Local Business: Meet Devon Trevelyan of Knight Moves Cafe

Knight Moves Board Game Cafe is Brookline’s spot to not only enjoy a cup of your favorite brew but to play your favorite board game as well. It offers a friendly, laid back environment that allows guests to connect face-to-face while going head-to-head. Patch caught up with owner Devon Trevelyan to learn his favorite moves to run a business.

1) What have you learned while starting and operating your own business?

The most important aspect I have learned while going down this path was to be flexible and expect to fail, but also to learn from it. The greatest most successful ideas are those that transitioned from what I wanted to what the business showed me it needed.

2) What was the biggest thing that surprised you as a business owner?

The biggest surprise for me was the amount of possibilities. As a chess/strategy game player I am always calculating options and sequences, but I was not prepared for the amount of possible paths to take for a business. This was scary but important for me to learn.

3) If you were starting a business today what would you do differently, if anything?

If I was to start another business I would focus on the timing. I know that sounds rudimentary but it is deceptively crucial and can be the difference between failure and success.

4) What’s the best part of owning your own business?

The best part is also the worst. You have everything on your shoulders, the success and failure is your responsibility. That being said you have to answer only to yourself (and perhaps the IRS), which is a wonderful feeling.

5) What have you learned through the challenges of owning your own business?

Let things fall through the cracks. Give yourself goals and expect for some of them to fail or change because they are going to anyway, which will make it easier. I had a vision for my board game cafe that is different from what it is today and that’s a good thing. Realizing that is good is the hard part.

6) How important is it for people to support independent business owners in their community?

It is very important for the community to support indie businesses, but it is also the responsibility of the business to provide the community with what it needs. It’s a symbiotic relationship that is a two way street.

7) What do you love about being an American business owner?

I suppose the stability of laws in America, however they might change, create a comfort level that you may not have in other counties. There are certainly pros and cons on both sides.

8) When did you decide to go into business for yourself? Was it a dream come true?

I have always been somewhat of an entrepreneur since I was younger selling flavored ice to college students when I was 8 years old. I knew that the corporate world, as I viewed it, was no place for me so once I identified the need for a board game cafe it wasn’t long after that I decided to try to open. The dream come true is that I do what I love, playing and teaching games, and meeting new people everyday.

9) What is the most important thing that you’ve learned since going into business for yourself?

That is a hard question as I learn more everyday. I think you have to be patient and persevere when things don’t work out. Being flexible and accepting transition to the unknown is paramount to success.

10) Are there any traditions that have been passed down over the years that your business follows when it comes to pleasing the client?

Making sure that every person who walks through my door is treated exactly the same and transporting them into the experience that is Knight Moves. I wouldn’t say this has been passed down but perhaps this is the start of a long tradition.

11) What inspires you to get up every morning?

The community that has grown since the beginning inspires me to give them the best experience possible. There really is nothing like making new friends and sharing warm drinks into the night.

12) How do you ensure quality in your work?

Honesty. Straight to the point honesty, with my myself, my customers, and the community. Nothing will bring you down faster than thinking your doing something right when in fact it is destroying you.

13) What makes for a good day at your business?

Every day is a good day, because the opportunity to learn from yesterday is always there. I know how that sounds but it really is the truth. When you are opening your own business every moment is teaching you something. You just have to recognize it.

14) What makes the people who work for your business unique?

Knight Moves is a board game cafe. The people who work for the business are here because they have a passion for what the cafe represents and that’s the community. Although there are a few game cafés in the US, the concept to socially gather over a game, face-to-face, is one of the oldest around.