This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Can I interest you in some floppy disks for sale? Got some floppy disks here in my bag? Well, I should ask first, do you even know what floppy disks are? They're also known as the save icon, like in Microsoft Word or some program when you go to save something that it's actually a floppy disk. It's a thing that used to be used with a computer.
In fact, I used to use them. I got my first computer when I was five years old. My grandpa passed away. I inherited his Commodore 64, which is pretty cool. This was also right as radios were being invented right after World War II, et cetera, but let's focus on floppy disks here.
I know that some people have no idea what I'm talking about, but for the sake of the episode, I'm just gonna continue because this computer and many others like it used floppy disks to store data and applications. So if there was a program you wanted to use, a game you wanted to play, you would insert the disk and load it up. Now later, of course, this turned into cartridges, disks like DVDs, CD-ROMs, flashcards, memory cards, and now even for the fanciest of games, you can just download them directly to your computer or console. So yeah, that's a lot of context there, but here's what I'm coming to. And by the way, welcome to Cydesle School.
Today, a listener wants to open an online store selling floppy disks and cassette tapes. They're gonna call it Retro Resale, which I think is a pretty good name, and he thinks there's a renaissance for these items. So is he right? And if so, what steps should he take? How can he actually find a market for these items?
That's what we're gonna talk about, detailed question and my answer coming right up. [Music]
Hi, this is Rod. I've been sign hustling for a while. And for my next project, I'd like to start an online store called Retro Resale. It was always my dream to have a record store, but I don't think I'm ready for a proper brick and mortar.
Selling online takes off a lot of pressure and will allow me to scale up without spending much, except on inventory, which I want to invest in. It's not just records though. I want to sell floppy disks and cassette tapes. I figured there's enough of a retro and vintage audience out there these days. I just need to find them.
So that's where I need help. If you were going to start Retro Resale, how would you do it? [Music]
All right, some tips. I've got three tips here for the Retro Resale business. As I said, I love the name.
And also I think maybe just to say up front, this probably is not going to be a huge business, but that's okay. Like I assume our caller knows that. They're in it for the love. So I respect that. So three tips here.
First of all, let's do some detailed target market research. Like who are these people? These lovers of floppy disks and cassette tapes. What are their demographics? Why are they buying these items?
I assume a lot of them are probably other hobbyists. There are some actual business uses for floppy disks still. I read an article about it recently. There are some like very old computers that are used in systems in which it's basically too complicated to upgrade to newer machines. It's a long story, but there are some people who purchase for business use.
So you want to understand like who are these customers, these retro enthusiasts, collectors, or as I said, people who still use the formats for specific purposes. Next, maybe offer rare or hard to find items, not just floppy disks that you can buy everywhere these days. Just kidding. What are those rare or hard to find items that might attract collectors and enthusiasts? And third tip, and this one's pretty important, like SEO, search engine optimization, is going to be critical here because whoever these people are that are still buying these items, you have to be able to get your product in front of them, your website.
So you want to optimize your website for search engines to make it easier for potential customers to find your store while searching for whatever it is that Retro Resell is selling. So I would say SEO is not an afterthought. It's something you really want to kind of put first as you're building that website. So good luck. Thanks for the trip down memory lane 'cause I thought about my first computer, the Commodore 64 from my grandpa Ken.
Listeners, maybe there's somebody else out there who's heard of floppy disks. Let me know, I'm not alone. All right, much more to come. New episode tomorrow, every day after that as well. You can always subscribe, follow wherever you prefer to listen.
My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
