#226: This Toy Delivers Real Mail Every Week To Kids Across The Globe with Wendy Lattimore
Can Snail Mail Still Captivate Today's Tech-Savvy Kids?
Are today's digital-native children still charmed by the simple pleasure of receiving a physical letter? In Episode 226 of the "Making It in the Toy Industry" podcast, Virginia Lette engages with Wendy Lattimore, a successful graduate of the Toy Creators Academy (TCA), to explore this fascinating topic. Wendy's inspiring journey from traditional mail to innovative toy creation will challenge your perceptions of outdated communication methods.
From Executive Assistant to Innovative Toy Creator
Meet Wendy Lattimore, an executive assistant and innovative toy entrepreneur. Her journey began with her son's reluctance to engage in reading, which sparked the innovative idea of mailed letters from his beloved stuffed animals. This led to the creation of "Sunny the Mail Snail" and "Mailbox Mutts," engaging children with weekly personalized letters that spark joy and imagination.
Key Insights for Aspiring Toy Entrepreneurs
This episode dives into Wendy’s transition into entrepreneurship, detailing her initial challenges and creative breakthroughs. Listen to her firsthand experiences and learn how she balanced a full-time job with her startup aspirations, leveraging her TCA education to navigate the complexities of the toy industry. Wendy’s story is a blueprint for anyone dreaming of turning a simple idea into a thriving business in today’s competitive toy market.
3 Key Takeaways From This Episode:
Necessity is the Mother of Invention: Wendy creatively used letters to engage her son, proving that necessity can drive the most innovative solutions.
Validation through Community: Wendy stresses the significance of mentorship and peer validation for bolstering confidence and refining one’s product.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Her mantra, inspired by her character Sunny, is all about focusing on quality and taking thoughtful steps rather than rushing to the market.
Wendy's story of developing her toy business is a blueprint for aspiring toy creators who think outside the box. To hear all the behind-the-scenes insights and actionable advice she shares, don’t miss out on this episode. Whether you're an entrepreneur at heart or simply curious about turning a quirky idea into a viable business, this interview is a must-listen.
Episode Cliff Notes
Discover How Childhood Struggles Inspired One Toy Creator's Journey (00:04:46) Learn the unique story behind Sunny The Mail Snail and how Wendy Lattimore's creative solution to help her own child engage with reading led to the birth of her letter subscription business. This moment of ingenuity was sparked by a little boy's love for his stuffed animals and a mother's dedication.
The Power of Toy Creators Academy (00:08:56) Find out how Wendy Lattimore stumbled across the Toy Creators Academy and why it was a game-changer for her toy business. From detailed resources to invaluable mentorship, learn how this course helped her navigate the complex toy industry and provided the clarity she desperately needed.
Embracing 'Slow and Steady' in Business Growth (00:19:49) Learn about the significant business lesson Wendy imparts on pacing oneself in a demanding industry. By stepping back to re-evaluate and slowly building a strong foundation, Wendy emphasizes the importance of taking your time in order to succeed and maintain peace in your entrepreneurial journey.
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This episode is brought to you by www.thetoycoach.com
Sunny the Mail Snail: https://sunnythemailsnail.com
Mailbox Mutts: https://mailboxmutts.com
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[00:00:12] Intro: Welcome to making it in the toy industry, a podcast for inventors, entrepreneurs, and makers like you. And now your host, Azhelle Wade.
[00:00:24] Virginia Lette: Well, hey there, toy people. If you're thinking, this doesn't sound like Ajelle. You'd be right, it's Virginia. And once again, I've managed to sneak into Agence's podcasting chair to bring you another special episode of Making It In The Toy Industry.
[00:00:38] This week, I had the privilege of interviewing yet another Toy Creators Academy course graduate, which, as an aspiring toy creator myself, was both fascinating and enthralling. I got to ask them questions like, what's your favorite toy? What was their professional background before they dipped a toe into the toy industry?
[00:00:57] What was the product or brand that [00:01:00] they developed along the way? And also, I quizzed them on what's next for them in their toy creator's journey. Now that they've finished the course, So join us as we showcase yet another Toy Creators Academy success story. I'm so excited to share this one with you because I learned so much from this inspiring TCA alumni member and I've got no doubt that you will too.
