The Secrets To Networking in The Toy Industry
Are you struggling to crack the networking code in the toy industry? Tune in to episode #207 of The Toy Coach Podcast: Making It In The Toy Industry as Azhelle Wade, unveils the secrets behind successful networking. Spoiler? It's easier than you think. The host debunks myths surrounding industry connections and shares invaluable tips for building meaningful relationships that drive professional growth.
When you listen to this episode, you'll discover how genuine connections can open doors to unexpected opportunities. Azhelle shares firsthand experiences and insights gleaned from her three-year journey in The Toy Coach. Learn the importance of authenticity in networking and how it can lead to fruitful collaborations and partnerships. If you've ever wondered exactly how deals and partnerships came to be, then you can't miss this episode!
Episode Cliff Notes
The surprising truth about networking myths and how they might be holding you back in the toy industry.
Ever wondered how professional friendships can evolve into game-changing opportunities? Listen in to hear how it happened for Azhelle.
Discover Azhelle Wade's personal journey through the toy industry and the invaluable lessons she learned along the way.
Learn the one networking mistake most professionals make and how to avoid it to accelerate your career growth.
Dive deep into the importance of authenticity in building genuine connections that can supercharge your success.
Find out the one thing that you need to have in place before you start networking.
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This episode is brought to you by www.thetoycoach.com
Learn more bout Toy Creators Academy by clicking here.
Join the waitlist for Tabletop Game Design MasterClass by clicking here.
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[00:00:00] Azhelle Wade: Your strongest relationship is going to be your easiest to maintain because you will be so aligned with that person in what you want to achieve and what they want to achieve. You are listening to Making It in the Toy Industry, episode number 207. [00:01:00] Hey there, toy people, Azhelle Wade here, and I've got to welcome you back to the Toy Coach podcast, Making It in the Toy Industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach.
[00:01:22] com.
[00:01:23] Now, if you're anything like me, the word networking can be terrifying. There are many people that meet me in person and are often surprised when I actually get really nervous in big events when I'm expected to speak because the idea of networking, chatting with people I don't really know that well is kind of scary.
[00:01:43] And just at the thought of the term networking, your stomach might drop, maybe your face gets flushed and your mind might start running wild with all the reasons you aren't cut out for it.
[00:01:54] So for today's episode, I thought it would be helpful to dive into the secrets of [00:02:00] networking in the toy industry. There are quote unquote secrets that I've come to identify as true over the past three years of starting the Toy Coach.
[00:02:10] These are things that I thought were true, but have finally been able to see put into practice into my own life, into my business and seen from the mentorship that I've received from others. So today I am going to share my personal journey and experiences networking with key figures In the dynamic world of toys and games.
[00:02:31] By the end of this episode, you will learn that networking is really the practice of building meaningful relationships. And the key word here is meaningful. These relationships have to be honest, in order to be meaningful for you and the other person involved, network. Now that does put a limit on this whole networking thing because that means that you can't just network with anyone or everyone [00:03:00] and that is okay and I feel like that's the first lesson you need to learn about networking . Lucky for you, the toy industry is so small that you don't always have to be everyone's cup of tea because likely you'll be connected to a key player either as a first degree connection or second degree connection, third degree and so on. And even a third degree connection that comes with a lot of accolades and positive vibes can lead to immense opportunities for you and your toy brand. So today I'm going to shine a spotlight on five remarkable individuals that have been instrumental in my journey as the toy coach. Who are these individuals? Well, first up, I've got to talk about.
[00:03:45] April Mitchell and Ed Garten. If you saw the announcements on my social media on Valentine's Day, you'll know why. Then we're going to talk about my good friend, Rick Durr. Then we're going to talk about Dr. Lisa of the Fresh Dolls and the Dr. Lisa Company, and [00:04:00] then my mentor, Nancy Zweiers. Okay, let's get started. So first I want to talk about April Mitchell and Ed Garten. When we first met April had actually joined TCA back in the early days when I was building the course as it went. So she was, she saw me in those real raw rough and tumble days And April already had experience licensing and inventing products in other industries. So she came into the toy industry and just started pitching company after company. She's licensed several ideas. They're coming out this year. April was also the first person that I recognized as a listener of this podcast and saw in the real world. So when I saw April in the real world, after having seen her comment and like some of my podcast posts, I went up to her and I said, do you listen to the Toy Coach podcast? And she looked at me like, who?
