🎧 The Claw Machine Business
The whole guide as audio — 31 episodes, 3 hours 3 minutes, chapter by chapter. Episode 1 is a two-host conversation; the rest are solo narration. Built for listening in the car, at the gym, or while you're scoping out a space.
Paste this feed URL into any podcast app (Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, AntennaPod):
https://claw.aidalee.com/podcast/feed.xml
Season 1
Every chapter of the guide, in order. Runtime and format are noted — the two-host episode is a good place to start if you're new.
Ep 1 · Anatomy of a Working Claw Arcade
Two hosts · 23 min. A real store taken apart end to end — OEM machines, the outlet-mall lease, the token ladder, the guaranteed win, and the party business.
▶ ListenEp 2 · Reality Check
Solo · 7 min. What this business really costs, who you're competing with, and the failure modes to avoid.
▶ ListenEp 3 · Why Claw Machines
Solo · 4 min. Why the skill-crane format works as a business.
▶ ListenEp 4 · The Business Model
Solo · 6 min. How the money actually works.
▶ ListenEp 5 · Costs & Startup Budget
Solo · 5 min. What to budget before you sign anything.
▶ ListenEp 6 · Revenue & Profit
Solo · 6 min. Projecting plays, prize cost, and break-even.
▶ ListenEp 7 · LLC vs Sole Prop vs S-Corp
Solo · 5 min. Choosing your legal structure.
▶ ListenEp 8 · Forming the Business
Solo · 4 min. Registration, EIN, and the paperwork.
▶ ListenEp 9 · Permits & Licenses
Solo · 5 min. Local approvals and the arcade question.
▶ ListenEp 10 · Insurance
Solo · 5 min. Coverage you actually need.
▶ ListenEp 11 · Commercial Leases 101
Solo · 10 min. Gross, NNN, and percentage leases — plus the landlord's side of the table.
▶ ListenEp 12 · Finding the Right Space
Solo · 5 min. Where to look and how to judge a spot.
▶ ListenEp 13 · Size & Layout
Solo · 6 min. Footprint, flow, and machine placement.
▶ ListenEp 14 · Negotiating the Lease
Solo · 6 min. Concessions, TI allowance, and leverage.
▶ ListenEp 15 · Machine Types
Solo · 4 min. Which cabinets exist and what to buy first.
▶ ListenEp 16 · Buy vs Lease
Solo · 5 min. Owning versus financing your fleet.
▶ ListenEp 17 · Where to Buy
Solo · 6 min. Import, domestic dealers, and kits.
▶ ListenEp 18 · Payments & Cashless
Solo · 4 min. Coin, bill, card, and reconciliation.
▶ ListenEp 19 · Prizes & Plush
Solo · 5 min. Hero prizes, mix, and margin.
▶ ListenEp 20 · Maintenance
Solo · 6 min. Keeping the fleet running.
▶ ListenEp 21 · Running the Shop
Solo · 5 min. The operating rhythm.
▶ ListenEp 22 · Staffing
Solo · 5 min. Hiring your first part-timer.
▶ ListenEp 23 · Marketing & Foot Traffic
Solo · 5 min. Getting people through the door.
▶ ListenEp 24 · Day-to-Day Checklist
Solo · 4 min. Open, through-shift, close.
▶ ListenEp 25 · Accounting Basics
Solo · 5 min. Books, categories, and records.
▶ ListenEp 26 · Taxes 101
Solo · 6 min. What you owe and when.
▶ ListenEp 27 · Sales Tax & Arcade Fees
Solo · 5 min. The amusement-tax question.
▶ ListenEp 28 · Quarterly Estimates
Solo · 4 min. Staying ahead of the IRS.
▶ ListenEp 29 · Success Stories
Solo · 8 min. Named shops that made it work.
▶ ListenEp 30 · Failures & Lessons
Solo · 5 min. Where claw businesses die.
▶ ListenEp 31 · Your 90-Day Plan
Solo · 6 min. Idea to open doors, week by week.
▶ ListenScripts were adapted from the guide chapters — diagrams and tables converted to spoken form, jargon expanded. Voiced with Microsoft neural TTS, loudness-normalized to −16 LUFS (the podcast standard), tagged, and assembled with chapter marks. Episode 1 is a two-host conversation; the rest are solo narration. Full feed: /podcast/feed.xml