What's going on, everybody? My name is Brett. This is Stacking Slabs, your hobby content alternative flagship episode.

Excited to be here. Excited to close the door on the collecting for keeps series we've been doing. And this wasn't an intentional series, it just happened, and that's what's so fun about content sometimes.

So we've been covering collecting for keeps, finding meaning in a hobby build on hype chapter by chapter each week. This is the book that I put out earlier this year.

Link is in the show notes. Digital. It's free if you wanna check it out. This has been the guiding light for what we've been putting out in the stacking slabs flagship episode for the past two months.

This is the final episode of that series, and we're talking about trust legacy in the future in this episode.

And just wanna thank you all at the top for the feedback. Some of the most, incredible feedback has come in light of these episodes. Individuals telling me I needed this.

I'm going through something that this helped with, and that means so much. Like, you all have been so great to me in this brand this year and just wanna take a moment and share some gratitude and thank you.

I'm planning for 2026. I'm thinking about where we go next and to have the comfort and security of you, the listener, there along for the ride is incredible.

So I have really enjoyed this. I am excited, more motivated than ever before, and I'm excited to deliver this final episode.

I don't know what we're gonna talk about next week, but that's okay. Sometimes I fly by the seat of my pants. Hopefully, you have enjoyed these conversations.

Before we get into it, gotta shout out Inferno Red Technology, the sponsor of the flagship, the engineering team behind some of the biggest names in sports collectibles like DC Sports 87, Comsea Collectors, Upper Deck, and eBay from AI powered solutions for start ups to full stack platforms for industry leaders.

Their team can tackle your toughest technology challenge. They build awesome software for the hobby, for leagues and fans, and for everyone in between. See what they can build for you at infernored.

Com. Shout out the awesome sponsors of stacking slabs. Incredible group. I thank you, the listener, a lot. I'm gonna thank my partners. They're awesome. Wouldn't be able to do this without both groups.

Let's just hit the ground running. Let's get into this. The way I'm thinking about this from the top and just open with maybe some analogies. So you can't control the waves, but you can learn how to surf.

And I think in the world of collecting, the waves are everywhere. Booming cycles, sudden market dips, blockbuster announcements from companies, new products, hobby drama, all outside of our control as a collector.

But you're the surfer, so you get to decide how to ride those waves. You can also maybe think about your collecting journey like a video game.

You're the main character navigating in a sprawling open world. There are influences in dealers shouting advice at every turn, surprise events, changing landscape, and treasure chest of hot cards tempting you off that path.

In this scenario, it can be really chaotic and unpredictable, yet just like a game, your power lies in focusing on what you can control, your actions, your choices, and the allies you trust.

This is where I want to go and where how I want to close this series out.

This is where we pull back the curtain and remind ourselves why we're here and how to keep our hobby hearts beating strong no matter what outside what the outside world throws at us.

It's about trust. It's always about trust. It's about legacy.

It's always about legacy and owning your future in the hobby. Hopefully, by the end of this episode, you feel more confident in your collecting journey, because so much maybe outside of your control, and there's so much more that isn't.

So let's dive in. And you're gonna hear some things you heard before.

And that's the nature of content messaging is if you got something, you gotta continue to use it to reinforce. And so when we're focusing on what we can control, this is where we can think about ourselves as the CEO of our p RPC.

One of the biggest mistakes I think so many of us make is that we let outside forces impact us and make us feel bad and bum us out.

It's like, I don't know if it's me going through cycles of collecting, me having good management and bosses in my career, or maybe it's me going to therapy.

But, like, the more I've gotten older, the more I've realized there's some shit that's just outside of your control, and the best thing that you can do is detach yourself from that scenario.

And this is in the world we're in, this is constant. So the core principle, control the controllables here. In sports, coaches preach this all the time.

Focus on your effort, attitude, not the bad referees. I think the same applies to collecting. The CEO mindset. What does being the CEO of your PC mean? It means you set the vision and you call the shots for your collections direction.

Just as the CEO makes strategic decisions for long term success, you as the collector decide which cards deserve your capital, money, and time, and opportunities to pass on.

Consider all the things that happen in the hobby, which you can't control.

