Episode #69: Why I Left My Corporate Toy Job To Become The Toy Coach
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If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about The Toy Coach, and why Azhelle built this podcast then this episode is for you. Today Azhelle shares her story from corporate dream job, to entrepreneurial dream life, with advice on how you can do the same. It all comes down to figuring out the “Puzzle of You” which Azhelle explains with great detail in today’s episode.
Get ready to also celebrate Toy Creators Academy Alumni and podcast listeners who have pushed their toy businesses forward with the help of the lessons Azhelle happily gives. If you are an avid listener of the podcast and you have a Toy or Game currently for sale, there is a special announcement for you at the end of this episode. Grab your earbuds and listen in!
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Azhelle W: [00:00:00] You are listening to making it in the toy industry episode number 69.
Jingle Intro : [00:00:06] Welcome to making it in the toy industry podcast for inventors and entrepreneurs like you, and now your host, Azhelle Wade.
Azhelle W: [00:00:17] Hey there toy people, Azhelle Wade here and welcome back to another episode of the toy coach podcast, making it in the toy industry.
[00:00:26] This is a weekly podcast, brought to you by thetoycoach.com Now today's episode, I have outlined and written and gone back and forth with so many times. And I have to tell you, I wasn't even sure which direction I really wanted to go in. When I started recording. If you don't already know me, I am a black woman born from black parents with black siblings.
[00:00:49] And my immediate family is mix of dark and light and medium skin tones. So needless to say, I have been overwhelmed with the video. That are coming out, showing police brutality to black men. And the latest one I saw of Lieutenant Nazario for me was really my last straw. I worked out a great episode and then just before bed McCaya Bryant happened and, you know, I.
[00:01:20] I'm very torn at what to do, but I am going to push forward with an episode today, sharing why I became a toy coach, because for me, I think this is a very important conversation to have just a message that I want to honestly. Workout with myself. But I also do know from speaking to many of my listeners, who've wanted to work with me or become students of toy creators academy that you do want to learn more about me and my journey, why I became a toy coach.
[00:01:56] So for today's episode, I am going to talk about why I decided to become the toy coach. I'm going to highlight a few of my incredible students. We'll get into why I created this podcast. And why I made the decision to step back from my super high achieving corporate job to do the work that I'm doing today.
[00:02:17] And for my fellow entrepreneurs out there. I hope that this episode is an inspiration to you. If you are looking to do this. Now my story begins at an event called the taggies. I was at that event to celebrate my boyfriend, Christian Castro. You may know him from the supporting your significant other episode of this podcast.
[00:02:41] Episode number 37. If you want to check that out, I was supporting him at this industry event called the taggies and I met a woman and she had this fantastic idea. For a game that she really, really believed in. And she was showing me videos of her family playing the game, and she was looking for advice and guidance.
[00:03:00] And I, at the time was in a position at the company I worked for to be able to bring that game to my boss and say, Hey, this is something great. We should look at this, but she wasn't quite ready. And she didn't know what exactly I would need in order to do that. So I did want to help her and I was hoping I'd be able to help her, but, you know, my job, my career was got in the way and that's all I could do at the time.
[00:03:26]So I, you know, I felt a little bit, I don't know, it really sat with me for, for a long time thinking about this woman and what she needed help with and me not being able to give that help. So I thought, you know, there has to be some sort of, of resource. That could help guide people like her that want to.
[00:03:48] That don't even really know what they want to do. Right. But they have an idea and they're not sure what to do with it. So I built this podcast and it was really just kind of a compendium of information that could, you know, could be found other places, but could not be found from my perspective. And I, and I.
[00:04:09] Focused on my personal perspective of how I see and interpret things going on in the toy industry. Okay. So let's talk about making that leap. I know my entrepreneurs out there are thinking, wow, how'd you make that leap from corporate to working for yourself. And it, you know, it was huge. And, and it took a lot of courage and a lot of the right timing, but.
[00:04:33] The biggest shift that happened for me, that was guaranteeing that that move was going to happen was a realization I actually had during the early, early months of quarantine. And I realized in the, in these early months that how much time and how much. My best self was actually going to building one thing for one person or a group of people that weren't.
[00:05:05] And it wasn't so much about the time in my career because I, for years, I wanted to build my career year over year, working for a specific company and building great things for them. But the, the quarantine really had me realize how many hours of the day you have to give to build that career. And it didn't sit well with me, the idea that, okay.
[00:05:34] I'm giving so many hours of my day and taking so much away from my family, from my boyfriend, from my friends, from my family. I, I was seeing into the future of, of potentially having a family of my own and saying, you know, I don't think that this is the lifestyle that I really want to live while having that family.
[00:05:57] And for the longest time before the pandemic, I did not see that as an issue because it was what everybody did. Right. Everybody works nine to five. Everybody hires help to take care of their kids that switched. But the pandemic showed me that it didn't necessarily have to be what we did because everybody worked from home and I started to get glimpses into a better life, a life that made me feel more at peace and allowed me to enjoy my home and enjoy my partner.
[00:06:26] And I wanted that life. I did not want that life to end, so I decided to jump. To being an entrepreneur. I had no real plan. I knew I could do freelance and that's where I could make my money. So that was the initial goal. But my podcast was always something that I committed to was something that I felt responsible for.
[00:06:50]For lack of a better word. You see that every week I put out an episode come rain or shine, or as they say, come hell or high water, honestly, I don't know where that saying comes from. I put out a podcast episode every week, because this is really important to me. I love education. And I love teaching in this way and I love working in this medium.
[00:07:07] So I invested in the podcast and put my resources into building it and, and, and the cost of it. And then I just, you know, work wherever I could freelance on the side to try to make up the income for it. So as I develop. The toy coach and, and the podcast and the freelance gigs, I learned to embrace the toy coach as more than just a name I gave myself.