[00:04:57] What? How do you know that? And, and I said, [00:05:00] well, I'm the toy coach. And she was like, what? Oh, my gosh. So great to meet you. And I was like, yeah, I know. I've seen you posting online or commenting online when I, when I post about the podcast. So we met and then later we got to hang out at a toy industry event.
[00:05:16] We met up there, we talked and, and we had a great time. She actually shared that my episode number two of this podcast, the toyotic principles of design. Helped her elevate one of the ideas she was working on and take it to the next level. So that's where April and I's relationship started. At the time, did I notice it was a networking relationship?
[00:05:36] No. And honestly, I think the lesson I want you to take away here is that a good relationship established in the toy industry, that's a good networking experience, shouldn't actually feel like a networking experience. It should feel like You found a like minded friend or colleague and that you're connecting over shared interests and beliefs within the toy industry.
[00:05:59] [00:06:00] So fast forward a few years, Ed Garten started teaching online things about game design and he and April started teaching together. And because I was already connected with April online, Anytime she posted with Ed, I would see it. So I started seeing this Ed guy.
[00:06:15] Then I went to a toy industry event. We finally met in person and he was just all my energy. He's so energetic and happy and willing to share information. And if you know me and how and why I started this podcast and my business. It's all about sharing information and insight into the toy industry. So
[00:06:34] I was like, Ed is my guy. So fast forward to our relationship developing over time, one day, we're all sitting around at a table and this, listen up, because this is the stuff that I wish people would share with me about how they got things done in their business.
[00:06:50] So I want you to listen up because this is, this is the good stuff. So one day, fast forwarding a year after, you know, meeting Ed, I'm sitting at dinner after a toy [00:07:00] trade show with Ed and April. And we're chatting and they're telling me about this course that they had launched a few months back, how well it did, how everyone loved it, and how they want to turn it into an evergreen program.
[00:07:13] And I had previously told them that I had recently changed Toy Creators Academy from this like live, I'm with my students for just 12 weeks, and it's super fast paced to a longer one year program where they can meet with me monthly and have a little bit more time to go through the program.
[00:07:31] And they were telling me how they were going to take their course and they wanted to turn it into like kind of a consistent online program.
[00:07:37] And I said, you know what? I actually would love to do that with you. I, and then I explained to them how the Toy Coach platform is going to be evolving in the coming months. And how it was going to start including courses developed by other creators.
[00:07:54] And they were pretty interested in this idea. And they were like, yeah, that sounds interesting. I'm like, [00:08:00] yeah, so my vision is that we can use this platform that I've built and educate from the perspective of many people. And I said, think masterclass for toys, right? And Ed and April are nodding and they're thinking, I can see their wheels are turning.
[00:08:15] And I said, You know what? This feels like a good place to stop. Let's just, let's just enjoy dinner. You have the seed planted. Let's talk about it later.
[00:08:24] So we have a great dinner. We have a ton of fun. We talk about absolutely nothing work related. I mean, maybe we talk about the toy industry a little bit, but nothing deal related or how we're going to work together related at all. We're just Just vibing and bonding and having a great time, right? Now mind you, this is a table filled with about 10, maybe 15 other people.
[00:08:43] My husband is there, there are a couple other inventors there so this is a big, big group of people and I just happen to be sitting near April and Ed at the time. So that dinner's great, right? We fast forward to after this event, Ed and April and I get on a call to further this [00:09:00] conversation, what could this be?
[00:09:01] And that is really where we work out all the fine details. You know, how are we going to do this? How will it be delivered? How are we going to profit share what's going to happen here and there. And toy people, essentially, that's it.
[00:09:12] I'm not going to share, you know, the inner workings of our business detail. That is private. But that is the power of networking. And that is one example of how this journey of connecting with people, knowing exactly where you're going in your own toy business, what you're planning to do with your own toy business can result in a
[00:09:34] potential partnership. And it's all a result of an honest interest in the same things. In this case, the interest was around product development, invention, and education of aspiring creators in the toy and game industry. We all had the same vested interest in that topic.
[00:09:54] And that allowed us to connect on a certain level as course and program [00:10:00] creators. And then it allowed us all to recognize an opportunity to work together that felt very win win for all of us. For every for every story I tell, I'm going to do my best to outline one major lesson that I want you to take away
[00:10:14] for this story, I want you to take away this lesson. You've got to know where you want to go with your business.
