On this episode of Slabnomics, Matt sits down with Ryan Alford — serial entrepreneur, marketing titan, and host of “Right About Now” and the new “Trading Cards & Collectibles” podcast — to talk hobby growth, storytelling, and where the market is headed next.
🔑 What you’ll learn
• How a Walmart pack rip with his four sons pulled Ryan back into the hobby
• The attention economy: why “document, don’t overproduce” wins on YouTube/shorts
• Collecting vs. investing: intention, PC boxes, and building value on purpose
• Blue-ocean opportunities in storytelling (beyond comps and breaks)
• 12–24 month outlook: Fanatics/Topps vs. Panini licensing impacts on football, basketball, baseball (and how marketing changes demand)
• Teaching kids business through cards: e-commerce, content, and flipping fundamentals
🧩 Episode highlights
• Nostalgia + new money + family time = hobby tailwinds
• The real role of attention (and why the least-expected videos often pop)
• Why storytellers (not just breakers) will win the next wave
• Market structure matters: licensing, autographs, and league alignment
• Collect first, profit second — how to keep both lanes healthy
⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro — who is Ryan Alford
0:54 Back into cards via a Walmart rip (family story)
3:21 First big hits
5:00 Why it clicked now for the kids + business lessons
8:19 Macro tailwinds & mainstream attention
10:39 NFL chat + fandom
11:51 The attention economy explained (smartphone + 5G + platforms)
15:24 Creator reality: what actually breaks through
15:59 Why launch a hobby podcast (access + audience)
18:56 Authenticity over perfection
21:55 Storytelling as blue ocean in the hobby
24:49 Identity and collecting
26:56 Collecting vs. investing (intention matters)
31:28 Business lens: treating cards like a market you love
31:43 The next 1–2 years: Fanatics/Topps vs. Panini
35:49 Consumer outcomes & bigger players entering
36:42 Marketing: why Fanatics changes the game
37:58 Wrap + takeaways
38:25 Where to find Ryan
38:55 Sign-off
👤 Guest
Ryan Alford — @RyanAlford • RyanAlford.com
Podcasts: “Right About Now” (marketing/business) • “Trading Cards & Collectibles Podcast”
🎙️ Host
Matt (Slabnomics) — slabnomics.com • @Slabnomics across platforms
👇 Join the conversation
What’s your best family pack-rip memory — and are you collecting or investing this season (or both)? Drop it below and tell us why.
👍 If this helped: like, subscribe, and hit the bell.
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🎧 Listen on Apple/Spotify: search “Slabnomics”
Website: Slabnomics.com
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