From Zero To Hero: How To Create A World-Class RPG Department
I often hear new to moderately-experienced retailers asking how to make money with RPGs. It’s a question out of my experience. I came into the hobby from D&...
Category: Operations
This category includes everything relating to the mechanics of running a store.
Short on Cash? Manage Your Cash Flow Now
Retailers sometimes have difficulties managing cash. It could be for any number of reasons—another store could have opened too nearby, the owner could have heal...
Level Up Your Sales Game: Proven Techniques for Success in Tabletop Game Retail
We talk often about the mechanics of operating a game store—things like opening procedures, POS tips, and event management. All these things are intended to hel...
Unlock Higher Sales: Manage Your Inventory to Maximize Turn Rates
In the last week, I’ve encountered 4 game stores who failed to optimize their inventory dollars. I want to keep this article short, because the message is simpl...
Telling a Secret: How Shutting Down one Store Launched My Business to New Profits
The single most critical launching station with my game stores was leaving the register full time and moving to a position where my full-time job was “improving...
Lessons Learned: Personal Insights From 25 Years of Gaming Retail
Occasionally on discussion fora, somebody asks existing store owners “What mistakes did you make when you started”, or “What would you have done differently”? T...
Top 5 Mistakes Retailers Make When Writing A Business Plan
Since I’ve been writing plans for others who want to open a store, I’ve read a few business plans that clients have assembled themselves, and I’ve noticed...
The Flea Market Way
I’ve recently created a truncated form of business plan describing a low-budget way to start a game store. Get inventory, get some fixtures, and focus on ...
Making Money at Cons
My new article at rpg.net is up. It talks about finding, planning, and handling your sales at conventions. Cons give you an opportunity to reach those customers...
Free Games
In this week’s upcoming article on The Business of Gaming Retail, I talk about how to get free games–to the tune of over $2,000 a year.