Welcome to the Manaverse Podcast
The Manaverse Podcast is where we explore what it takes to build a successful friendly local game store! Since 2015, I’ve been interviewing a wide variety of game store owners and industry professionals doing some really interesting things in the world of trading cards, minis, games, and more.
If you want to learn how some of the best game retailers in North America have built their businesses and local communities up from the ground floor, you’ve come to the right place!
MVP086: Now Is Not The Time To Open a Game Store, Do This Instead
If you're in the planning stages of your future game store or were about to launch, you should put everything on hiatus right now. Hold off on opening your doors or making any major purchases in the near future because the circumstances in which you would be operating...
MVP085: Resources and Advice For Staying In Business During The Covid-19 Pandemic
The situation is changing day by day and for many game store owners, business is anything but the usual. Social distancing and isolation have made the traditional model for local game stores unfeasible if not impossible. Hosting events is no longer an option and...
MVP084: Get In Front of More Customers with WeTabletop
Joe Masilotti is on the show to talk about how WeTabletop can help game store owners get in front of more customers and fill up their events more consistently. WeTabletop allows players looking for games to connect with store owners hosting those games, and they're...
MVPX: Coronavirus Is Here, Now What?
Do you think the coronavirus isn't as bad as the flu? I disagree, and maybe at the end of this podcast you might think differently. But at this point it doesn't matter, the panic and fear is real. Governments are taking this seriously. Coronavirus is going to affect...
MVP083: Justice Has Been Served
For those who haven’t heard the tale, Pat’s Games was robbed a little over three years ago and the bad guys made off with over $60,000 worth of high value Magic cards. The story of the burglary went far and wide, ending up on magazines and news stories all around...
MVP082: Pete Hoefling on Star City Games
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...
MVP081: Chatbots: What They Are And Why You Should Care
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...
MVP080: How Gordon Johansen Sold $36,000 Worth Of Product In One Day
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...
MVP079: The State Of The Games Industry
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...
MVP078: The Death Of Magic Online
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...