Ready for a myth-buster? How about 5?

For today’s episode I’m going to dispel 5 myths you may have about the toy industry and share personal stories, and lessons that you can learn from each of these myths. When I first started my toy career I had a pretty clear idea about what it would be like to work in toys. I thought I knew what I’d be doing every day, who I’d be working with, and what would be driving my design decisions. Over the past decade, as I learned what really goes on behind the toy curtain, I’ve also come to be aware of myths other aspiring toy creators have about this industry.

As a toy inventor or entrepreneur, you know that there are about a hundred decisions you make on any given day. A decision to partner with a specific person or organization, a decision in how you interact with your customers, the factory you choose, the suggested retail price point you set. And at times it can seem overwhelming and challenging to continue to make the right decisions day in and day out.

In this episode, we’ll talk about developing the key to guiding the decision making in your toy business, and that key is your vision statement. We'll go through a few examples of vision statements from both toy companies and non-toy companies and then highlight the 4 big questions you should ask yourself to start defining a vision statement of your very own.

If you’re a fan of the holiday toy sensation Elf on the Shelf, you may already be familiar with today’s guest, Brad Reese, the Director of Product Development at the Lumistella Company. Brad will offer valuable advice on developing a baby product from a marketing perspective, as well as give us three golden rules to follow when designing baby toys

Are you thinking about starting your business in the toy industry but stumped about how to set it up the right way when it comes to taxes? Navigating tax protocols as a new business owner can be confusing and intimidating, but today’s special guest and tax guru Margie Montes will shed valuable light on what you need to know to set yourself up for tax success.