There are many paths you can take in the toy industry, but the 3 most common paths that most new creators fall into are Inventor, Entrepreneur, and Executive! In today's episode, The Toy Coach is back to explain the differences between the two and point out why you might be both. Azhelle walks you through the meaning of each toy path, what you can expect, and how you could benefit from even switching your toy path. In today’s toy podcast, you will learn what aspects of being a Toy Entrepren...
Apr 12, 2023•24 min•Season 4Ep. 171
Data is a precious thing. Data allows companies to make growth projections, develop products based on consumer needs, and write messages based on consumer desires. But where do you go to find precious data? Well, in the toy industry, there are several research and analytics companies that will gather that data all year long, offering trend reports and future cast predictions much like the one we’ll be reviewing in today’s podcast episode. In today’s podcast episode, I will review a 2023 future f...
Mar 29, 2023•21 min•Season 4Ep. 170
According to Demand Sage, there are 4.37 billion email users in the world as of 2023. That number is expected to climb to 4.6 billion by 2025. Email marketing has a return on investment (ROI) of $36 for every $1 spent. If you are struggling to sell your toy or game product and you haven’t considered email marketing as a way to make it happen, then you’re likely leaving sales on the table…or in the inbox. During today’s podcast episode, you’ll learn about how you can use Connection Campaigns, Pro...
Mar 22, 2023•44 min•Season 4Ep. 169
Today’s podcast episode is the first time we’ve done an interview at the manufacturer's office and warehouse to see how the toys are really being made! You will see how bubble magic is made at South Beach Bubbles and Toys. Plus, you’ll get to hear some amazing advice and tips from the company’s founders, Ron Weizman and Shooki Grasiani. You will see how the bubbles are mixed and packaged. Plus, you’ll learn some tips about how to find a great business partner, why the company uses their own...
Mar 15, 2023•20 min•Season 4Ep. 168
Visualize, Validate, and Vow to make your toy or game idea real this year with accountability and guidance from The Toy Coach team! Inside this Bootcamp, you’ll get step by step training and accountability to visualize and validate your toy or game idea FAST. We’ll spend 5-days in a private Facebook community, where I’ll teach you my streamlined 6-step concept development process over 3 LIVE trainings. In just 3 hours and 5 days you can completely change the way you approach toy development from...
Mar 08, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 167
Did you know that you can turn everyday experiences into great toy ideas? Today’s podcast guest noticed that her toddler loved to play with pretend food toys. However, she saw that the food toys on the market didn’t represent what was popular in Hawai’i, where she lives. So, she created a toy company that started with Hawai’ian food toy sets and has now branched out with toys that represent other cuisines found in Hawai’i like Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese. April Hail has lived in Hawai’i fo...
Mar 01, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 166
Today’s podcast episode touches on a subject we haven’t covered yet: faith. Today’s guest shares how her faith not only inspired her to create what became a popular product but also kept her going during challenging moments. My guest today believes that everyone has a God-given purpose and that finding that will help each person find the most fulfillment in life. Angie Cella is a mom of four children, a Christian author, and the inventor and chief dreamer of Blinger, an amazing tool for both kid...
Feb 22, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 165
MESH is NOT the new STEAM. MESH is a solution that utilizes toys as an answer to the mental health crisis among children and teens today. The development of MESH skills is important to help kids learn how to navigate strong emotions and difficult experiences. So what is MESH? MESH is an acronym for Mental, Emotional and Social Health. Developing MESH skills can help protect kids from the risky behaviors and self-harm that are too often the result of their mental distress. Today’s podcast episode...
Feb 15, 2023•55 min•Season 4Ep. 164
This week on the Making It In The Toy Industry Podcast, learn the steps on how to create a Successful Buyer Presentation with help from expert Marie Nastasi. You’ll learn what buyers are looking for, how to research product categories and research your competition, and how to craft an amazing retail presentation. This episode is packed with valuable information for developing a successful buyer presentation. Learn the 5 Keys to a Successful Buyer Presentation as developed by today’s guest Marie ...
Feb 08, 2023•39 min•Season 4Ep. 163
How do you go from a dreamer with comic book aspirations to a toy industry legend and award-winning toy designer? Today’s guest shares his incredible journey as an artist, parent, and toy designer from the 1990s until now. His toy journey will inspire you to take a risk, put in your all, and go that extra mile. David Vonner’s original dream was to be an illustrator for Marvel Comics. However, his family and those surrounding him encouraged him to go down a path that would ensure a good career. A...
