Games We Recommend: Pajama Sam and Spy Fox
40th Anniversary: Missile Command by Atari
Game Spotlight of the Week: Final Fantasy VII Remake
Another Castle: Introduction
Hi all, Cassidy here.
A few of you have been seeing that Tish and I are starting to write some more. We want to share with you our experiences with running a startup / small business, games we recommend, and more. I do a lot of the social media / blog writing for the store, but mainly in the form of the anniversary posts. I really enjoy preparing and researching those, and it’s crazy just how far some of those rabbit holes go.
In addition to Anniversary Posts, we are adding Game Spotlights – like the Resident Evil 3 we shared last week. Replay in Reality is a very personal blog that Tish and I will alternate posts on that will talk about how we’ve gotten to where we are today, and the challenges we’ve come across with running the store. We also want to share and talk about “Games We Recommend.”
The last one that I’ve been working on is called “Another Castle.” I started using this name at the end of my last video game related venture, but it fizzled out pretty quickly. That said, I’ve wanted to resurrect it, though I wasn’t sure anyone would be interested in my thoughts. One of the things I love about Replay Games is chatting with all of you, and deep diving on different topics. So, Another Castle will essentially be that: a place for me to deep dive, research, and/or rant about video game related stuff.
So, stay tuned, and I’ll see you in Another Castle.
Replay in Reality: Introduction
Hi, all! Tish here.
This is the beginning of a series (ideally a long one) of posts about running a small business.
Many of you have probably heard me tell the short version of our story in store or on social media. But if you haven’t here it is: As long as I have known Cassidy, (which is 16 years now, we’ve been married for 11), he has talked about this kind of store, where you could play video games and connect with other gamers, rather than just a typical shopping venue. A few years ago, I was tired of hearing him talk about it and challenged him to write a business plan. I thought that would be the end of it, that he would decide it was more work than he wanted to do and we could move on from the idea.
As you can see, that is not what happened.
Personally I wasn’t very prepared for what running this business would entail. When we were starting this endeavor I didn’t think I would be as involved as I have been. Obviously that was a foolish expectation. And looking back, I can see that it was a selfish one. Thinking that this was a dream that he could chase by himself never really made sense in reality.
A few months into this business, I realized that I needed to step in with both feet. I needed to contribute. I don’t like to do things that are hard, but watching Cassidy burn out would be harder.
I struggled for a long time to feel and take ownership of this business, even though my name was on all the papers too. All I could see was my inadequacy. I really am not a gamer (the hashtag we use is real). I’m not great with technology. And I know next to nothing about running a business.
So I started researching and discovered that there are surprisingly few resources for spouses/partners of entrepreneurs. And there are a lot of statistics about their divorce rates, which are nearly 50%. Not exactly helpful, when you’re trying to grow your marriage rather than end it.
This blog series is for anyone who is curious about the behind the scenes at Replay, but also I hope I can be a resource for anyone in a relationship with a business owner. It isn’t easy, but most things worth doing are hard. Come along for the ride.
Image Credit to Haley Frost Creative