You can't control market hyper crashes, influencers, drama. You can't control it. You can't control industry moves when companies do certain things, make decisions, make announcements.

You have no control over that. You cannot control other people's opinions. Someone on YouTube screaming at you, someone putting something on Instagram. You can't control it. People are gonna do what they want. Now let's flip it.

Here's what you can control in your hobby life. What you collect, the most important element, the players, teams, sets, themes you love. No matter what's trending, you have the freedom to choose cards that resonate with you personally.

As collectors I've had on this show and side conversations on the anywhere else I go, the the main thing you always hear is collect what you love, not what others love, and don't feel pressured to collect certain cards just because they're known for being hits.

This is where you really have to think about what you love, what you connect with. In other words, you've got to define what your cool is. What's your cool cards? What do you wanna pursue?

You'll enjoy the hobby way more when your collection reflects your fandom, your interest, and not someone else's hype train. Something else you can control, how you budget, how you buy. You control your spending and pace.

Being intentional about what you buy or don't buy is huge. If a card's price is sky high due to buzz, you can choose patience. Perhaps that same card will be cheaper in the off season or when the hype fades.

You can't control the price spike that just happened, but you can control whether you chase it or wait for a better moment. You can control who you listen to.

There's so much noise and there's so many options. I appreciate you for choosing to listen to me and this podcast. I listen to a lot of creators. I listen to a lot of content. I'm on Instagram a lot, and I follow a lot.

I control who I want to see by who I follow. I control what I wanna listen to by what podcast I I watch or listen to. I think trust your instincts and research more than anything else you're seeing.

If something doesn't fit or someone is making you feel not great, you can put their content or their page on the shelf. You can control your attitude and the amount of effort you put into this.

You control the joy you bring in the hobby. Things won't always go your way, and most of the time don't go your way. But you can control the ability to stay positive, curious, and resilient.

You can treat each setback and mistake as a lesson, not as a verdict on how you collect. Perhaps you overpaid for something. We all do it. Don't beat yourself up for it.

Perhaps you're put something at auction and you didn't get what you wanted. It's okay. We've all been through it. Just keep moving on. If we chase every new shiny thing, then we're probably gonna get burned.

But that's within our control. Then being the CEO of your collection is empowering. It means taking responsibility for your decisions, both good and bad. Responsibility is really important, especially now.

We've heard seen a lot of people in this space not take responsibility for what they've done. Taking responsibility, ownership of your actions is critical if you wanna build or you wanna maintain trust. Think about that.

Like, take some ownership. Take responsibility. I think about a lot of things in this current state. And the fundamentals, the things that seem like they're basic, integrity, being trustworthy, being honest, being open.

Like, we shouldn't take all of those things for granted from everyone else. We should always be mindful that someone might not be playing the same game as us or someone might not be approaching it with the same integrity as us.

We gotta consider that, and that's what we do as CEOs. Think a lot about trust. At the heart of any great collecting journey lies one simple word, and that is trust.

Trust is everything. It's the most important asset in our hobby. It's trust in yourself and your instinct, and this echoes what we've discussed above, and that's believing your own taste and judgment.

It takes courage to go the other direction, to buy something because you love it, and even if it's not the trendy topic. But over time, developing the trust in your own collecting identity is hugely satisfying.

Your instincts will get sharper the more you follow them. Maybe your gut tells you a certain card is something you should chase. Go do it. You're the world's leading expert in what you enjoy.

Think about that. You are the world's leading expert in what you enjoy. There is a lot of different ways to collect. There's a lot of different approach ways to approach collecting. You gotta trust in yourself.

Trust yourself doesn't mean learning or taking advice. In fact, growth comes from trusting the right people and not the wrong one, which I wrong ones, which I think brings us to trusting in relationships and community.

And one beautiful truth that the hobby is has is that it's built on relationships. Cards may be cardboard and commodity, but people are the true currency, and no one collects in a vacuum.

We rely on information trades, deals, camaraderie, and other forms of inspiration from other people or sources. Not all relationships are equal. Part of thriving in the hobby is finding trustworthy companions on your journey.

