Wayne Mittlestead comes onto the Manaverse Podcast today to talk about life, love, and happiness as an entrepreneur... sort of. Wayne built Dueling Grounds in Toronto, Ontario from the ground up. With 11 years of experience Wayne has a lot to share with regards to running an LGS. We go over his humble beginnings and trace the path that lead up to the modern day Dueling Grounds, the tough times and the good.
Sometimes being an entrepreneur means making sacrifices, and Wayne has had his fair share. The story of how Dueling Grounds came to be is a tale of bad breaks and powering through obstacles where many of us would have thrown in towel. But the rewards come over time and Wayne stuck with his dream despite it all.
Some of the highlights:
- The early days of an LGS
- The importance of specializing
- Creating a secondary market for games other than Magic
- The danger of listening to everything your customers say
- A crazy landlord trying to squeeze Wayne for money
- Being proud of what you achieve and what you've built
- Standing for something and living your principles
By the way, I didn't ask for Wayne's wonderful praise but I will gratefully accept it. I love getting feedback and as long as you guys keep listening I will keep trying to create better episodes.
While your out here on the internet check Dueling Grounds out on Facebook and Twitter, say hi and tell them the Manaverse Podcast sent you.