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... 
by Thomas Traplin | Nov 12, 2018 | Fundamentals, General Business, Marketing, Podcasts
Matthew Vercant has worked for three game stores, done shipping fulfillment for various Kickstarters, managed shipping for Minion Games, and now owns Just Games Rochester. His background before entering the games industry was in publishing and teaching. He also just... 
by Thomas Traplin | Oct 13, 2018 | Podcasts
Do you know what it takes to start a movement in your local game community? That's the essence of this episode of the Manaverse Podcast. Darcy and Daniel Leech, the owners of Mind Sculpt Games in Great Bend, Kansas, have returned from the front lines to share how they... 
by Thomas Traplin | Sep 10, 2018 | Mindset, Podcasts
Sometimes you reach a point in your business where you begin to question whether or not the whole endeavor is worth the effort. You face a crossroads where you can either choose to quit and walk away, or push through the tough times in hopes that good times are on the... 
by Thomas Traplin | Sep 4, 2018 | Articles, Fundamentals, General Business
Just like a lot of business owners, new game store owners make a lot of mistakes. Partly due to too much enthusiasm and partly due to lack of experience. Following are the top 5 rookie mistakes that new game store owners make and how you can avoid making them... 
by Thomas Traplin | Aug 22, 2018 | Podcasts
The first episode of the Round Table is back after 8 months. The whole gang returns to discuss the recent developments in the industry including the rise of D&D. Roleplaying popularity is surging and for the guys, driving sales in store despite being offered on... 
by Thomas Traplin | Aug 18, 2018 | Mindset, Podcasts
Everyone gets burnt out every once in a while. The question is what to do about it when it happens. Even gaming can become exhausting and stressful once you make it your profession, and that's the path a game store owner must walk. So in this return episode of the... 
by Thomas Traplin | Dec 14, 2017 | Podcasts
John Coviello (Little Shop of Magic) and Gary Sproul (The Haunted Game Cafe) join me to discuss every retailer's favorite topic: dealing with distributors and figuring out your supply chain. If you want to run a game store, you need to have games to sell and the only... 
by Thomas Traplin | Oct 6, 2017 | Articles
Magic is one of the most popular and profitable games in the world. Even so, the majority of friendly local game stores do not rely solely on Magic to generate all of their revenue. Most stores diversify their offerings into other related areas in an attempt to appeal...