[00:01:25] Wendy Latimore, thank you for joining us from the state of Virginia. What a great place to live. Thank you. And
[00:01:32] Wendy Lattimore: today's a beautiful day. It's 70 degrees, you know, in March, so spring break, it's nice.
[00:01:37] Virginia Lette: Tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, where you're from, where you grew up. Sure, yeah, I grew up,
[00:01:44] Wendy Lattimore: um, not too far from here, actually, just outside of D.
[00:01:46] C. And, um, you know, I've been a career executive assistant my, almost my entire career. Gosh, I don't want to tell you how many years. A long time. Um, so, I've discovered that's kind of what I love doing, is really helping [00:02:00] others. And that's why I, I always thrived in that role. I really love it.
[00:02:04] Virginia Lette: Growing
[00:02:05] Wendy Lattimore: up, what did you want to be?
[00:02:07] Well, you know what, growing up, well, I was a bookworm and, you know, everybody thinks it's great when kids are bookworms. Um, and I mean, it's great of course, but when you read that much, you're, you have such an imagination and such an idea of what the world can be like. So I just really wanted to be a world explorer.
[00:02:25] Like I wanted to go to all the places that I had seen, you know, read about in all my books. And so, You know, that created a sense of wanderlust in me. And I haven't, I've just started fulfilling it. Just started traveling a little bit finally. So yeah, books can take us anywhere we want to go.
[00:02:43] Virginia Lette: Tell me when you finished school, what did you study or where did you go on work?
[00:02:47] Wendy Lattimore: Yeah, so I had a single mom, um, and she was working two jobs to support my sister and I. So, college wasn't really in the picture for us as a family. I really started working right out of high school just to kind of help her [00:03:00] pay rent. My first job was in, you know, in D. C. I rode the Metro over every day and worked for some really exciting places, you know, at 18 years old.
[00:03:09] So, yeah, I just, I started working at 18 and haven't looked back since.
[00:03:14] Virginia Lette: Well, fast forward, however many years, we didn't want to mention the number and that's totally okay. But now you're a toy person. How did that come about?
[00:03:25] Wendy Lattimore: Goodness. It's been a long journey and it was by accident, as I'm sure many, you know, many people say, you know, it wasn't intentional.
[00:03:33] I didn't go to college for it. I didn't plan that in my future. I never had any, uh, plans. Any forethought on becoming a toy person, um, but you know, when you find something that helps your, your, your own child and you're like this, I'm going to do this for all the kids. Like, I've got to share this. That's when I officially became a toy person, you know, creating something that, that worked for my child.
[00:03:58] You just. [00:04:00] You're bursting with the energy to share it with all the kids. And that's what I decided to do. We lived in the boonies. Um, we, uh, really lived in a really rural area cause I used to rescue horses. And for a short time in my working career, I took, I stopped working to homeschool my kids and, um, you know, they were both struggling a little bit and who, who better can help with that than, than mom.
[00:04:24] So. My youngest, as I mentioned before, I was a bookworm. My youngest didn't want to sit and read with me, wasn't interested in books whatsoever. And I was, I was really bothered by that. Like he, he just wouldn't sit still to read a book. So I had to get creative and think of a way to get this kid reading.
[00:04:42] And. I knew that he loved his stuffed animals more than anything in the world. So I'm like, I've got to make his stuffed animals do this. So that's when I came, that was my aha moment when I started sending him letters from all of his stuffed animals. And I had so much fun with it. I mean, I would put little souvenirs in there and make up [00:05:00] these silly adventures, all of his stuffed animals traveling all around the world.
[00:05:04] So that's, you know, that's when this really was created. Started, I should say, when my son was four and I did that for an entire year. I mailed him a letter every week for a year, um, until his brother did tell him that it was mom.
[00:05:18] Virginia Lette: Oh, look, we haven't even mentioned yet what your business is. Maybe you can just tell it, like, give us a little bit of a brief about what What Sonny the male snail is all about.
[00:05:29] Wendy Lattimore: Sure. So Sonny, the male snail really was born from, you know, the, what, what I did with my son when I was really doing some soul searching many years later, you know, I really want my own business. What am I good at? What can I do? And I opened a drawer and I found all those letters that I had sent to my son.