[00:10:22] You've got to have a plan for your future offerings if you're a service provider. You already have to have that planned and in your mind. In my case, it was expanding the Toy Coach course platform. Already in my mind, already in progress. So when this opportunity presented itself, I was ready to respond and position myself for that opportunity.
[00:10:43] And if you are a toy entrepreneur, if you're developing your own product, you've already got to know and be prepared to, let's say, have your product placed in either a specialty or a mass market store. If an opportunity to connect with a retail buyer presents [00:11:00] itself,
[00:11:00] but your company is not set up for shipping out to the D. C., the distribution center of a major retailer, or you don't even have the inventory to ship to a specialty retailer, you can't go after that opportunity when it does present itself within a relationship that you've been organically building.
[00:11:18] So you really want to have something developed that you do eventually want to pitch or sell to the network that you've been building. You want to have an idea of what that product service is, and you want to have either the system in place to supply the service or the inventory and system in place to supply the product.
[00:11:38] When the time arises, while networking is never a waste, and I won't tell you to wait until you have those things to begin your networking, because as you can see in this story, this networking began three years prior as a essentially a friendship, right? So it's never too early to network.
[00:11:57] But just know that you will not be able to fully [00:12:00] utilize the relationships you've built until you are clear and ready. with your services or your products. Okay, let's move on.
[00:12:09] If you want to learn more about Ed and April's program, Tabletop Game Design Masterclass, which is coming to courses. thetoycoach. com soon, you should get on our waitlist. The waitlist is over at thetoycoach. com forward slash game design, or you can visit thetoycoach. com forward slash 207 for all of the links from today's episode.
[00:12:31] Let's talk about my story of meeting and networking with Rick Durr. Okay, so Rick Durr is the owner of Learning Express Lake Zurich. And you know, if you follow this podcast, likely you've seen him on LinkedIn too, and you're seeing all the stuff that he's posting.
[00:12:48] Azhelle Wade: Rick shares a lot of insight about. in his toy store,
[00:12:52] Which if you are a toy entrepreneur, I highly, highly, highly recommend you follow him. Specifically, I love his kind of annual [00:13:00] breakdowns of trends. He'll break down a trend and also compare it to trends year over year. Super helpful. Please, Rick, if you're listening, Never stopped doing that.
[00:13:08] Thank you. It's so, so helpful. But Rick and my relationship began entirely online, literally in the comment section of a live event I was holding. Back. In, I would say, launch three of TCA, of Toy Creators Academy, Rick showed up to one of my Sunday classes where I was teaching people about the toy industry and then inviting them to join TCA.
[00:13:34] It must have been a Sunday evening, and I'm teaching, I'm teaching, there were about, 12 people on this call on a Sunday night, and I'm having fun teaching, teaching, teaching. But this launch of Toy Creators Academy came in a real big financial downturn in the economy.
[00:13:50] Everybody was quite worried about their jobs and their finances. So I was having a really slow launch. I wasn't getting the number of students I normally get [00:14:00] in my program. So I was a little worried. But I was having fun teaching these, these classes and Rick was in the, the audience.
[00:14:06] And all of a sudden we're about to close out the class and we're closing out with questions of their Q and a portion. And Rick asks, how much is the program
[00:14:17] and so I tell Rick, I'm like, yeah, this is how much the program is and he says, he's like, , okay, great. I'm going to buy the program for everybody here. And I was like. I'm sorry. No, I'm going to cut out the amount. So Rick asks how much is Toy Creators Academy?
[00:14:36] So I tell Rick the price and a few moments later, he says, great, I am going to pay for everybody here to join TCA and everybody in the chat was going crazy. Everybody in the chat was like, oh my gosh, what? He's going to pay. How? What? Why? Like, who is this? Is this real? And I was like, guys, I don't know. I don't know who this person is [00:15:00] because I didn't know him at the time at all. I don't know who this person is, but I will find out and then let you know.
[00:15:06] I'll keep a record of who's here, if this is real, but in my mind, I didn't know if it was real. But then I reached out to this person at the time I'd known him as Richard, gave me his number.
[00:15:17] I call him the next morning and you know, I'm like, hi, so you were on my live last night and you want to pay for all these people? And he said, yes. And I said, Why? And he explained, you know, that his investment in TCA was inspired by my showing up with such passion and focus and delivering such quality education to people who were so invested about learning about the toy industry that they would show up on a Sunday night.
