The Manaverse Podcast

Brenda and Paraic Mulgrew are the owners of the incredibly thematic Knight Watch Games in San Antonio. Knight Watch Games is a full service gaming center that specializes in board games, card games, miniatures, and role-playing and is beautifully decked out in Medieval fantasy decor.

To quote one of their customers: THE OWNERS AND STAFF HAVE CULTIVATED A NIRVANA FOR GAMERS. A MORE OPEN AND WELCOMING PLACE YOU WILL NEVER FIND."

Brenda and Paraic on a mission to show what a game store can be in 2020 and beyond and during the episode we dig into what it takes to be a game store owner, the advantages of having a partner that compliments your strengths and weaknesses, and what game stores need to do to attract and serve the most misunderstand demographic of customers right now and turn them into raving fans.

Don't sleep on this one, especially in these strange times we live.

https://www.knightwatchgames.com/

Get your FREE ticket to the upcoming LGS Success Summit below

https://lgssuccesssummit.com

Kylie Prymus has been the owner of Games Unlimited in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania since 2015 but Games Unlimited is one of the original founding game stores in North America. Opening their doors for the first time in 1979, Games Unlimited has been serving the Pittsburgh community for decades, bringing people and games together the whole time.

With a special focus on being community oriented, family friendly game experts, Kylie and the Games Unlimited crew help people find the perfect game for their needs and have built a thriving business while doing so. 

Topics/Questions

• How Kylie got into the game business and how he grew Games Unlimited after taking over the ownership in 2015.
• Why your customer's trust is the most valuable asset your business can have.
• The impact of the shutdowns on Games Unlimited and how Kylie kept the business going.
• Honeycomb - "We raised $11,085 in our first day! As a business that relies heavily on customer relationships, giving my customers a way to support us during the shutdown is a win-win for both of us."
• How Kylie found out about Honeycomb and what lead to the decision to give them a try.
• Tips for game store owners that are struggling right now.

The Manaverse Podcast is supported by Honeycomb Credit. Honeycomb Credit is here to support your small business during these uncertain times. 

As a leader in crowdfunded small business loans, Honeycomb gives you the opportunity to raise community capital from your customers, fans, and the network of Honeycomb investors.  

Sign up and get connected with one of their funding experts by going to manaversesaga.com/honeycomb. 

If you're a local game store owner in need of funding, working with Honeycomb Credit creates a way for your existing community to invest in the future of your business. 

If you want to support the local game store in your area, let them know how Honeycomb Credit can help! Go to manaversesaga.com/honeycomb to sign up and get started today!

Shannon Ebbitt is the co-owner with husband Vince, of the Mana Boardgame Tavern in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, a steampunk inspired venue offering a variety of adult beverages combined with a library of board games for their patrons to enjoy. 

The Mana Boardgame Tavern was conceived with the idea of bringing great games, great drinks, and great people, all together into a welcoming atmosphere. Add in a hefty amount of passionate geekdom and every night is game night.

• The Kickstarter campaign that started it all
• The story of how the building they rented burned down before they could open their doors
• How Shannon and Vince came to the decision to open a specialty bar 
• Lessons learned during the launch
• Raising money with Honeycomb Credit to stay afloat during the lockdown
• Tips on running a successful crowdfunding campaign

Find out how you can run your own Loyalty Bonds campaign by going to manaversesaga.com/honeycomb

Wizards of the Coast made an announcement recently on the WPN site detailing the changes to the program and what it takes for local game stores to qualify for WPN Premium status.

So let's dig into the announcement and talk about the three major changes to the program and some options for game store owners looking to become Premium.

https://wpn.wizards.com/en/article/evolving-wpn-premium-covid-19-and-beyond

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 are changing, almost by the day.

If you went through the effort of putting together a business plan, the very assumptions the plan is based on are now incorrect. A business plan presupposes a few things, like a somewhat stable economy, reliable infrastructure, and a reasonably consistent regulatory environment.

But that's no longer the case. Let's talk about what you should be doing instead of pulling the trigger on your game store plans and how to set your business up for success later on.

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 likely won't be a long time.

And for the stores in regions that are particular hard hit like California and New York, options are even more limited as they've been forced to close their doors entirely.

But there is some good news. The industry as a whole is coming together to help support the front line game stores and there are still ways to keep your business running, even in the midst of a lock down situation.

John Coviello is on the podcast again to share how he's dealing with the situation in his business, and some of the things he's been doing to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic. Listen in to learn how publishers and distributors are creating programs to help your business continue to generate revenue as well what government programs are being made available to small businesses so they can weather the storm.

Click here to join the Manaverse Network free for 30 days and stay connected with other store owners and stay on top of what's happening in the games industry.

See the full list of available resources at https://manaversesaga.com/mvp085-resources-and-advice-for-staying-in-business-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

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 not just restricted to the usual suspects. Players can find nearly any table top game on the system.

For game store owners, WeTabletop is a completely free way to reach more customers and sell more games. Due to the current circumstances surrounding Covid-19, WeTabletop is also offering store owners to host remote/virtual events so there is no excuse not to claim your store's page right now.

Go to https://wetabletop.com to get started.

Is coronavirus worse than the flu? At this point it doesn't matter, the panic and fear is real.

Governments are taking this seriously.

Coronavirus is going to affect all retail but game stores are a unique business model and are very focused on face to face interaction. So what do local game store owners need to be concerned with over the coming weeks and months?

• Health Concerns
• Do you have a plan in place for what happens when your team gets sick? What about you?
• What are you doing to reduce the spread of disease? Hand sanitizer
• Economic Concerns
• Supply chain issues, China manufacturing is reduced. Shipping is delayed as countries go into lockdown. What can you do to prevent issues with restocking? Will likely affect board games more than other products as majority is manufactured overseas, can you refocus product lines to others that won't be as affected?
• Do you have enough of basic items like toilet paper! to last a prolonged shortage?
• Do you have enough set aside to float the business if sales are reduced for the next 6 months?
• Dealing with quarantines, reduced foot traffic, low to zero event attendance, reduced sales.
• Insurance isn't going to cover this.

1. Personal, have food/water/basic supplies on hand. Prepare to self isolate if necessary, at least a few weeks worth. Wash your hands, avoid touching your face. You will likely be infected or someone you know so be prepared to be knocked out for a while.
2. Put a plan in place if you can't work for up to a month. Does your manager know how to order or take care of other admin tasks? Do you have a chain of command in place? In the extreme case, what happens to your business if you die?
3. Speak to your distributors and suppliers. Ask them if there any items they expect to see shortages of, consider stocking up now if necessary. 
4. Be proactive, not reactive. Speak to your staff about ways to reduce the spread of the disease. Put up guidelines for customers as well. Avoid touching each other's cards or game pieces as much as possible, wash your hands often.

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