Over time, you create this circle. Right? Maybe it's fellow collectors on Instagram or Twitters or people you meet up at a card show or people you're on forums with who you know have your back.

These folks who share leads on cards they know you need or flag fake scams or celebrate wins. They make you better. You do the same for them, and that's important.

Trusting community also means the hobby feels safer and more enjoyable. When you have an honest guy or gal or two, you can ask the questions you're like less likely to make costly mistakes yourself.

I think on the flip side, trust is something you have to offer as well. It's not a one way street. The hobby runs on a bit of an honor system.

Think about trading. You're mailing cards to someone you've never met purely on faith that they're gonna send the card back, or a card shows you might hold the card aside for a friend that you've helped in the past.

That's trust. Every time we follow through on promises, deal fairly, and treat others with respect.

We are contributing to a culture of trust that benefits everyone. A community where people trust each other is one where collectors can safely trade, share tips, and help others chase their grails without constant fear of being cheated.

It's been said that without community, the hobby would feel empty, and that's the truth. It's a community thing. We need each other.

When you trust your fellow collectors, a funny thing happens. The hobby becomes so much more than cards. It becomes about friendships, memories, and mutual support. So how do we build and maintain trust in our hobby interactions?

I think there's a few guidelines and things I think about. It's leading with honesty and fairness. Whether you're selling on a major marketplace like eBay or trading on Facebook, do it with integrity.

Ship when you say you're gonna ship. Describe accurately. Make sure you're honoring what you're saying. Your reputation is everything. Guard it as carefully as your most rare cards. You want to seek out knowledge and share knowledge.

I think the more we share what we know, the better off of community we are we have. You wanna surround yourself with the right people. You wanna and and you don't want those people to be negative all the time.

It's easy to be negative. It's a lot harder to be positive. And I'm not saying we all need to be positive, and we should preach hobby positivity, but I just think there's something there where it's like, this this is cards, man.

This is supposed to be fun. And then that means tuning out the toxic noise. There's so much of it. Don't let it distract you. I think once trust is established, it has a beautiful way of multiplying.

A network of trusted hub collectors can achieve things that lone wolves wouldn't necessarily. Trust is the bedrock for a meaningful collection. When I think about legacy, I think about playing the long game.

This idea of legacy is a theme that's twofold in context. It's about legacy of cards and what we collect. In our own legacy as collectors, both angles are pointed at long term and understanding there's certain ebbs and flows.

We're in a hobby that's obsessed with collecting what's next, the next prospect rookie release. It's powerful to remember that some cards never go out of style. Some players like Jordan certainly never go out of style.

Jordan collectors are passionate. They speak highly of them. So modern collectors are chasing the next shiny thing where you've got Jordan collectors who've been collecting Jordan for years on end.

And the Jordan collectors, though, will understand the the nuance of the market shifts, the dynamics, the rarity and scarcity much more than a collector who's chasing what's hot and trendy.

Legacy collecting often values story and substance over surface labels, not just about, like, oh, that's great at a 10. Let's go for it. Or, oh, this is the hit in the new product.

You care more about what the card represents, the history, the memories, the rarity of it in the wild rather than what the number is printed on the slab. There's a difference between true rarity and manufactured rarity.

Modern cards often come with guaranteed scarcity. You got parent runs of certain numbers. And I think because they're planned, everyone knows exactly how many exist, and often, a lot of those copies get pulled and graded in contrast.

Arrow many of us collected in, nobody knew which cards would later become scarce, and rarity more or less happened by accident.

Maybe it was a card that was overlooked, and maybe it was a card that was an oddball. I just find that interesting, and I don't get me wrong. Like, I collect shiny cards and modern cards.

It's a thrill of the hobby, but it's also the fuel for short term flipping. If you want a collection that stands out over the test of time, it pays to balance your approach with long term thinking.

And it doesn't need to be long term thinking towards the market. It can be long term thinking towards you. What makes you happy? What makes you feel good?

What sets resonate? I think beyond specific cards, legacy is also about community longevity. A great tip when access assessing whether something in the hobby has true lasting powers, look at the community around it.

Does a particular player set product have people around it? If yes, then there's a there's the sign of legacy for the item.

