Welcome to another episode of the Manaverse Podcast! My name is Tom Traplin and I am your host and this is the podcast where we talk about building successful friendly local game stores. Today, we’re talking with Michael Bahr, the mind behind the LGS Net Income newsletter and former owner of Desert Sky Games in Arizona.
Michael relatively recently sold DSG to another game store owner, and I say relatively because I’ve been sitting on this recording for way too long, but we dive into what it takes to build a game store into a sellable asset. The processes and systems that you need to have in place to create a business that not only functions without you, but also gives you the opportunity to potentially exit the business profitably and on your own terms.
It’s an excellent conversation, and if you want more of a backstage pass look into the operational side of a local game store I definitely recommend signing up for the LGSNI Substack. I’m a member and Michael’s insights into the crunchy, data driven aspects of the business are tremendously valuable. You can go to manaversesaga.com/lgsni to sign up. I’m not affiliated or anything with the newsletter, but I am a big fan, so check it out!
Before we jump into the conversation, I’ve also got a fairly big announcement to make as well.
As of today, I am officially a co-founding member of the 2nd Hand Geek team! I’m coming on as the CMO for 2nd Hand Geek and together we are going to build a marketplace that truly supports the local game stores that are the heart of the hobbies we all love.
If you haven’t heard of 2nd Hand Geek yet, check out my interview with Alan Blakeborough in episode 138, to find out more about what it’s all about.
I am very excited about the future of 2nd Hand Geek and how it will change the way hobbyists buy and sell online, while also giving back and supporting the local game stores that built up those communities of gamers that make everything possible in the first place.