Want to learn secrets to growing your toy brand online? In episode 238 of Making It In The Toy Industry, host Azhelle Wade revisits an extended interview with her mentor, Amy Porterfield, a multi-million dollar online business owner and expert in email marketing. During the podcast, Amy shares her journey from corporate life to becoming an entrepreneur, highlighting the importance of list building and personal storytelling in email marketing.

Ever wondered how to turn your toy idea into a fully-funded product without breaking the bank?

In this episode of Making It in the Toy Industry, Azhelle Wade sits down with two crowdfunding experts from BackerKit, Lafia and Maddie, to spill all the secrets behind running a successful crowdfunding campaign.

They dive into how BackerKit helps creators manage backers, collect pledges, and fulfill rewards (without losing their minds in spreadsheets). You’ll also hear about "Topias"—group launches where multiple creators team up to support each other’s campaigns—and how to build an audience that will help you hit your funding goals in no time. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your toy product to the next level, Lafia and Maddie share real success stories, smart strategies, and tips for growing your email list and marketing your campaign like a pro.

If you’ve got a big idea and want to learn how to make it happen with crowdfunding, this episode is packed with insights you don’t want to miss!

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!

After being laid off during the pandemic in 2020, Conor Lewis was bit by the entrepreneurial bug and decided to go for it with his toy product, FORT. Conor put his marketing expertise to use and built an email list of over 80,000 people before launching his Kickstarter campaign. His share focused and gamified marketing campaign helped him build his email list organically. Conor comes on the show today to share his journey of building his list, nurturing his interested customers, and ultimately funding a multi-million-dollar crowdfunding campaign in the first 24 hours.

For many of us, this is "launch season" for our toy and game products. And even though this podcast has given plenty of valuable information about launching a successful crowdfunding campaign, there is always more to learn. So The Toy Coach is back at it, asking questions and getting answers about launching a product on Kickstarter, but this time...it's with a focus on games!

Have you ever wanted to launch a Kickstarter campaign but you’ve been overwhelmed with where to start? Well in this episode of Making It in The Toy Industry, Azhelle Wade, The Toy Coach, sits down with a fellow toy creator to dive into 8 Kickstarter Secrets to 8x your funding goal. Learn the importance of having a crystal clear brand message and target market BEFORE your Kickstarter launch, clever marketing techniques and so much more. If you’re interested in Kickstarter insights, tips, and secrets, then you cannot miss this episode!

What if you launched your Kickstarter, and just a few days later the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic? Well, that's exactly what happened to my guest today Marjorie Spitalnik. Marjorie walks us through her Kickstarter experience as she learned to pivot in the most uncertain of times. Our guest today learned everything she knows about running a successful Kickstarter during her campaign and she is certain that if she could do it, you can too.

If you're considering launching a Kickstarter campaign, or if you're in the middle of prepping your KS launch, then this episode is here for you! Julie Underwood Richardson is the inventor of Shoe Bae and also the creator of the Women Inventors - Product Based Entrepreneurs on Facebook. Julie is a champion for helping women inventors succeed within her group, and her informative and honest posts about Kickstarter is why she joined us for today's episode.