T. Caires

I've been adding more merch to my store today! For someone that's supposed to be running a game company, I sure seem to just be selling merch 😅​ But! Here's a thread about that.

I launched my own studio a week before I signed as the head of US Sales for a pretty big publisher. The timing was done specifically for legal reason re:contracts, and everyone involved is happy with the deal. But I work a 50-60 hour work week job in games and then my hobby is.. running my own game studio.

Nov 20, 2022 at 2:32amWeb
Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022

For my own studio, Cabin Games, I have a game signed that's in development (actually we're moving to the refinement stage and art, so yay!). I gave myself a small starting fund to pay for this game's everything short of printing, as well as my studio's branding work, website & legal fees.

While we work on getting this first game done, which will be a year start to finish, I need something that I can sell to "keep the lights on" with the website and business license fees. Enter Merch.

Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022

Because my brand artist @Nosoulnoproblem is freaking amazing, he worked with me to make sure my branding was generically sellable.

I wanted my studio brand to be an almost lifestyle brand, because for me gaming is a lifestyle. Ben picked that up and ran with it.

He developed a logo and branding that is super easy to customize quickly for a variety of things. So now I have spooky and winter themed shirts, a super perfect tagline for sweats, and an amazing line of stuff people just wanna wear.

Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022

I definitely went into my business with a small merch line planned. I did not expect my branding to be this popular. I'm trying to be really picky about what types of items I make, but people just want it on everything.

I'm using Printful's on demand service which is extremely convenient, but it is pricey. If I don't have my prices set correctly, I could lose money on every purchase. Even with the prices I have now, I make less than 8% on most sales. It's a fine line.

Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022

But! In the month my store's been open, I've made enough to cover the cost of hiring Ben for my branding! Everything I sell moving forward helps directly support the cost of maintaining my site, which should have more games soon.

In addition to selling my own products, I intend and already am selling other's. So far I just have the fabulous @bethsobel's River & Stone deck. But soon I'll have more items from small creators! If you know of someone you think would fit my brand, let me know.

Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022
Right! That's my first thread on Mastodon. I think it's off. I dunno. Feels odd. I can go into more detail about setting up a Printful store and what-not? Would folks be interested in that?
Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022
Oh, also, here's a link to the site 😅​ http://cabingames.us
Home | Cabin Games

Find something cozy to play at Cabin Games. We specialize in finding the perfect game for you to play on your next trip away.

Cabin Games
Show threaddnlnwmnNov 20, 2022
@theonetar at least on the website, there was nothing that indicated your posts were part of a thread, which was kind of confusing at first...
Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022
@dnlnwmn damn. I think that's cause you're following me. Guess i gotta start doing thread counts
Show threadBen GreenNov 20, 2022
@dnlnwmn @theonetar The only indicator for me is that when I clicked on the comment, the rest of the thread comes up. But it'd be nice if it had one of those little indent lines or something. Since some mastodon apps do that, I feel like there should be a way for instance admins to do it too.
Show threadAdam StichterNov 20, 2022
@theonetar I'd be interested in learning more about what goes into that!
Show threadProtospiel OnlineNov 20, 2022

@theonetar We also use Printful for our merch, and I love them!

Our webstore is built with WooCommerce, so this is not an option for us, but if we had built the store with Shopify, I would test out participating as a brand in their collab/affiliate network to help drive sales. https://www.shopify.com/collabs/find-brands

(Of course would need to adjust prices to account for affiliate commissions.)

I can’t tell whether your store is built on Shopify, so thought I’d mention this in case.

Find Brands Looking For Influencers with Shopify Collabs 💵

Find brands looking for influencers to promote their products with Shopify Collabs. Apply for early access today.

Shopify
Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022
@protospielo it's on Square :)
Show threadEric BoothNov 20, 2022
@theonetar Do you a link to share for the site?
Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022
@theericbooth i did at the end of the thread but it's cabingames.us
Show threadginevraNov 20, 2022
@theonetar @Nosoulnoproblem
I have been wanting to ask: I stumbled into the 'cos(z)y games' sector of twitch/youtube (I was trying to find Black creators).
Were you consciously inspired to 'cosy games' into a boardgaming context or is it a zeitgeist/multiple people feeling the same way at the same time thing??
Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022
@ginevra @Nosoulnoproblem i didn't know that was a thing, no! Oh interesting. I came up with the idea while we were in a merch meeting and i was thinking about the hoodie design. I just kept saying i wanted something cozy to wear, haha. So then we game up with that. Googled the saying and didn't find anything so tm'd it
Show threadginevraNov 20, 2022
@theonetar @Nosoulnoproblem This was who I was thinking of most: https://www.twitch.tv/cozy__games and this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI3gbrdIqwc but if you have a search on youtube, there's a whole movement aesthetically & culturally(?) (intertwined with Nintendo switch??)
Cozy__Games - Twitch

Hi I'm Kennedy, and I love playing relaxing, cozy games!

Twitch
Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022
@ginevra @Nosoulnoproblem oooh, switch stuff! Yeah, that makes sense...
Show threadT. CairesNov 20, 2022
@ginevra @Nosoulnoproblem it probably didn't come up cause i searched "play cozy" and "cabin games", and "play cozy cabin games" 🤔
Show threadNosoulnoproblemNov 20, 2022
@theonetar @ginevra I can confirm that I know of the "Cozy game vibes" specifically with the switch. (Stardew valley is one that comes up a lot) However, I never considered or connected those things when developing the brand's aesthetic. Everything was created solely on the feeling of inside a Cabin.
Show threadJP DecosseNov 21, 2022

@theonetar Tried to grab one of the touques, but the site tells me shipping to Nova Scotia isn't an option. 😭​ Hopefully I can find someone to bring one back from PAX for me!

Also ... is it standard to work 50-60 hours per week in the US?

Show threadT. CairesNov 21, 2022

@littlebigthumbs let me see if I can fix the shipping for Canada. The shipping system is tricky...

And yes and no. It's supposed to be 40 hour weeks but.. yeah