[00:15:49] And he said, if these people I care so much about the toy industry to spend their Sunday night learning from you and you were so focused to give him [00:16:00] so much time and such clear information. He said, you know, I want to, I want to help with that. I want to be a part of that. And so Rick became our, our, the first ever sponsor of TCA and I drafted up kind of like.
[00:16:13] Sponsorship and scholarship information real quick and set created an application form just to gather information about all of the people that he was going to be bringing in so we could highlight them and highlight him and we had a press release that the toy book shared about, you know, Rick being the sponsor and I held up a balloon with a dollar sign on it.
[00:16:35] It was a really, really, really big moment. Rick was inspired by this genuine interest that all the attendees had for the toy industry. And he was inspired by my genuine interest in educating them. And Rick's genuine interest extended beyond just writing that check.
[00:16:53] He has since participated in our virtual pitch events. He tests student products. He recommends students to [00:17:00] our program and so much more.
[00:17:01] From there eventually we did meet in person. I visited his amazing toy store in Lake Zurich, Chicago. But it, it, our relationship really. Developed into this just mutual respect and support situation. So we will share each other's posts, help each other give feedback.
[00:17:20] If we need to write an article for something, he recommends clients, I recommend people to his store
[00:17:26] Now, this is a unique situation. I'm not going to say that everybody's going to come to your live event and just give you money. Like, I don't, like, I think that was a, that was a unique situation, the lesson I want you to take from this is when you are blessed with someone taking genuine interest in your business, when someone just sees In you, what you can't see in yourself and they immediately want to invest, help, be a part of it in some way.
[00:17:56] Be sure to [00:18:00] maintain that relationship on the backend because it can be so easy to get wrapped up in the whirlwind of, Oh my gosh, this person came into my life, gave me these huge opportunities, and I'm just wrapped up in busy. Making the most of them. Don't forget to go back to that person and then reconnect with them on the back end. With Rick, it was business opportunity first after having seen a display of my work online and the community I was building online And then I nurtured the relationship after and the way that you nurture that relationship after hanging out in person, going to partake in their business and support their business and their goals and seeing them at events and really just building essentially a business friendship with somebody.
[00:18:54] That's. How simple networking can be. So that is lesson [00:19:00] number two. Don't forget to build relationships on the back end of receiving something.
[00:19:05] Next up, we're going to highlight Dr. Lisa. It is Black History Month. This is a black woman who is doing big things in the toy industry, and she Helps elevate my business whenever she can.
[00:19:17] So Dr. Lisa is a visionary founder of the fresh dolls. She has a dedication to empowering diverse voices in the toy industry, which is truly inspiring. So one of the biggest, you know, shout outs I give Dr. Lisa is for her hair technology that she came up with for her black doll line. I talk about it everywhere I can, and this is my podcast, so we're going to talk about it here. She came up with a way to create doll hair that is real locks. that is a patented technology. It is just so important for little black girls everywhere to know that your hair is seen, recognized, and it's important enough for a [00:20:00] toy company to develop a product that is representative of you and your culture. It's important enough for a factory to know how to create hair that is representative of you and your culture. I cannot tell you how much the fact that she created locked hair in dolls.
[00:20:17] It had such a huge impact on me and I don't even have locks.
[00:20:19] Now, I'd like to talk about my, how I met Dr.
[00:20:23] Lisa, because Dr. Lisa has since become a sponsor of TCA, and she sponsored two students to be able to come through the program at a very discounted rate, and We in, and with the scholarship she provided, we were able to bring two black creators through the program, and they are working their way through the program right now,
[00:20:46] and before I get into the story of how I met Dr. Lisa I've got to highlight the two people that she brought through. So Jermaine Shivers is the inventor of a game called Goal Line, and he was just. So excited and [00:21:00] grateful for the scholarship that Dr. Lisa provided for him to come through Toy Creators Academy. It really supported him as a single father striving to achieve his dreams and his words truly generate with the impact of Dr. Lisa's generosity.
[00:21:16] Now the second creator who Now, the second creator who came through under Dr. Lisa's scholarship is Donna Wilson. She's the creator of Dana Slays, and she echoed Germaine's sentiments. She highlighted that the engaging and informative content of TCA really helped empower her to develop her line even further.