[00:05:45] And I'm like, that's it. And so I created Sonny the male snail just came to mind. And I, I started a letter subscription business, uh, sending weekly letters to kids and from sunny the males now. So it started out as just [00:06:00] letters every week from sunny to kids. You know, as many as I could get signed up, not really knowing what I was doing.
[00:06:06] Um, and then it's slowly grown. Uh, that grew into me wanting to give the kids more of an experience, so I developed my little plush. I'll show you Sunny. Sunny. Oh, he's a little fuzzy here, but he's my little original stuffed animal that I created to go with all the letters. So he's got a little mailbag in their little pretend note cards and things for the kids to play with.
[00:06:28] So.
[00:06:28] Virginia Lette: So for those who aren't seeing the vision of this interview, Wendy's just showing us this beautiful snail plush toy that you've developed. That brings me to my next question then, Wendy. How did you come across Agile and Toy Creators Academy? Well, fast
[00:06:47] Wendy Lattimore: forward to chapter two, when I create, I decided I needed to, uh, retail, I wanted to, again, get this to as many kids as possible and me with my little subscription business, I didn't think was [00:07:00] going to get there.
[00:07:00] So I said, wow, what if I create a retail product that, you know, can just be sold in all the toy stores and that, that product, you know, has an activation card to send letters to the kids included with it. So that's when I decided I wanted to go full out retail, and I had already been pretty far along with creating my retail product mailbox mutts when I met a gel and the Academy, and it was exactly what I needed at the exact time.
[00:07:27] I needed it because I had my product created. And then I really was like. Oh, my gosh, what do I do now? What? I have this product and I really stumbled. I was overwhelmed. I had 4, 000 mailbox mutts and I didn't know what I was going to do next.
[00:07:44] Virginia Lette: How did you actually come across the Toy Creators Academy? Was it a Google search or word of mouth?
[00:07:52] Wendy Lattimore: It was a Google search. Um, and, um, you know, I really, I was searching for, you know, help, um, [00:08:00] Help placing my toy in the toy store. Um, gosh, I was just searching for all kinds of avenues or, you know, finding, um, a consultant, um, really to kind of help me.
[00:08:10] Virginia Lette: Yeah,
[00:08:11] Wendy Lattimore: and that's when I came across her and I followed her for quite a while on Instagram until I, you know, finally signed up for her course.
[00:08:19] And yeah, it was definitely a game changer for me.
[00:08:22] Virginia Lette: What got you over the line? At what point did you go right? I've just got to do this and jump on in and sign up.
[00:08:30] Wendy Lattimore: Well, I was going in too many directions. You know, I was just, I was just, I wasn't hitting any targets. I was just going in every direction. I thought I needed to go in and that was just based on my own assumptions.
[00:08:43] I had no experience in the industry whatsoever. So I just wanted somebody to. Lay it all out for me and say, do this, do this, do this, do this. And that's exactly what her course did.
[00:08:56] Virginia Lette: What year did you do the course then?
[00:08:58] Wendy Lattimore: So it was
[00:08:59] Virginia Lette: [00:09:00] 2022. So you would have done the course when it was the 12 week block. Is that right?
[00:09:05] Wendy Lattimore: Yes, it was 12 weeks. Yep.
[00:09:07] Virginia Lette: And you were also working full time at that stage?
[00:09:11] Wendy Lattimore: Yes, working full time, still working full time. But yes, so I was, you know, doing all the modules, you know, evenings, weekends, weekends.
[00:09:19] Virginia Lette: A huge commitment to work full time and get all of that done. Bravo. I'm wondering, once you finished the course and then looking back, what do you think was some of those key moments or those parts where you felt that the course was really worthwhile for you and you knew that you'd got value for money?
[00:09:38] Wendy Lattimore: Well, it was all her resources. I mean, goodness, just the, I mean, just one small quick example is, you know, all the, all the toy events, you know, having them all there in one, you know, one document that you can kind of checkmark and plan. And then, um, I mean, just, you know, the, I mean, the manufacturers and all the vetted [00:10:00] resources that she had available.
