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.

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 hit play on this week’s episode.

“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 enjoy a conversation of differences.

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 unlike any you’ve ever experienced.

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 event.

You have to be an adult to start your own business and make your toy ideas real, right? Today’s guest, Zoe Oli, proves that completely wrong. At just 7 years old she created a line of toys to empower young black and brown girls. Now 10, she offers toy industry experts and newbies some sage advice. At 6 years old, Zoe Oli’s mom bought her a black doll but the doll had straight hair. Zoe wanted to see dolls that had hair just like hers: curly, and sometimes braided. So, her mom helped her to create the brand Beautiful Curly Me. Under the brand, Zoe has written two children’s books and created a line of dolls with different skin tones and natural hair styles including braids and afros. Beautiful Curly Me also sells hair care products. The dolls have been featured on Oprah’s favorite thing, and Zoe has even made an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson Show. In this episode, you’ll learn the process of creating a business as a 7-year-old. You’ll also find out some wise advice that applies to anyone in the toy industry, young or old.

Toyspiration can come from anywhere. It can come from a song, a play, a theatrical release or even the world of fashion. In this podcast episode, The Toy Coach dives deep to share a creative process with an unusual source of inspiration. If you’re currently struggling with designing a package for your toy or game idea, this is the episode for you. Or, if you have a toy or game brand with the packaging you’ve been meaning to refresh, make sure you give this episode a listen!

In this episode, you’ll learn how to look at sources of inspiration in a way that helps you add your own creative twist instead of copying what’s already been done before. Discover why it’s better to come up with ideas without focusing too much on what already exists in your toy category. By the end of this episode, you’ll have all the tools you need to spark unique inspiration in a matter of minutes!

Being a toy inventor or entrepreneur doesn’t have to be a solo project. Working with a partner can help you to think outside of the box. Today’s guests met in a Facebook group and even though they haven’t met in person yet, they have created quite the toy industry “bromance.” Jeff Lawber is a toy inventor and the founder and creator of Marmals, a line of beautifully designed magnetic toys. Alan Henry is a 2021 product design graduate and a freelance toy designer. He is also a volunteer toy designer at Marmals. They started collaborating and developed an organic mentorship that benefited both of them. In today’s episode you’ll learn how social media can lead to real friendships and mentorships. You’ll also find out why you might want to hire a fresh face or two if you’ve been in the toy industry for a while.

Kickstarter is just a platform for product presales? Right? Wrong! Today’s episode is all about how Kickstarter can actually help you develop an authentic community for your toy or game idea. Today you will hear from Joe Slack, a board game designer, instructor, and writer. He funded his solo play board game Relics of Rejavihara on Kickstarter in just 4 days, then also funded the board game expansion pack Montalo’s Revenge on the platform. Joe tells you how he used social media to get people interested in his board game, how he strategically planned his second Kickstarter campaign, and some of the options for fulfillment and shipping partners when doing a Kickstarter for a game. You’ll also find out what a pledge manager is and why you might want to use one once your Kickstarter campaign is over. If you’ve got a crowdfunding campaign going for your toy or game, or you’re thinking about making one, listen to this episode!

Which comes first? Your product or your mission? In today’s episode you will learn the benefits of creating your mission before your toy or toy brand. Defining the purpose of your brand will guide you on the creative journey, and can give you a powerful reason to invest so much time and money into your toy ideas. Today’s podcast guests are Janene Russell and Ms. Monica Sutton, also known as Ms. Monica. Janene is the key lead in preschool brands and preschool brand manager at Educational Insights. Ms. Monica is an early childhood educator and child behavior specialist with a hit YouTube channel with over 500,000 subscribers. In today’s episode, you will learn some valuable lessons about how to develop your mission. You’ll learn the power of saying no, how sticking to your mission can lead to more opportunities, and how things that didn’t go so well can actually help to define and guide your mission.

