by Thomas Traplin | Jan 26, 2017 | Articles, Fundamentals, Mindset
In business, as in life, we tend to want to emulate what everyone else is doing. It feels safe. We take the beaten path instead of venturing out on our own into new frontiers. Even as game store owners we do it. And we’re a pretty unorthodox bunch to begin with.... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jan 10, 2017 | Articles
For those who haven’t heard the news, Panini, the company that published the Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card Game has decided to pull the plug on the game. Check out the announcement on the Panini America website here:... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jan 9, 2017 | Fundamentals, Podcasts, Sales, Tech
In this episode of the Manaverse Podcast, the hosts of the show look back on 2016 and do a postmortem report. It's always a good idea to look back on what went right and what went wrong. You can learn some very valuable lessons from your past if you have the data and... 
by Thomas Traplin | Jan 4, 2017 | Articles, Mindset
The dreaded death spiral. The downward slide into oblivion. Before we get into that, though, a story is in order. Not so long ago… A few months ago I walked into a restaurant I had never been in before. I was looking for something yummy to fill my belly with and... 
by Thomas Traplin | Dec 21, 2016 | Articles, Tom's Blog
When I started this website and podcast over two years ago, I wasn't sure where it would go. All I had was an idea and I decided to run with it. I didn't plan on becoming a full time freelancer at the time. I didn't know if anyone would want to listen to me. I didn't... 
by Thomas Traplin | Dec 14, 2016 | Podcasts
The round table hosts of the Manaverse Podcast come together to discuss the past month. We live in exciting times and November has been an interesting for the guys. John Coviello, Wayne Mittlesteadt, Gary Sproul, and Tom Traplin share their experiences and lessons... 
by Thomas Traplin | Dec 6, 2016 | Podcasts
Every owner of a profitable game store will eventually face a difficult decision. Do you move your store or do you expand? Well, lucky for you this episode of the Manaverse Podcast covers both! Gary Sproul from the Haunted Game Cafe and John Coviello come on to... 
by Thomas Traplin | Oct 17, 2016 | Fundamentals, General Business, Podcasts
In today's show the hosts of the Manaverse Podcast discuss the reasons why game stores fail. Some percentage of businesses fail. The question is how do you make sure that your game store isn't one of them? The sad truth is you can't protect your business from failure... 
by Thomas Traplin | Oct 3, 2016 | Community, Podcasts, Tech
The problems with Pucatrade are the subject of the show today, specifically the release of the Future Site update and the effects of its crumbling economy. After a fundraising campaign and many months of development time, Pucatrade's newest incarnation has left many... 
by Thomas Traplin | Sep 28, 2016 | Fundamentals, Podcasts, Sales
In today's episode of the Manaverse Podcast Wayne hosts John and I at Dueling Grounds in Toronto and we discuss the variety of ways a game store owner can build their shop's inventory. We go over the product mix matrix suggested by a listener of the show which is...