and a 60 year old in and they can compete well together, unlike basketball or other sports.”
Once the company is successful — and Carlson hopes to bring the idea to every major city in the U.S. and perhaps even the whole world — Carlson wants to use a portion of the profits to help needy orphans.
“The only way to do it right now is to beg people for money,” he said. “So, why not start a business and take that money and use it to do what God has laid on your heart?”
Stickney resident and Morton West alum Brian Carlson's business plan may be as unique as his hopes for the company's proceeds.
Carlson is starting up a new business he calls Battle Royale to bring a more realistic form of laser tag to local offices and outdoor areas. If the company is successful, the seminary student hopes to use some of the profits from the company to help orphans in Honduras.
Carlson felt called by God to help orphans from his very first encounter while he was attending Cedarville University in Ohio.
“God sparked something in me to make me realize how much he cares for orphans,” Carlson said. “We, as children of God, have been adopted by Him, so it makes sense that we should also care a lot about orphans.”
Carlson first worked with orphans while on a school-sponsored trip to Mexico in 2006, and by 2008, he had decided he wanted to live in Latin America and work with disenfranchised youth.
“I decided pretty early on that I wanted to end up in Latin America working with youth on the fringes,” Carlson said.
He began teaching theology and philosophy at a wealthy bilingual school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Carlson said he had a desire to not only work with the well-heeled elite, but also with the youth in the slums.
However, after more than two years, Carlson couldn’t find a job working with the people he wanted to help in Honduras that paid more than $300 a month, and he decided to come home to Stickney. He’s currently pursuing a master's degree in divinity through a distance-learning program with Bethel University in Minnesota and working at The Cheesecake Factory to stay afloat.
While dreaming up business ideas with a friend for use in Honduras, Carlson came across outdoor laser tag. Rather than using futuristic lights, Carlson planned to make the experience as realistic as paintball. Then he brainstormed that the technology could be deployed in any environment.
The idea didn't work for Honduras, but Carlson plans on deploying the company stateside.
He's already purchased the equipment, and hopes to have a “mobile laser combat” business opened in January. Carlson envisions turning work zones into war zones for adults, and also appealing to teenage boys who enjoy video games such as Call of Duty.
“The tentative motto for the business is 'off the couch and into the game,’” Carlson said. “I believe that it's going to be a sport that anybody can enjoy because you can put a 7 year old and a 60 year old in and they can compete well together, unlike basketball or other sports.”
Once the company is successful — and Carlson hopes to bring the idea to every major city in the U.S. and perhaps even the whole world — Carlson wants to use a portion of the profits to help needy orphans.
“The only way to do it right now is to beg people for money,” he said. “So, why not start a business and take that money and use it to do what God has laid on your heart?”