[00:21:39] Okay. So let me break down how this relationship with Dr. Lisa first started. And again, listen closely because these are the bits of information that I am going to To this day, wish people would share in more detail and I, to this day, make every effort to get my [00:22:00] guests on the podcast to share in more detail.
[00:22:02] So I'm given as much as I can here. So listen up. So Dr. Lisa and I first met when we were invited to be on a panel with Richard Gottlieb a toy industry expert, founder of the Global Toy News, he passed away last year and is missed greatly.
[00:22:19] Richard Gottlieb invited us to be a part of a panel, and that is the first time I ever saw, heard of, knew of Dr. Lisa. She was lovely, and eventually we connected . And I worked on her team, helping them prepare some items for various licenses that they, they held for products they were going to release.
[00:22:39] So I did like product development work and packaging work and fashion design work with them. And it really exciting. We all know now, I can say the Wakanda line being a part of the initial packaging concept development for that was really exciting. And that ended up being a Toadie award.
[00:22:55] winning toy that they developed . So that is just, it was incredible to [00:23:00] even be in the beginning stages of that. So Dr. Lisa and her team and I worked together for a little bit there. After that time had finished, there was a point where I was invited on to Access Daily and because I knew of her product line, I said, You've got to get me your dolls.
[00:23:14] I'm going to bring them on to access daily. So I went on to access daily and this was my first time ever being on access daily. So I over prepared for this interview and in my over preparation, I was also feeling quite witty.
[00:23:30] So I likened Dr. Lisa's The Fresh Doll line, so in my over preparation for this interview on Access Daily for the hottest holiday toys of which I was presenting the fresh dolls, I likened the fresh dolls to be the Fenty of doll lines.
[00:23:47] And that comparison was so well received. Dr. Lisa called me to talk about the appearance and she was like, you called it the Fenty of doll lines and she [00:24:00] loved it.
[00:24:00] So there was that support like early on the mutual interest in diverse. dolls where I had the opportunity to support her and be the first one to support her and her brand. And then she came back around and said, how can we support you? And then that's when I started working with her team. We're aware that we have each other within our network and anytime an opportunity that we see is a good fit for one another, we know that we are going to pull the other person in and support them in any way that we can. That is it. That is networking. Now let me tell you how the scholarship and the sponsorship came about. So because I know that Dr. Lisa and I have this relationship that we support each other whenever we can, I found myself in a position where I said, you know what, I need some advice.
[00:24:48] Who can I go to for some advice? I text Dr. Lisa and I say, Hey, I'm looking to get sponsors for Toy Creators Academy. I think that toy companies might be interested in this. Do you [00:25:00] know how I might start to position that or how I might start to ask that? And she responds and says, well, how much is it?
[00:25:09] And I tell her how much the program is and she said, We'll, we'll sponsor somebody. And I said, well, that is not the question, but thank you. And I will accept. Yes. Let's do that. And that is it. That is how that came about. The lesson I want you to take away from my story with Dr. Lisa is this your strongest relationship. is going to be your easiest to maintain. Your strongest relationship is going to be your easiest to maintain because you will be so aligned with that person in what you want to achieve and what they want to achieve.
[00:25:42] You won't even realize that you are going after opportunities when you speak to them, because you will genuinely feel as though you are simply doing what aligns with your relationship with this person. So to clarify, for me, I [00:26:00] genuinely felt if I message Dr. Lisa and ask for her advice on how to execute something I want to execute in my business, she will provide me the insight that I need.
[00:26:09] And what happens, I actually get that direct support from her, unexpectedly. That's what I want you to take away from that lesson.
[00:26:18] Now, if you would love to support Toy Creators Academy in that way, please send us an email info at the toy coach. com, or you can go to the toy coach.
[00:26:27] com slash contact, and you can fill out the contact form to let us know that you're interested in sponsoring someone to go through Toy Creators Academy. If you are a company that wants to send, you know, maybe a team of your, of your designers through the program, we also have options for that. So just feel free to reach out .
[00:26:44] So let's move on. To our very last relationship that I'm going to highlight today, and that is with Nancy's Wires.
[00:26:51] So Nancy's a mentor of mine and she's a guiding light in this industry. Nancy, if you are listening, your wisdom and guidance has just been [00:27:00] instrumental in my journey.
[00:27:02] Nancy does not just share information, she nurtures talent, she fosters growth. What I love about Nancy and my relationship is she is no nonsense. If I come to Nancy and I'm like, I don't know, Nancy, I can't do it. She's like, listen, no excuses, let's move forward.
