A heartbreak inspired 23-year-old Teh Jo Ey to start her entrepreneurial journey. Though the unlikeliest of cause and effect, it gave her the positive energy she needed to rise above the painful relationship she had.
Her venture is called Broken Hearts, which is a card game that aims to help people regain their confidence to love again.
In this interview, Joey shares with us the story on her past relationship and how it spurred her on to start Broken Hearts.
Do you mind sharing the story of your break-up? How bad was it?
Honestly, my break up wasn’t an epic, tragic story. Our relationship ended due to a widening gap between us, and we just weren’t good together. However, the part that particularly stung was the nature of the break-up. He left without a word, and it was a hard time for me as I couldn’t get any closure.
I’m sure that there are people who have experiences worse than me but regardless of how the relationship ended, it’s always going to be painful, isn’t it?
How did it turn from a personal experience into a card game?
I decided to turn pain into positive energy and suggested to my two colleagues who became co-creators of the relationship card game that would encourage broken-hearted people in the world to be brave and believe in love again!
I was a timid and insecure girl before the break-up. During the lowest point, I learned how to face my broken hearts, be comfortable with all the uncomfortable situations, and I took up the courage to embark on something meaningful: to spread love to the world.
Why did you not turn it into an app but a physical game?
Because we realised nowadays most of the people do not know how to express love at the same time lack of it. People tend to hide their emotion and do not want to face their broken hearts. We hope through this game by doing all of the interactive action it can eventually allow others to take their first step to be brave and love again. Did you ever blow a kiss to your friends? Did you ever make a pinky promise with your family? We hope Broken Hearts game can increase the quality time with your loved ones, friends and even with family.
How did your family and friends react to your idea?
I am very grateful to receive countless encouragements from my family and friends. I am very close with my family. They showered me with their love and care when I was depressed. They make me realised no matter how sad you are, know that it is not going to last forever – no matter how happy you are or how great things might seem. Because of this I started to cherish every moment and be present.
You said that you faced rejections when creating this game. What did these people say about your idea?
“Why do we insist on using “Broken Hearts” as the name of our card game, despite many people asking us to change the name as it sounds negative?”
Knowing that everyone would have their heart broken at some point in life, we hope that people can be brave to face their “Broken Hearts” and fall in love with life again.
How did you overcome the rejections and challenges you faced during your journey?
I am grateful for all the rejections and challenges that I’ve faced because it makes me feel that I’m not alone. Broken Hearts is impactful enough for people to voice out their opinion. In life, we will all eventually face rejections, failures and in general “broken hearts”, but these are the lessons that open doors of opportunities.
How’s the feedback from people who played your game?
Overall, they enjoyed the game session. This is also what we hope to see, the smile and joy even if it is just a short 15-minute game session. We hope that they can enjoy the moment, be brave and love again!
We know that you will be launching a Kickstarter Campaign on 24 October 2018. How much do you intend to raise and what’s in it for the crowd?
We hope to raise S$15,000 from our Kickstarter campaign yet we would love to see the game become the most exciting game of 2018 to spread the love around the world. Relationships are part of everyone’s life, and there will be times when our hearts are broken. I hope that through our Broken Hearts game, we will help to heal these wounds so that people will be brave and believe in love again, in a fun way!
For more information about Broken Hearts, check out www.playbrokenhearts.com
