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I stopped reading a page ago, thought this thread had petered out...
2007 was a trying time for Paizo. However, I think by being true to themselves and their customers, Paizo ultimately prospered.
I would like Lisa Stevens to make sure that some business professors get to see these articles as they show good case studies in how to overcome challenges. I guess this shows that in business, as in life, character counts.
I would hope a case study (well, from the outside, anyway) would be telling -- you do NOT need to screw your customer base and/or marginalize your product to make a profit, and at the same time you can treat your people like, you know, people, instead of merely as numbers on a board room Powerpoint presentation.
From everything I have seen, Paizo seems to be exactly the sort of company I want to succeed, and after which I would want to model any business I might consider founding.
My sentiments exactly. One could print all the Auntie Lisa's Story Hour posts and bind 'em as a text book on "How to Run Your Business". I can't say enough good things about how Paizo conducts itself. I'll highlight just two points:
1. Everything is important: From top-level marketing decisions down to every last label stuck on outgoing shipments, and the customer service to back it all up.
2. Turn Adversity into Opportunity. Paizo has made this a habit! Every time something "bad" happens in the RPG industry, Lisa & crew turn it to their advantage.
I chose these two because they are synergistic. The "Huge Gamble of 2007" paid off because the company was firing on all cylinders (and still is).
And, let's not forget just how tough the RPG industry really is. From a strict "balance sheet analysis", one would have to be crazy to even attempt what these folks have become masters at.