Notes from Chris

Episode 685

Gene Farley has been reading comics since he was a little kid. They’ve always been a source of joy for him. He even thought how cool it’d be to own a comic book store someday. Two years after he got married, opportunity came knocking. The owners of the comic shop he’d been going to longer than Iron Man’s feud with Loki, decided to sell.

At the time, Gene was a graphic designer earning minimum wage. His wife, Pam, (featured in Ep. #418) was an admin assistant. When he asked his wife about buying the store, Gene imagined her slamming the hammer of Thor down on him with an emphatic, “NO!” Instead, she said, “OK, cool.”

So, on April 1, 1998, they maxed out all of their credit cards and bought the comic book store. (Kids, don’t try this at home.)

Fast forward to 2018. Gene is still running the comic book store alongside his wife. Business is good. They survived the recession and countless comic and pop-culture fads.

One day Gene and Pam were reminiscing about the good ‘ol days when you used to bike down the street to the neighborhood 7-11, blow your week’s allowance on a larger-than-life cherry flavored slurpee, and spend the rest of your day in sugary bliss reading Avengers comic books.

This thought made Gene stop and wonder, “What if there was a way to get kids off their electronics and, I don’t know, maybe open a book or something?” He knew how important reading was to his success. He also knew that comics are a great way to spark interest in reading.

Gene says that comic book people already know where to get their comics. However, busy parents may not have the time to make a special trip to the comic book store and try to figure out which comics are appropriate for their kids. (The whole goal is to reach new readers.)

Gene’s utility belt taser struck him with an idea. What if he started a subscription box service where customers would get comics delivered to their homes once a month?

Genes’ Spidey-sense kicked in and he devised a plan. All the customer would have to do is choose a G-rated or PG-rated comic book crate. He’d use his knowledge of comic books, what was popular that comic season, and any special information about the recipient to create a crate that will match either rating.

Gene doesn’t believe in assigning age or gender to the crates because he doesn’t want kids to feel “less than” if they’re older but they want to read Disney, or if they’re boys who want to read My Little Pony.

So, did this subscription box service idea actually work? By the mighty power of Stan Lee’s pen, yes. It did. Gene was pumped because he got annual subscribers right away. ComicCrate was a hit!

Since launching in July of this year, ComicCrate has been averaging a few thousand dollars a month in sales. Gene’s focusing on organic traffic only for now. His brick and mortar store is still their bread and butter, but ComicCrate is letting him reach many more people.

So, what’s on the horizon for Gene and ComicCrate? He’s been thinking of adding another rating level to his service, rated T for Teen+ readers. Gene said this could expand his audience significantly!

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• ComicCrate: Learn more about Gene's comic subscription box over on his website!
• CrateJoy: The platform that Gene used to streamline his ordering system
• Gardening Mama Monetizes Frugal Living Blog: By focusing on a specific group of readers—and understanding their core needs—a blog about natural living and saving money earns $3,000/month. Coincidentally, Pam Farley is Gene's wife—learn more about her side hustle, here!

SEE ALSO:

• How to Start a Subscription Box Business in 8 Simple Steps: Subscription commerce offers a stable financial model rooted in recurring monthly revenue that can be built around almost every niche—from puzzles to beauty to pets. Learn how to get started, here!
• Comic Creator Illustrates His Way to $30,000: A long love affair with the Sci-fi genre helps this side hustler build an empire—both imaginary and real—through his successful comic books and audio drama podcasts
• Data Scientist Starts Science Fiction Magazine: A Colorado scientist publishes a science fiction magazine and builds it to a sustainable income of $1,800/month, funded largely by his readers

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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