Again, Jordan is the example. Maybe no stronger collector base, no pat more passionate collector base. Observing how other segments show up from a community perspective is a really good one to follow.

Your personal legacy as a collector is one that you should be thinking about. Now I think it's the other side of the coin where legacy, not of the cards, but as you as a collector, is meaningful.

It might sound a little grandiose, but think of it this way. What story will your collection tell years down the line? If someone looked at your collection ten to twenty years ago, what would they learn about you?

Every card you keep is a chapter in your memoir. Are those chapters coherent and meaningful to you? There's no right answer. Each of us have a different story. Maybe your collection will scream you're a cult superfan.

At least, I think mine does. Maybe it'll say you like hall of famers. I just think the more intentional you are, the more your collection becomes a reflection of who you are and what you love.

You don't need a million dollar inventory to have a meaningful collection. You don't need thousands of social media followers praising your mail days everywhere.

A legacy collection is measured in significance, not size or clout. Some of the most impactful collections I've seen aren't huge or famous. They're personally curated.

The collector poured themselves into it. They can tell a story about every piece where they found it and why it mattered. The real legacy in the hobby isn't just the cards. It's the people, and you're a part of that.

I think a question I ask myself is what am I building here? I constantly do that. What do I want my collecting journey to stand for? And the more I do that, the better off I am as a collector. We've reflected on trust and legacy.

Now let's talk about the road ahead and the future, and it's blurry. It's murky. There's a lot of excitement. There's a lot of uncertainty. There's all those things. But I think it means finding confidence in your own journey.

The future will undoubtedly bring changes. Remember, you're probably not gonna be able to control those changes. There will be new trends, new players, maybe new companies creating cards.

Some of those changes will be exciting, others uneasy. But when you're grounded in the fundamentals, focusing on what you can control, trusting yourself in the community, and playing the long game.

You'll navigate whatever comes with clarity instead of panic. It's really important to stay grounded in the present moment.

Right now, as I release this, it's 2025. We're gonna blink, and who knows where we'll be next. We should look ahead, but we shouldn't let the what's coming ahead be overwhelming.

It's clear that the hobby will continue to have external noise, perhaps more as big corporations come in and take over and the hobby grows if they're doing their job.

We'll see continue to see negative news, and the future will be shaped by how we respond and carry moving carry ourselves moving forward.

If we can continue to prioritize genuine collecting, if we welcome newcomers with open arms and information, if we hold the manufacturers and marketplaces to high standards through our spending choices, the hobby will remain healthy and fun.

It bears repeating as we wrap this up. Your purpose as a collector can go stronger over time. Every challenge or change is easier to weather the more you're in it, the more passion. It's the long game. It's a long haul.

A lot of us treat the hobby as a transaction. Yeah. There are transactions that happen, but it's a lot more than that. I think about it from the perspective of being a veteran on a team when the team hits a rough patch.

The rookies look look to the vets to see how they react. If the vets are calm and focusing on fundamentals and maintain trust, the whole team will regain confidence.

In the hobby, the t team, it doesn't matter if you've been there one or years or collecting for thirty years. If you internalize principles that are sound, you are a savvy vet and someone might turn to you.

So it's things like keeping educating yourself. I'm a curious person. I always wanna learn. I want I seek more content and staying flexible and open minded.

This hobby moves quickly, and it's going to do things that you don't like. You gotta be open minded. You gotta be flexible. You gotta give back and lead by example. And at the end of the day, you got to enjoy the process.

If you don't enjoy the process, you're never gonna be happy in this hobby. You're the CEO of your collection. You're the author of your hobby story. Understand the power you have, and that is something you can control.

Collecting cards is incredible. This is an amazing space. I learn something new every day. I meet someone new every day, and I'm challenged every day. That's what I want in my hobby, and that's what I think sports cards can offer us.

I appreciate everyone for supporting Stacking Slabs. Appreciate you telling a damn friend, showing up here every week, and, let me know what you think and what you feel.

I love cards. I love interacting in this space. It's so much fun, and we've got a lot of opportunity ahead. We'll be back with another one. You all take care. Talk to you soon.