Building businesses, trying new tools, and making room for people. The original posts, collected in one place.
Imported October 2, 2026. This is a static archive. Posts follow their LinkedIn activity order; publication dates appear only when verified.
Showing 21–40 of 348 posts
Custom software becomes an operating decision We run a Pokémon card shop. We used AI to write the software that helps run it. It's called PENNY. It handles collection buying, inventory entry, pricing tools, customer records, order picking,…
Read the post →$2,000,000. That's what we sold on TCGplayer in our first year. 18 months ago we'd never used the platform. We didn't know the market. We didn't know what a good buylist price looked like or how fast singles move. We just knew how to do th…
Read the post →Three people robbed my store this month. None of them walked through the door. Here's how it works on TikTok Shop: Every product you list is automatically tagged as a "refundable sample." No opt in. It's just on. A creator can grab your it…
Read the post →A store event can lose money on the night and still earn its place on the calendar. It might help new players get started, give regulars a reason to return, or introduce customers to products they would otherwise never try. Those are reaso…
Read the post →Every weekend, 80 to 100 people walk into our shop to sell us cards. For a long time that was chaos. A paper list. People hovering by the counter. "Am I next?" Staff guessing at wait times. Sellers giving up and walking out. So I built a w…
Read the post →Bandai capped our Gundam Card Game 1st Anniversary Event at 64 players. We filled all 64. Then a dozen more joined the waiting list. Think about that. A little over a year ago this game did not exist. Today, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, w…
Read the post →This is why I do it. I know how this sounds. Another shop owner tooting his own horn. I do have a healthy self image. But that is not what this is. I just believe this one thing so strongly that I will keep saying it until it sticks. Overc…
Read the post →I lost $25,000 today. On purpose. A new Pokemon set hit shelves this morning. My store paid $31.50 a box, same as every other local game store in the country. We sold it at MSRP. Plenty of stores put that same $31.50 box on the shelf for $…
Read the post →Question for the entrepreneurs out there. How do you stay grateful for the business you already have... while still waking up every day wanting more sales, more profit, more growth? Because I feel both. Same day. Same brain. I look at our…
Read the post →No way to make 1% last three whole days.
Read the post →Love or hate AI, you will be at a competitive disadvantage in any industry if you don't embrace it.
Read the post →Rule I keep breaking: no customer service after 10pm. Last night's ticket: "This card is not mint." Correct. It's Near Mint. That's what you ordered. Here's the thing about selling Pokémon cards online. Every single card gets a condition g…
Read the post →My life is finally complete. Finally found one in the wild. Actually found 4 and bought them all. Took it around the Pokemon store today and got a lot of confused looks, but I'm sure they'll all get used to my new faithful companion. Richa…
Read the post →30 minutes. About $20 in tokens. One new feature live in my store. Here's how it went. People come in every day to sell us their cards. On busy days the buy counter turns into a crowd with no order. I wanted a waiting line. Tap your name o…
Read the post →My disappointment could not be measured with any scale right now. We had a massive party planned for Wednesday. Pokemon's 30th. We don't even open on Wednesdays. This week we were opening at 6am so people could get their product before wor…
Read the post →I hate shoplifters. Not "frustrated." Not "concerned." Hate. Last month we found a problem at Izzi's Gym that was a lot bigger than we thought. I won't share the number. It was enough to make me sit in my van in the parking lot for a while…
Read the post →The hardest decision of my day: buy more tokens or wait for the reset. Not inventory. Not payroll. Not the eBay fee change. Tokens. Twelve years I built software with a team of developers. Now I build alone with AI. It writes the code. It…
Read the post →I'm having so much fun making videos today.
Read the post →Favorite quote of the day Enthusiasm is a moat in a business. Sam Parr
Read the post →I’m really excited for the Cyberpunk TCG, but I’m also a little worried about how many games are competing for players right now. Riftbound and Gundam seem to be doing well, and I imagine the strength of those IPs has helped. I don’t reall…
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