[00:10:02] I certainly, you know, having, when I started with my first sunny plush. I went down all the wrong, had I had her resources, then it would have saved me time, effort, money, everything. And so, you know, I went through kind of some hard knocks with my first plush. I was already pretty far along with my second, but, um, definitely all her resources were super helpful.
[00:10:25] And I loved the, um, the, just the mentoring and her feedback and, uh, you know, getting somebody to either validate or tell you, you know, you need to change something or, you know, look at it from this perspective. I mean, I just, I'm on my own island here and having the validation and her perspective was really amazing.
[00:10:45] Virginia Lette: A lot of the other graduates that I've spoken to mentioned the TCA virtual pitch event. Is that something that you took part in?
[00:10:52] Wendy Lattimore: Yes, absolutely. And I was. Because I was working full time, I was driving home from a training event for my [00:11:00] other job, and I literally pulled off, you know, at a rest stop, got on, you know, got on my mobile and did it all, you know, mobily, which made it challenging, but exciting.
[00:11:10] So yes, I love the virtual pitch event.
[00:11:13] Virginia Lette: You certainly don't do things by halves, do you, Wendy?
[00:11:17] Wendy Lattimore: No, I don't. I'm, you know, trying to do all the things, all the things.
[00:11:22] Virginia Lette: At a road stop, no
[00:11:23] Wendy Lattimore: less. Hey, whatever it takes. The great thing about technology nowadays.
[00:11:28] Virginia Lette: That's an incredible story. Once you finished the course, did you feel like you were ready to go off and get all of those things done?
[00:11:37] I mean, where, where did your business go to from there? From the completion of the course to where you are now?
[00:11:43] Wendy Lattimore: Well, um, you know, I've been to a couple of trade shows. Um, I have a pretty extensive, um, list of contacts that I'm still working through following up with and pitching. So I, I like to, you know, because of my mascot, Sonny, the male snail, you know, I keep telling myself [00:12:00] slow and steady and that's really what I'm trying to do now, you know, slow and steady.
[00:12:05] And I'll get there and we all will, I'm sure
[00:12:07] Virginia Lette: it's a wonderful motto that your beautiful toys bringing into our lives as well. Just all slow down a little bit, I guess, and just appreciate those sorts of things. I love the concept of. Snail mail. I really, really love it. We try to really embrace it in our family home here as well in Sydney, Australia.
[00:12:29] Not many people are doing it these days, you know, like I still like to send out Christmas cards and thank you notes, but it's getting expensive as well. Um, and maybe that's because not so many people are sending. Mail via road transport or email or whatever it is, however, it arrives these days. So it got me wondering what might be some of your barriers to growth with your product?
[00:12:53] Well,
[00:12:54] Wendy Lattimore: um, it's hard to pitch a retail product that. [00:13:00] Kind of has some add ons after it leaves the store. So that's been a barrier is me trying to explain that You know, my toy has a redemption card and includes four letters, but the parents, you know, drop it in the mail and activate the four letters That's been a big barrier It hasn't been directly with the consumer because the parents get it the grandparents get it and obviously the kids You know love it But, you know, when you have a toy that you're just going to play with and toss aside is one thing, but when you have a toy that is engaging, helping you read and makes you feel important, and something that you're anticipating is going to show up every week, you know, the letters from their stuffed animals, parents are willing to pay for that, even if I have to raise my prices.
[00:13:49] Because of postage, because it becomes such a memorable life long experience, because they're going to store all those letters in a box, pull them out years later and remember what their [00:14:00] stuffed animals, you know, sent them. So, you know, I'll keep plugging along and I even I actually have a lot of international kids as well.
[00:14:07] And I'm kind of like Oprah, you know. You have this. You have that. And I sometimes I practically want to just give it away because I want so many kids to have the experience. So that's been my own barrier of, hey, check yourself, you know, get your prices in line with where they should be. You can't just give it away.
[00:14:26] So probably, you know, 1 barrier is my own barrier. But the other is really, um, educating the industry on a toy that has kind of an add on after the sale.
[00:14:38] Virginia Lette: That is one of the hard things, isn't it? When you have a product that you're so passionate about and you want everybody to have it, you want to put it in everybody's hands and homes and hearts, regardless of what it takes you, as you said, you'd give it away for free.
