Linda Vo is the founder at Gameguys.com.au, an online store for collectable cards and toys that specialises in popular and rare Yugioh and Pokémon cards.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I come from a media, Adtech and sales background. My last role was at TikTok and I enjoyed it but I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart so I left and started Game Guys in August 2020 in the midst of the Pandemic.
My son loved Pokémon cards and my fiance loved collecting Yugioh cards but I didn’t understand the value of collectibles until one day he sold a Yugioh card for $600 (now it’s worth a lot more). I used to complain to my partner for spending so much money on cards and now the tables have turned!
We’ve been selling on eBay for years but I decided to set up an online store and expand to sell a wider range of collectibles such as Pokémon, Yugioh, Digimon, Anime figures, Pop Vinyl and so much more and it’s been an amazing journey and I haven’t looked back. I’m now looking after 3 awesome team members, growing every month and I love what I do.
2) What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
My day varies as I’m a full-time mum so I have to juggle the kid’s schedules plus running the business. After getting the kids organized I get to work. I have catch-ups with my team and we strategize on marketing activities and goals for the week/month and how to improve daily.
We discuss upcoming products to promote, updates, and any issues. It’s a great collaboration of ideas and my team is amazing at what they do. When we get a big delivery my partner and I film content for Tiktok and Instagram which is fun as I get to be creative. Then we do packing and order fulfillment. At night after dinner, I’m catching up on emails and planning the next day.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Yes as we’re on an online store so we’re pretty flexible and my team is all working remotely as well. Eventually, we will have a store or warehouse and the routine might change but for now, we are working hard remotely.
4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
For me, work-life balance is sometimes difficult as there’s a lot of juggling, sacrifice and not enough hours in the day but I’m super lucky as I have support from my partner and a phenomenal team behind me.
I love what I do as it’s really exciting building something amazing, seeing it grow, and allowing me to be a creative problem solver. Seeing the joy in people’s faces when they pull that rare card, reading good reviews and emails from customers, and making them happy makes me happy so it doesn’t feel like work.
When I have free time, I love getting more work done to improve the business, even if it’s on the weekends or late at night when I can’t sleep.
5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
Since the lockdown, I’ve cut back on drinking wine to make sure my mind stays clear and to keep fit I make sure to walk the dog daily and spend time with my kids at the park. Something I rarely got to do before COVID.
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
Your Next Five Moves by Patrick Bet David, American KingPin was fantastic (illegal entrepreneur), Alibaba’s World, all the books by MJ Demarco, Mindset by Carol Dweck.
Podcasts would be The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, My Wife Quit Her Job and My First Million. For newsletters, I enjoy The Hustle and Marketing Brew.
7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?
My phone, the Shopify app (checking the sales every day), Instagram and TikTok (for the business), Coinbase and my banking app.
8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
Elon Musk for sure! I am intrigued by how he does it. I secretly think the man has clones of himself. That guy is very inspirational!
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
I used to think that having a work-life balance was important in my career but as an entrepreneur, in the start up phase if you want to succeed in life, it takes hard work, smarts and dedication.
Yes, you can automate things and delegate to others but to grow you need to put in the time and effort at the start. Just be mindful and self-aware that you’re not neglecting the other important parts of your life such as family, health, and relationships.
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