Passion to Profession: Steve Sloan from Heystack on Innovation, Escape, and What the Hobby Needs Next
Podcast: Stacking SlabsPublished On: Mon Aug 18 2025
Description: In this episode of Passion to Profession (sponsored by eBay), I’m joined by hobby veteran Steve Sloan, CEO of Haystack—a company quietly becoming the go-to infrastructure partner for hobby businesses.Steve’s career path includes stops at Upper Deck, PSA (where he was President), and now Heystack, where he's building tech to solve real pain points in the card ecosystem. We talk about how his love of collecting started with Garbage Pail Kids and a copy of Beckett, and how that evolved into a life and career inside the hobby.Topics covered include:Why Beckett was the original collector content engineWhat Exquisite meant to the hobby—and why innovation at Upper Deck still mattersLessons from PSA during the backlog eraWhy he believes the hobby is an escape and what that means for customer experienceBuilding Heystack to make life easier for sellers, breakers, and marketplacesWhat it’s like going from corporate to startup mode in the hobbyWhat Steve looks for when hiring in the spaceThis is a collector-turned-operator who understands the full picture. Whether you're building a business or building your PC, there’s something in here for you.A special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this linkFollow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | TiktokFollow Steve | Instagram | Heystack Instagram | Heystack ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
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