[00:27:19] And I love that from her. She just kind of always resets. She's a reset button, Nancy and she's no nonsense. Nancy reminds me like, listen, if you want this business to work, if you want to keep helping the people you help, you have to be revenue focused.
[00:27:35] Let's talk a little bit about how this relationship developed. So again, listen up. This is the stuff that I wish people had told me, you know, when I was starting my business.
[00:27:44] My relationship with Nancy actually began when she reached out to me after seeing my growth and kind of launch within the toy industry. Around the early days of developing the Toy Coach, we got a lot of press.
[00:27:59] We were [00:28:00] doing a lot of work. I was doing a lot of magazine features. I was writing a lot of articles. I was everywhere. Kind of our hard marketing launch to the, to the business. And Nancy reached out and we have our first conversation and we decide to establish this mentorship relationship, this, and it's just been a really incredible opportunity for me.
[00:28:21] Now this is really the purest form of networking, if there is one, because you initially establish a relationship with someone with the perspective of I am here to help you grow in some way. The way that it evolved is, is that I grew my business, and I grew my visibility, and I positioned myself as an attractive talent to nurture. Having been a mentor for people myself in the past, and having been mentored by many, Those who are established, who want to offer their time and wisdom to help [00:29:00] someone else grow, want to use their time as efficiently as possible. They want to help people who are going to make the most of that help and help themselves.
[00:29:11] So, in order to secure a mentor who can really help you, you need to be someone who is attractive to help. And that means you have to be a doer, you have to be a go getter, you have to be visible and findable so that they can see that you are available to be mentored. A mentor does not want someone who is going to take their time and their knowledge and do nothing with it and not proceed.
[00:29:46] They want somebody who is going to grow and drive forward and stay focused, right?
[00:29:53] The key here in, in developing a relationship like this or finding a relationship like this is, you know, build a [00:30:00] good business and then make sure it's visible to the right people. Now, mine was visible online, but yours could be visible in person or people could have heard about it in person.
[00:30:10] Maybe it's a product that's selling really well in a store that everyone knows about. Maybe you are posting about it a lot online about those successes because online is a great way to be seen. It is about visibility.
[00:30:21] Once you do have a business and you do have people reaching out to you and saying they want to mentor you and they want to help you, choose the right mentor.
[00:30:29] You don't have to accept everybody you're going to feel like. They might resent you, or you're going to feel like, oh, did I miss an opportunity because I didn't, you know, work with that person who wanted to mentor me?
[00:30:41] Don't. Just stay in the present and choose somebody who is going to give you a new perspective.
[00:30:48] You want somebody who's going to give you a whole new frame of reference, not so that you can change who you are, how you think, how you do business, but so that you can apply what they [00:31:00] know to what you know, and come up with something totally unique.
[00:31:05] Okay, toy people, well, there you have it. That is today's episode on the secrets of networking.
[00:31:11] As we wrap up today's episode, I want to emphasize the importance of authentic connections and mentorship in the toy industry. By investing in relationships and supporting each other's growth, you can unlock a Endless opportunities for success. Keep in mind while you should start networking slash building relationships as soon as possible. You also need clearly figure out what your product is, whether it is a service that you have to figure out a system on how you can provide, or it is a product and you have to make sure you have inventory and a system to deliver that product.
[00:31:50] You've got to have a plan to get those things in place as you're building your network so that by the time that network is built up, you actually have something to offer them. [00:32:00] Nothing worse than having a network that you have no idea how to use or make use of or seeing opportunities that you're thinking, Oh my gosh, that would be perfect if only I had inventory.
[00:32:08] So just make sure you're getting your ducks in a row while you're networking and you're not just networking .
[00:32:15] Okay, let's get into the action item that I'd love for you to do this week. If there is somebody that you have communicated quite a bit with on LinkedIn, on Instagram, on Facebook, and it's somebody within the toy community, and you know that they're going to be at an upcoming toy trade show or event, I want you to reach out to them and say, Hey, can we grab a coffee at XYZ event.
[00:32:36] I would love it if you sent me a message on Instagram, let me know you did it, then I could cheer you on and say, go you. But as always, thank you so much for spending this time with me today.
[00:32:45] I know your time is valuable and that there are a ton of podcasts out there, so it truly means the world to me that you tune into this one. Until next week, I'll see you later, toy people. [00:33:00]
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