Feb 01, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 4Ep. 162
Think of a time when you were shopping for a product and just thought to yourself, “Ugh, all of the options are boring, or not that cute, or they don’t work the way I need them to.” You’re creative, so you probably thought of a great way to improve that product at that moment. But, maybe you wondered if you could really do everything that goes into creating a successful product in the toy industry. Keep listening to learn the inspiring story of someone who did just that. Josh White is an award-w...
Jan 25, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 161
Have you ever dreamed of creating your own neighborhood toy store? Even if that’s not your toy industry dream, today’s episode is full of valuable tips for any toy industry entrepreneur. Today’s guest started a toy store in her local community with her dad, and turned into a successful family business over the eight years it has been open. Listen to the episode to find out about the differences between starting a digital business and a brick-and-mortar business and how a business plan can give y...
Jan 18, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 160
With AI-Powered Chat GPT, generating toy and game ideas has never been easier. If you are in the process of developing a toy or a game but are stuck in the concept phase, this week’s episode is one you cannot afford to miss. AI-Powered Chat GPT can generate “creative” toy & game ideas quickly and easily - and all you need to get started is a single sentence. Chat GPT was released in November of 2022, and is known for its ability to code, write stories, and even music. But today we’re giving ...
Jan 11, 2023•39 min•Season 4Ep. 159
I bet that YOU can generate a high resolution concept image of your toy idea for free, and in seconds. The use of AI art exploded in recent months, with the search term “AI art” spiking in the US this past December. The breakout AI tools have been Midjourney, Lensa, and DALL-E. Since then, there has been considerable and understandable backlash against AI art from real human artists across the globe. In this episode we explore three things, 1) how AI can help the development process of your toy ...
Jan 04, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 158
The Toy Coach Team ventured out to the windy city to set up a live podcast recording booth at Chicago Toy and Game Week, also known as CHITAG by Mary Couzin and People of Play. This annual, public toy and game fair is where toy and game brands connect with the consumers who love their products, debut new lines, and marketing activations. During this 2 day fair, I interviewed 10 toy and game creators during this fair to learn about their toy journeys and ask them to share any toy biz wisdom they’...
Dec 28, 2022•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 157
The Toy Coach Team ventured out to the windy city to set up a live podcast recording booth at Chicago Toy and Game Week, also known as CHITAG by Mary Couzin and People of Play. This annual, public toy and game fair is where toy and game brands connect with the consumers who love their products, debut new lines, and marketing activations. During this 2 day fair, I interviewed 10 toy and game creators during this fair to learn about their toy journeys and ask them to share any toy biz wisdom they’...
Dec 21, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 156
In December of 2022, The Toy Coach Team ventured out to the windy city to set up a live podcast recording booth at Chicago Toy and Game Week, also known as CHITAG by Mary Couzin and People of Play. This annual, public toy and game fair is where toy and game brands connect with the consumers who love their products, debut new lines, and marketing activations. During this 2 day fair, I interviewed 10 toy and game creators during this fair to learn about their toy journeys and ask them to share any...
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 155
Have you ever had an idea for a character that you could envision becoming a globally recognized brand? Today, one of the important ingredients to building a licensable brand is authenticity. Building an authentic toy and entertainment brand means that you’ve got to be crystal clear about the reason WHY you created that brand in the first place. You’ve got to dedicate your time and energy to growing AND supporting your community, and meanwhile you’ve got to make sure the whole world knows it’s h...
Dec 07, 2022•52 min•Season 3Ep. 154
For the first time ever, The Toy Coach is releasing a holiday gift guide featuring her top toy picks for the holiday season. The focus of today’s episode is to share a preview of this gift guide AND to educate you on what you need to get featured in any toy gift guide in 2023. This episode begins with a countdown of the top 12 toys you should gift this holiday and ends with a mini toy lesson on the top 5 things you MUST submit to publications if you want your product featured in Holiday Gift gui...
Nov 30, 2022•32 min•Season 3Ep. 153
It is a myth that toys are shallow or don’t make an impact on kids. Today’s guest was inspired to leave a tenured position as the top professor in her field to create a meaningful line of dolls. Listen to today’s episode to discover what inspired her and how she made it happen. Dr. Lisa Williams started off her career as the first black person to receive a doctorate in logistics from The Ohio State University. She became the top professor in her field, had a tenured position, and even had a mult...
