Less than 24 hours to go...

In less than twenty four hours, I'm about to start on a new adventure. Operating my own business. Today I've been calling freight-forwarding companies and agonising about additional stock lines.

It's a big step, and it is likely to be a challenging exercise. I'm starting off very very small, and it will be difficult to get people to be patient enough to wait for the business to grow, and willing enough to purchase from me. But in the end I'm pretty confident that my knowledge, interest and intuition regarding the industry will help me become a success in this venture.

Currently I'm humming and hawing over Warmachine and Hordes as potential products to stock. Mash argued that I wont be able to compete with experienced wargaming stores, but that's not really my goal with stocking it. I'm not planning on having every item in these lines available, rather I want to be able to hook new players into the games. They can then move on to other stores to get the specific details. In doing so, I hope to accentuate the benefit of both Evin Shir Games and Wargame Supply existing. WS will never be able to take me on in regards to roleplaying games knowledge. I can't even hope to beat them for wargaming knowledge.

The way I see it, WS can act as the core wargaming business with roleplaying games on the side. I'm going to be the business to come to for the specifics and the best deals for roleplaying. I'm already chasing up indie game titles, I will be stocking the upcoming Anima game along with several other hard to track titles. Once the business is generating enough income, I'll be able to focus even more on tracking down rare and out of print RPGS as well.

I want to make Evin Shir Games a community retailer - a company to rely on to get the goods and at a competitive price.

But it is going to take time. I don't have the buying power of many retailers yet. But on the flipside, I don't have their costs, so I can keep prices lower. Sometimes only by $5, but some of my products will be nearly $15-20 cheaper than anywhere else.

I am getting in Ptolus, and intend to have that at a truly competitive and crazy rate. :)

It's an exciting and nerve wracking time for me. But if this works, roleplaying in New Zealand will have a very healthy injection of books - with my contacts we will be at Armageddon, Sci-fi conventions, on the net - within the year, I want ESG to be known across the country as the go-to place for roleplaying. And I want to be hooking in new players... :D

Here's to the future...

Love and Huggles

Conan

Currently Reading: Exalted 2e
Currently Playing: Exalted
Mood: It's sooo on.