by Jack Guarnieri, PinballSales.com & ShuffleAlley.com

Opportunities Abound Online!

Remember the "good old days" when our industry was a leader in introducing technology to the public? In many ways, we were like the space program that spawned an explosion of ideas and technology products.

We know about the home game systems and playing games online. Both of those have eroded our earnings on videogames. The equipment that you cannot easily get at home continues to earn money on location (redemption, downloading jukeboxes, tournament videos, etc.). Going out to dinner has hit an all time high in the U.S. as lifestyles continue to change. People still want to go out and be entertained and amused; they don't want to stay home all the time. Online shopping is way up, but shopping in many forms is still a social event.

Just reading about the sale of YouTube to Google for over $1.6 billion will make many people ask, "What is YouTube?" In the old days, it was said if it's too loud, you're too old. In this case, if you need to ask you are out of the loop. YouTube is a website where anyone can post a video, and the whole world can see if for free. YouTube plays more than 100 million videos daily. That's a lot of traffic to a website that started a little more than a year ago.

Three former employees of eBay's PayPal division founded YouTube in early 2005, and it received over $10 million in venture capital funding. The VC firm was also an early investor in Google so it is no wonder that Google swallowed it up. Since going public, Google stock is up almost 400%. So what is all of this about anyway?

In short, what this is about is the future of advertising, news, media, television, communications, business and entertainment, that's all. The $1.6 billion dollars worth of Google stock may be looked upon as a bargain in years to come. In 2002, RePlay coined the nickname "online ambassador" in discussing a different niche and opportunity that was also created because of the Internet. There are still endless opportunities created by the Internet today. We'll see many more services and benefits to come, but so many are within our reach to grow our businesses today.

Aside from RePlay, there is no better place to advertise than the Internet as a tool to reach your end user customers and potential customers. That's how Google continues to reap billions of dollars in revenue every quarter and to grow their business dramatically even though many people can't even grasp how Google makes money.

I've been helping companies inside and outside our industry capitalize on the Internet and take advantage of its amazing reach. Instead of sitting back waiting for something to happen, for the next big game to come out, for the next big sale or the next big location to open up, you need to make something happen. I have said it many times - you can take control of your professional and personal life and, by your action or inaction, change the outcome: you make your own luck.

Has our industry been passed over in the boom of the Internet? You make the call. If something is not working today that always worked before, look around and see what others are doing and make a change. There is a whole world of opportunity within our industry today. The smart people are growing their businesses and making money - how about you?

Jack Guarnieri started fixing electro-mechanical pinball machines in 1975 and has been involved in every phase of the coin-op game business since then. He operated a substantial game route in Brooklyn, N.Y., developed amusement centers and was called in as a consultant to manage Mondial Distributing and State Sales in New Jersey. In 1999, he founded PinballSales.com to sell coin-op to the home market. In 2002, he founded ShuffleAlley.com and released the Parker Bohn III Pro Bowler game, reviving the shuffle alley. His positive attitude, honest insights and opinions have made him a popular figure in the trade. While managing and growing his businesses, he still consults inside and outside the industry, and his marketing, promotional and business management expertise are widely sought. He's very active in his church, community and charitable causes as well. You can learn more at his websites (www.PinballSales.com and www.ShuffleAlley.com) or by phoning him at 866/323-JACK. Email is Jack@Pinballsales.com.

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