Nov 23, 2022•39 min•Season 3Ep. 152
Today’s episode is special for two reasons. First, it is the first-ever live broadcast of an episode of Making it In the Toy Industry. Second, today’s guest gives a raw view into all the ups and downs of being a toy industry entrepreneur, how it can affect your mental health, and how to keep going with your ideas even when it seems like things haven’t gone your way. Marjorie Spitalnik is the founder and CEO of Little Rebels, a popular plush doll collection that seeks to educate kids about histor...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 151
Only adults can make amazing toys right? Wrong! Kids play with a lot of toys so it only makes sense that they would come up with some incredible toy ideas. Today’s guest has come up with a sensational toy at only 11 years old. Well, she was actually 5 when she came up with the idea and started developing the product. Now she is bringing her insights as a seasoned kidpreneur to today’s episode of Making it in the Toy Industry. Mia Monzideliz came up with the idea for the Power Pony when she got a...
Nov 09, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 150
Finally, this beloved toy and game innovation conference returns in person. The People of Play Innovation Conference is the largest global innovation conference in the toy and game world, welcoming over 50 companies from across 17 countries to review pitches from students, new inventors, and professional inventors. If you’re new to the toy industry and you’ve heard rumblings about POP week or the Innovation conference, and you weren’t quite sure what either were…then this episode is just what yo...
Nov 02, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 149
Have you been considering joining Toy Creators Academy to develop your toy or game idea? Do you still have a few questions about how the program works, when it starts, or what it covers? This episode is perfect for you! In today’s podcast episode, The Toy Coach addresses the most frequently asked questions about this 12 week group coaching program. If you have questions on whether this program is right for you, wondering when the class will reopen, or if you can take the program on your own time...
Oct 26, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 148
Today’s podcast episode was inspired by several conversations I’ve had with my biz besties around health and mindfulness, as well as conversations with my colleagues in the toy industry. This is the exploration of a growing category in the toy industry called Comfort & Wellness. These toys are marketed to make us feel better, sleep better, and even think better…but overall the consistent theme of Comfort & Wellness toys is to reduce our anxiety. While this category seems to have most of ...
Oct 19, 2022•15 min•Season 3Ep. 147
Today’s episode is for those of you who are 1, just getting started in the toy industry, maybe you’re in your first few years or 2, haven’t started yet but keep looking over the fence and waiting for the perfect moment to jump in. In today’s episode, The Toy Coach discusses how you can stand out as a new creator in the toy and game industry. If the toy industry feels like a big, noisy place and you have no clue how to stand out as a new-ish creator…keep reading. In this episode we cover 4 ways y...
Oct 12, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 146
“The games category is too competitive!” “You shouldn’t even try to get a card game into Target!” If Kiara Imani had let those thoughts dissuade her from trying, she may have never gotten her Like U card game into one of the biggest retailers in the United States. Today, my podcast guest Kiara shares how she came up with, designed, manufactured and sold her conversation starting card game, Like U. In a world where we’re always trying to put people in boxes, the Like U card game helps players to ...
Oct 05, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 145
Searching for a unique way to promote your toy product or toy brand? The ASTRA Toy Boat may be it! On February 20th, 2023 the first ever toy trade show on a boat will depart from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and make its way to the Bahamas. In just a few days you’ll have the opportunity to exhibit your latest products, promote your services, or find the next hit toy to fill your store. The ASTRA Toy Boat is designed for retailers, manufacturers, and inventors to come together for a networking event ...
Sep 28, 2022•19 min•Season 3Ep. 144
On September 19th 2022, the WiT Empowerment Day made it possible for over 100 inventors and creators to pitch their ideas and products in 1:1 meeting with the major retailer Walmart and dozens of toy companies including Spinmaster, Jazwares, Hasbro, Educational Insights, and many more! In today’s podcast episode get a play by play of what happened at the 2022 WiT Empowerment Day and learn why you should seriously plan on attending the next WiT Empowerment Day pitch event. Curious about what each...
Sep 21, 2022•32 min•Season 3Ep. 143
You have to be an adult to start your own business and make your toy ideas real, right? Today’s guest proves that completely wrong. At just 7 years old she recognized an important gap in the toy industry and, with the help of her mom, created a line of toys to empower young black and brown girls. Now 10, today’s guest offers toy industry experts and newbies some sage advice. At 7 years old, Zoe Oli’s mom bought her a black doll. There was just one problem. The doll had straight hair. Zoe wanted ...
Sep 07, 2022•18 min•Season 3Ep. 142
