When you’re a toy inventor or entrepreneur, you’re probably used to doing it all. You want to have a hand in every part of the invention and production process. However, there may be some times you need some help, and that’s OK. A great entrepreneur knows when to delegate tasks instead of taking on too much for themselves.

Starting out in the toy (or any professional) industry can be a long, difficult, and even lonely journey. Luckily, there’s an organization dedicated to the success and empowerment of women working in the toy, licensing, and entertainment industries.

So, you have an idea for a toy or a game. What next? Should you start with product development, branding, or marketing? Each of these aspects is incredibly important in the invention process. However, there is definitely an ideal order for the development process.

Creative block is a toy inventor’s worst enemy. It can strike when you are overworked or stressed. In that case, just walk away and come back to the project once you have had a chance to clear your mind. However, if you’re trying something completely new, your block may be caused by the dreaded “imposter syndrome.” Your self-doubt may cause you to wonder why you wanted to become a toy inventor in the first place.

In the times before social media, you could purchase commercial space on kids’ TV channels or in age-appropriate magazines, but now, everything is digital or on social media. To a newbie, it seems like a random game, but there are things you can do to increase your chances of getting spotlighted in an amazing way.

I can remember, at the beginning of my career, I believed it when people told me that dolls of color just don’t sell as well as white, blonde dolls. I was told that covers and ads for toy lines had to have a certain ratio of white models to models of color, and I went with it. However, at a certain point, I had to examine my own thoughts and came to the conclusion that I was done supporting these ideals.

Today, media properties also include personalities, influencers, and characters. A popular media property from the past, “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers,” sets a great example of how to reach success against the four toyetic principles: distinct character personalities, scalability by theme, character-specific accessories, and surprise conflict. I'm going to break them down as they were applied in Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers:

Taking place over four weeks with each week dedicated to a global region from October 6-29, the all-virtual event serves as a large-scale digital gathering that aims to bring together the global licensing industry to connect, learn, strike deals and do business on an international stage. Live and on-demand content will span keynotes, educational sessions, plentiful networking opportunities, and even entertainment.