Small toy companies and toy inventors that only want to order a small amount of product can’t work with factories in China, right? Wrong! Today’s episode is practical and essential for anyone who wants to manufacture a toy or a game. Today’s podcast guest Kate Khvorostianova is an account manager with LongPack Toys, a toy and gift factory in China. She tells you how to present yourself professionally, why it's important to market parallel to manufacturing, and all of the services LongPack Toys provides. Kate says that LongPack is really interested in working with smaller toy companies, entrepreneurs, and Kickstarter based projects. Is that you? Listen to the episode to get all the information, then reach out to Kate to start the manufacturing process.

Todays’ podcast guest, Isaac Elliott-Fisher’s, experiences in the film industry as a cinematographer led him on an unexpected journey to creating The Village Toy Castle, a destination that is part museum, part toy store, part play space, and soon to be the center for his new manufacturing techniques for plastic toys and toy parts. In today’s episode, you’ll find out how much money goes into creating a brand new toy store, what kind of out-of-the-box thinking helped the process, and about the benefits of having a generous and open mindset. You’ll also find out how to get in touch with Isaac about pitching your product for his store!

What happens after you go viral? How do you go viral in the first place? There is no perfect formula to make something go viral on social media, but there are things you can do to make it more likely. Today’s guest, Danielle Murrell Cox, self-published a coloring book called Black Queens & Kings, and then went viral, which led to a publishing deal with Harper Collins. Now she has created her own line of plush toys, Zuri and Dre, based on the characters she created. In today’s episode, you will learn what factors led to Danielle going viral, and what happened afterward. You’ll also hear about the personal experiences that led Danielle to create her characters with wide noses and natural hairstyles. Finally, you will find out some amazing tips for how to progress in your business when you’re not sure what to do next.

Becoming an entrepreneur looks different for each person who chooses this path. However, one thing that can help any entrepreneurial project is putting yourself, including your background and your history, into the story and finding a meaningful motivation for your ideas. Keewa Nurulla, today’s podcast guest, is the founder of Kido Chicago, a brick-and-mortar kids’ store that also has an online shop. It started as a store for kids clothing that Keewa designed herself, and then branched out into books and toys. Keewa talks about how her family’s entrepreneurial background going back to Black Wall Street and her history as a Black performance artist shaped her vision. Learn about how she designed her store, the frustrations she has encountered with the photos on product packaging, and the number one piece of advice she received when starting her business.

As a toy entrepreneur it’s pretty likely that your cost of doing business is high. From manufacturing the perfect toy or game, to going to trade shows, building a website, nurturing an email list, dealing with returns, and damaged goods…you may be finding it’s hard to do anything for free, even if you do it yourself. Today’s podcast episode is going to share how you market your toy or game product for free. Now look, we know nothing is truly free in this world, so these marketing tactics will cost you time to implement. But with time and the tools provided in this episode you could be marketing your toy or game product for free in a way that compounds your efforts over time.

Have you ever heard of content marketing? You likely already know what direct marketing is, the action of promoting and selling your toy or game product. But what is content marketing? Content marketing is a long game approach to creating awareness for your toy or game product. It takes time, consistency, and a deep understanding of your Ideal Target Market. In this episode I share several ideas for how you can start using content marketing for your toy or game product and highlight a couple of game entrepreneurs who are utilizing content marketing for their product in a brilliant way. Tap listen to find out what that is.

Long form episode description goes here.Your own life is the best inspiration for your game and toy ideas. Just think of the best times with your friends and family and you might come up with an idea. Today’s podcast guest did just that. Today’s guest is Greg Watson. In episode 72 of MITTI you heard him talking about working with a distributor to get your toy or game into retail. Now he has a new card game that he created with his husband. The game, Poof, is available on Amazon. In this episode, you’ll learn all about Greg’s personal inspiration for the game. You’ll also learn what game mechanics are, how Greg tested his game in the middle of a pandemic, and what to consider for packaging differences between online sales versus retail shelf space. You’ll also learn about Greg’s pricing strategy for this game as well as some future predictions for the toy industry.