by Thomas Traplin | Apr 2, 2019 | Articles
When I first opened up shop well over a decade ago, there weren’t a lot of resources out there for game store owners. Certainly none that were easy to find and access. Even now, the knowledge and expertise to run a successful and profitable game store is rare... 
by Thomas Traplin | Feb 19, 2019 | Podcasts
Since the day I started the Manaverse Podcast I've wanted to interview certain people in particular. John Coviello and Gordan Johansen were high on my list, as well as Pat Johnson and Kelly Ackerman, KYT, Derium's, Card Kingdom, and many, many more. Pete Hoefling was... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jan 20, 2019 | Marketing, Podcasts, Tech, Tools
Over the course of the last year, Chatbots have been making a lot of noise in the industry. They are either the cutting edge in marketing technology, poised to change the way people interact with businesses, or they're a fad flash in the pan. Just another shiny object... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jan 14, 2019 | Podcasts
Gordon Johansen is back on the Manaverse Podcast along with John Coviello and Wayne Mittlesteadt to talk about holiday sales and driving big numbers during the holiday season. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and the Christmas season are the focus of this... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jan 6, 2019 | Podcasts
2018 has been an interesting year for the games industry. We've seen a glut of excellent board games hit the market and more mainstream adoption of the gaming hobby by the 'mundanes' as John Coviello would say, but we've also had to deal with new issues. Online... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jan 4, 2019 | Articles, Community, General Business
Game stores of all stripes have a problem. A big problem. A tragedy of the commons in a way. At least the ones that have dedicated play space do. The question is “What do you do about the people who want to use your space without spending money with your... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jan 1, 2019 | Marketing, Tom's Blog
Making your goals public drastically increases the odds of you actually accomplishing them. It also helps to have something great in your life to work towards. It doesn’t have to be grandiose and world changing, it just has to encompass more than just the day to... 
by Thomas Traplin | Dec 6, 2018 | Podcasts, Tech
The days of Magic Online are numbered, at least in its current form. The question we explore today is "Will Wizard's of the Coast shut down Magic Online?" and how will this affect local game store owners. The short answer is "yes", the long answer is "it's... 
by Thomas Traplin | Nov 22, 2018 | Community, Fundamentals, Mindset, Podcasts
In this super short episode of the Manaverse Podcast, we ask the question "are you focusing on the right things?" Specifically, are you building a business, or are you building a community? I'm going to give away the plot on this one and take a potentially... 
by Thomas Traplin | Nov 19, 2018 | Articles, Marketing
I originally wrote this article early in 2016 and at the time, it was pretty thorough. But the times are changing so it seems like now would be a good time to update and reevaluate our strategy for the coming new year. The first thing I want to point out is that the...