The Manaverse Podcast: Magic: the Gathering Business / Game Store Entrepreneurship / LGS Professionals Tom Traplin

We've got Maryam Al-Hammami on the podcast. Maryam is the co-owner of The Game Chest, a four location local game store business in California. Maryam and I discuss what it takes for a game store to grow into a multi-location business, how making the in-store experience welcoming and diversifying your inventory can change everything, why hiring a great team is crucial to long term success, the merits of having your store inside a mall, and more.
This is a great conversation for anyone that wants to set their sights on expanding their game store and growing into a seven figure and beyond business.
Links Mentionedhttps://www.instagram.com/thegamechest/
https://linktr.ee/thegamechest
https://www.tiktok.com/@thegamechest?lang=en
https://www.facebook.com/thegamechestDelamo/
https://www.facebook.com/GameChestIrvineSpectrum/
https://www.facebook.com/thegamechestoc/
https://www.facebook.com/theGameChestArcadia
Enrollment is officially open for the April 2023 Digital Marketing Bootcamp!
We're taking all the strategies that we use for our clients and teaching the frameworks we use to drive online visitors and foot traffic from Google and social media, build up an email list of paying customers, send campaigns that sell, and run ads on Facebook and Google that generate thousands of dollars in sales each month.
Plus we're going to cover two of the hottest topics facing game store owners over the coming months and years. The first being accessibility and making sure you and your business are protected from the slew of ADA related lawsuits impacting the industry. We are going to go over how to make sure your website is accessible and compliant, but also how to protect yourself in the event you get served.
The second being the recent advent of AI with the release of Chat GPT and how you can leverage this exciting new tool to make your SEO and content creation more effective and easier than ever.
It's going to be 4 weeks, 8 sessions of live over the shoulder training with value-packed 90 minute sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays each week plus a little Q&A at the end of each.
In case you need a little more incentive, Bootcamp attendees that go on to become MMA clients in the future will get the price of the Bootcamp discounted on the program!
We're keeping the Bootcamp small so the sessions can have the maximum impact, so if you want to be one of the 5 attendees for the next bootcamp and score an early bird discount, now's the time to join us!
Go to manaversesaga.com/bootcamp and enroll today.

We've got David Finn on the podcast. David is the owner of Giga-Bites Cafe in Marietta, near Atlanta. Giga-Bites Café was founded by David Finn 14 years ago and is the host for a gaming community of thousands, and is Atlanta's best stocked tabletop retail space. David is also the owner of Bridge Distribution specializing in a huge variety of hobby products.
Links Mentionedhttps://giga-bitescafe.com/
https://www.facebook.com/GigaBitesTabletopCafe
https://www.facebook.com/davidhorsefinn
https://bridgedist.com/
Enrollment is officially open for the April 2023 Digital Marketing Bootcamp!
We're taking all the strategies that we use for our clients and teaching the frameworks we use to drive online visitors and foot traffic from Google and social media, build up an email list of paying customers, send campaigns that sell, and run ads on Facebook and Google that generate thousands of dollars in sales each month.
Plus we're going to cover two of the hottest topics facing game store owners over the coming months and years. The first being accessibility and making sure you and your business are protected from the slew of ADA related lawsuits impacting the industry. We are going to go over how to make sure your website is accessible and compliant, but also how to protect yourself in the event you get served.
The second being the recent advent of AI with the release of Chat GPT and how you can leverage this exciting new tool to make your SEO and content creation more effective and easier than ever.
It's going to be 4 weeks, 8 sessions of live over the shoulder training with value-packed 90 minute sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays each week plus a little Q&A at the end of each.
In case you need a little more incentive, Bootcamp attendees that go on to become MMA clients in the future will get the price of the Bootcamp discounted on the program!
We're keeping the Bootcamp small so the sessions can have the maximum impact, so if you want to be one of the 5 attendees for the next bootcamp and score an early bird discount, now's the time to join us!
Go to manaversesaga.com/bootcamp and enroll today.

We've got Christopher Wood and Deon on the podcast today. Chris is the owner of Modern Table Top Gaming, a WPN Premium store in South Chesterfield, Virginia. MTTG is a fantastically executed game store with an epic sign out front and we dig into what makes the store tick and how they earned the WPN Premium status.
https://moderntabletoprva.com/
Check out other episodes of the Manaverse Podcast https://www.manaversesaga.com/podcasts/
The Complete FLGS Digital Marketing Course: By the end of this 21 day step-by-step course, you'll have all the pieces of the digital marketing puzzle put together for your game store.
https://www.manaversesaga.com/flgs/
Manaverse Marketing Agency: Book your call to find out if your game store is a good fit for the paid ads and email marketing automation system and learn how we can plug it into your business.
https://www.manaversesaga.com/autopilot/
Make Your Site Accessible: Start a 7 day free trial of AccessiBe and make your website accessible in the next 48 hours.
https://www.manaversesaga.com/ada/

We've got Whitman Bottiger, the owner of Critical Hit Games on the the podcast today. Critical Hit Games is a WPN Premium game store in Abingdon, Maryland carrying the classic selection of TCG's, miniatures, RPGs, and board games with a special focus on custom TCG formats.
Game stores can be an intimidating environment for customers who've never been to one before, so we discuss how to make your game store more approachable and friendly to newcomers.
Tons of nuggets in this episode. Check it out!
Links Mentioned In The Showhttps://crit-hit.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SmallGameStoreSanctuary
Check out other episodes of the Manaverse Podcast https://www.manaversesaga.com/podcasts/
The Complete FLGS Digital Marketing Course: By the end of this 21 day step-by-step course, you'll have all the pieces of the digital marketing puzzle put together for your game store.
https://www.manaversesaga.com/flgs/
Manaverse Marketing Agency: Book your call to find out if your game store is a good fit for the paid ads and email marketing automation system and learn how we can plug it into your business.
https://www.manaversesaga.com/autopilot/
Make Your Site Accessible: Start a 7 day free trial of AccessiBe and make your website accessible in the next 48 hours.
https://www.manaversesaga.com/ada/

We've got Krisy Viola, the owner of Nostos Boutique on the the podcast today.
Nostos is a small, well-loved, and carefully curated WPN Premium shop filled with the very best of comic books, trading cards, and vintage and modern toys in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Their tagline is "a homecoming for all things pop culture" and we're going to talk about what makes their shop such a vibrant and successful pillar of their community!
This interview is the perfect example of how a truly unique and inspired brand, combined with a carefully curated community-oriented culture (alliteration!), can make a fantastic game store.
Seriously, don't miss this one!
Links Mentionedhttps://www.nostosboutique.com/
https://www.facebook.com/nostosboutique/
https://twitter.com/nostosboutique
https://www.instagram.com/nostosboutique/
The $100 Startup (affiliate link)

Today we're talking with Tyler Selee. Tyler is the owner of Elysium Cards and Games, a WPN premium retailer of tabletop games, Magic, Pokemon, and more in Fair Oaks, California, where everyone is welcome to the table.
We have an excellent conversation on the importance of creating a inclusive space and community within your game store, how simply being observant and listening to your customers can help you plan for the future, and how they partner with local creators to expand their audience.
Links
Friendly Local Game Store
https://www.elysiumcag.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ElysiumCaG/
https://twitter.com/ElysiumCards
https://www.instagram.com/elysiumcag/