[00:14:52] But I'm wondering if you were to do everything all over again, would you do it any differently? What are some of the lessons that you've learnt?
[00:14:59] Wendy Lattimore: [00:15:00] Well, I, I feel, you know, one lesson is I have stretched myself too thin because, you know, I still am operating Sonny the male snail and that's very developed.
[00:15:11] You know, I have 380 Sonny the male snail letters. Um, you know, Planned out for years and years of letters for the kids. I pivoted to mailbox mutts too soon. I think I probably should have gotten more established with signing the mouse nail to have more capital and a profitable business going before I, I went into the big idea of creating the retail, because when you go into retail, that's just a whole new can of worms with the requirements and the packaging and, and all of that.
[00:15:44] So now, you know, I'm working on both. But it's much easier to, you know, grow one brand than it is to.
[00:15:51] Virginia Lette: In terms of growing your business and the product, do you feel like you need to sort of halt that a little bit at this point in [00:16:00] time and just sort of take stock and get it all right? Or are you Full steam ahead with the product and the mail outs.
[00:16:07] Wendy Lattimore: Yeah. That's so interesting. You say that because I have paused in a sense, you know, these past few months and I'm rebuilding up my foundation. Um, and the reason that I'm rebuilding my foundation are putting in place more automated practices. Again, it's just me on my own little island, you know, here trying to do all the things.
[00:16:30] So if I really want to scale this the way that I think it can and the way I think it should be scaled, I have to have better processes in place, um, for everything, of course, you know, fulfillment. Again, I'm not just shipping a product that I'm shipping weekly letters, you know, after that. So I have a lot, a lot of moving parts.
[00:16:51] So I am, I have taken a step back and I'm kind of. Rebuilding a little bit, um, as we speak and my plan is, you know, in the, [00:17:00] in the third quarter of the year is when I'm really going to be ready to go full force.
[00:17:05] Virginia Lette: You mentioned a couple of times that you are on your own island. Do you feel like you can utilize connections in the networks that you made within TCA?
[00:17:17] Do you utilize the Facebook group at all, or did you make any really firm connections there that. You feel could help mentor you through certain processes or even in the reverse. Like, do you feel like there were people that you might've met or that you've come across that you can help to mentor?
[00:17:34] Wendy Lattimore: Yeah.
[00:17:34] You know, and that is by nature is kind of, um, giving mentorship rather than taking it. Not that I don't need it. I do. I need it as we, you know, heard me say, I'm kind of tired of being alone on this journey. Um, in some sense, but I'm working full time and Trying to keep everything afloat, so it really, it isn't that I don't crave [00:18:00] that it's really, I just need more hours of the day and I do have a lot of regrets that I haven't been able to be more engaged, you know, initials community and overall.
[00:18:12] Virginia Lette: As your business continues to grow, where do you think you'll go and look for that more support?
[00:18:18] Wendy Lattimore: I do feel like there are times for certain types of mentorship. And so I feel like I need to get some of my housekeeping in order. Before I, I, I, uh, I was, I am definitely booking a call. I'm just not ready for it yet because I'm doing a little bit of housekeeping.
[00:18:36] So it's one thing to hear the advice and know that what you need to do and have that mentorship, but it's another to just, to just get it done. Sometimes it's, it's really, it sounds so simple, like just do this, but when you're, when you're working so hard to just kind of stay afloat, It does become a little hard to just, just do things that might seem simple, but [00:19:00] um, become a struggle sometimes.
[00:19:02] Virginia Lette: It's really refreshing to speak to you about this because certainly there's a feeling that you have to work at pace to keep up with everything that's going on in the toy industry, learning about this, learning about that, keeping those connections. And certainly when you start to deal with manufacturers, they're at you all the time, you know, they want, they want a response from you straight away.
[00:19:25] And one of the things I'm finding really refreshing talking to you about and learning from you is just. That it's okay to just take stock and slow it right down, you know, otherwise it kind of feels like you can trip yourself up if you're going too quickly. Do you feel like that's a lesson to be learned or is that a piece of advice that you would impart to other people embarking on their toy creator's journey?
[00:19:49] Wendy Lattimore: That is a big piece of advice I would love to give because I was trying to keep up. I was trying to do all the things and it was creating such a level of [00:20:00] anxiety in me that I found, I ended up, I was in a place where I wasn't enjoying it. I was like, wow, they're able to do that. And why can't I do that?
[00:20:09] And why isn't this working for me? And gosh, I wish I had more time for that. And it really, I got to a really high, um, level of anxiety. And, and at the end of this year is when I, I just said, you know what? I need to slow myself down. Like it's, there's a big wide world out there. It's never going to be too late for me or anyone really to introduce something to the world.
[00:20:32] Um, there's always going to be room for it and there's always going to be a time for it. And was somebody maybe going to get to a market faster on something similar? Maybe, but that's okay. Um, we all have unique products and a unique story. And so that is where I am now. I'm in a much more peaceful place.
[00:20:51] And I know I will get, um, I will get to where I want to be with my products. I know that. And I'm much more [00:21:00] peaceful now. At a slower pace. My husband's happy about that as well.
[00:21:05] Virginia Lette: I'm sure all of your family and maybe your current employer as well. Any other last bits of advice that you might impart for those wanting to dip a toe into the toy industry or even enroll in Toy Creators Academy?
[00:21:19] Wendy Lattimore: Well, definitely a hundred percent enroll in the Academy. Um, it really is a game changer. It's a time saver. Agela has just the amount of advice that she has to share. And again, the resources and the community, you know, it's a, it's a fast track, like take the best track. And then number two is don't do what I did and try and go too fast.
[00:21:40] And, you know, feel like you have to race around getting something to market. Enjoy the journey and slow down and be very well thought out, plan to make mistakes and, and plan to pivot a lot, but slow and steady is always going to win the race.
[00:21:58] Virginia Lette: I love that. I'm going to [00:22:00] have to put that up on my wall because I'm at module three after six months of being enrolled in TCA.
[00:22:07] So I'm definitely going slow, but I beat myself up about it.
[00:22:10] Wendy Lattimore: Exactly. I think women tend to do that, you know, nothing against men, but I feel like as, you know, women were in a lot of cases, you know, running households and raising kids and, and working or not working, but staying super, you know, we have a lot on our plate.
[00:22:25] So don't put too much pressure on yourself. Been there, done that.
[00:22:29] Virginia Lette: It's been especially special talking to you, Wendy. I felt it's come right at the right time, because even I personally needed to hear a lot of the things that you were saying. So thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. And for those that want to jump on and check out what you do, or maybe even order one of your gorgeous little sunny snails, where can they do that?
[00:22:55] Wendy Lattimore: So I've got two, uh, two products out there now. One of them is Sonny the Mail Snail. He's [00:23:00] a little plush snail that sends a mail every week, and that's at sonnythemailsnail. com. And then you can check out my retail product, um, Mailbox Muts. M U T T S, Mailbox Muts. And that's my cool little Milo is my first plush and um, that is a neat gift item because it actually includes four letters with the gift that you can, you know, give and activate.
[00:23:25] You know, it's perfect for birthdays, of course, and holidays. So yeah, give kids the gift of mail. They love it. They will remember it always.
[00:23:33] Virginia Lette: Who doesn't love getting some mail in their letterbox? Thank you so, so much for your time and I wish you all the very best, Wendy.
[00:23:42] Wendy Lattimore: Thank you, Virginia. You as well. And reach out if you need anything, anytime.
[00:23:46] Virginia Lette: Well, there you have it, Toy People. That was this week's special episode of Making It in the Toy Industry, profiling yet another wonderful success story from the many graduates of the Toy Creators Academy. If you enjoyed [00:24:00] today's episode, you can find more at thetoycoach. com slash podcast. And if you love this podcast and you haven't already left a review, what are you waiting for?
[00:24:10] Your reviews are not only greatly appreciated, but they're a great way for other people to know if this podcast is valuable and also worth listening to. Everyone's favourite toy coach, A'Gelle Wade, will be back here behind the podcast mic next week with another episode of Making It in the Toy Industry.
[00:24:28] But until then, in the words of the great lady herself, see you later toy people.
[00:24:35] Intro: Thanks for listening to the Making It in the Toy Industry podcast with Azhelle Wade. Head over to thetoycoach. com for more information, tips and advice.
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