[00:07:35] So people would remember me, right. It's more than just a brand, but it's a mission. And as I worked on giving grants for my business and other things like that, I had. Explain who the toy coach was for. And it's for any one who feels like they're trying to break into an industry that is not quite made for them.
[00:08:01] And that industry being kids, product and toys, anyone that has an idea that they feel is just a little bit, not quite of a fit in the norm and they need someone to help them. Figure out the strategy and the path to, to bringing it into this space, to making it seen by the right people and bought by their ideal target market.
[00:08:24] Right. And I created on the back of that mission toy creators academy, which allows me to help so many more people all at once and still get a really high a one-to-one touch with these people. What I've learned in the process of creating this brand? The toy coach is really what I work so hard every single day to teach the toy creators that listen to this podcast and the ones that become my students.
[00:08:58] And if you're feeling lost or stuck in your job or your toy business, or you're feeling bored with your toy hobby, I just really believe that you haven't quite pieced together what I'm going to call the puzzle of you just yet, because puzzles are big and a puzzle metaphor is just very fitting, right? So this puzzle of you, when you identify the things that really lights you up and you figure out how they all fit together, how to combine them in such a way to fuel this bigger vision for your life, you will be.
[00:09:35] Unstoppable, you will unlock new ways to monetize those toy ideas. You'll realize ways to reach your ideal target market. That may be aren't the norm things that no one else can see because they aren't you and they don't have your mission and they don't have your experience. They don't have your viewpoint.
[00:09:57] So if you're thinking today, oh, Ezell. I just have an idea for one toy and that's all I want to do. I don't need to come up with a mission. I'm telling you, I'm telling you that one day very soon, that one idea isn't going to be enough. The road in the toy industry is long and you were going to need a whole lot more than one idea to take you through that, right?
[00:10:24] So I want to encourage you to try and figure out what that puzzle of you is. So let's dive into what that means. What does a puzzle of you mean? Why does it matter? So the puzzle of you, it's a puzzle comprised of all of the things that you're passionate about, right? And this puzzle is built on the driving force of your life, your fundamental life.
[00:10:52] And for me, that fundamental goal became in this quarantine, it became, oh, you know, I want a different lifestyle because I want to have a family one day and I want to spend more time with them. Let me see if I can make that happen. So that fundamental life goal. Imagine it as the foundation or the table that you're building this puzzle.
[00:11:14] And your puzzle pieces. Now these are the things, the things that you could stay up all night talking about because you were just so into them, or they're the things that you'd happily do for free because you just love doing them. Now. I discovered my base when a global pandemic rolled in and showed me how much I really valued the freedom to plan my future.
[00:11:40] And. You know, I know what you're thinking. Freedom to, you know, work whenever you want is really the entrepreneur's dream or travel whenever you want. And while yes, there is some of that at the end of the day, even as an entrepreneur, most of the world works from nine to five. For the most part, you've got to function at a high level during those times as well.
[00:12:02] But for me, the true freedom was, was the freedom to grow, to spread my wings, to wear all of the hats, to take on all of the challenges, to deal with all of the failures. Yeah. But also to reap all of the rewards. And on top of all of that, the freedom to plan my time to control my time, to have more time for my family, more time for my friends.
[00:12:31] And on that base, that table of freedom is where I started. Placing my puzzle pieces. It started with my passion for being an educator and a mentor because those conversations in my nine to five were always the ones that really lit me up and energize me. I loved working with my team and mentoring them and teaching them.
[00:12:54] Like, I love that part of the job. And the next puzzle piece for me was my love for working with kids. If you've heard me speak anywhere, I'd probably have said that I always wanted to work with kids in some way before my toy career. I'd thought of being a psychologist, a teacher at even one point a children's museum exhibition designer.
[00:13:16] So I've known for a better part of my life that whatever I did, I'd stay working on consumer products for kids or in kids' education or something having to do in that world. So the next piece of my puzzle. My obsession and interest in online marketing. And that really gave me a foundation of knowledge, a way to get my ideas out there that I really enjoyed learning about.
[00:13:49] And last but not least. My final puzzle was just the love for the toy industry, for learning the history of it, for connecting with the people in it, for understanding how everything works and figuring out how things could work better and all of those puzzle pieces, all of those things once arranged just the right way on my foundation really helped me clarify.
[00:14:12] My potential role and place and messaging as the toy coach. And you can do the same thing with your toy. And now the beautiful thing about figuring out the puzzle of you is that all of those pieces work together. They all help strengthen the position of the other and their position on your base. So I say all of this to say, if you have a toy idea right now, I really want you to look beyond just that idea and see how it connects to all the puzzle pieces of who you are.
[00:14:53] Once you make them connect, it is going to strengthen your identity as a Twain Venter, or a toy entrepreneur. And today strong identities with really clear points of view are what consumers are connecting with and how they are deciding who to give their time and ultimately their money to. And I also want to say that.
[00:15:18] When you're trying to figure out what your puzzle pieces are. Just keep in mind that these are the things that you're passionate about and, and enjoy doing. And growing in. You do not have to be an expert in every single piece of your puzzle just yet, but by identifying that these are really important pieces that make up the puzzle of you.
[00:15:39] You now know, this is what I need to dive into more. This is where I need to spend, you know, a day or two of my week, filling myself up with more information so that I can be a better educator in my exam. Your puzzle pieces should essentially become what people think of when they think of you. And if you can make that happen, you're building a really strong brand identity for your product that will stay with people much longer than any ad that you run or any social media posts that you create, or any email that you send out.
[00:16:20] You're really creating something. Has staying power by doing this. Okay. Next I want to move on and talk about some of my fantastic students of toy creators academy. Now I have to say in my short time, as the toy coach, I have been really lucky to affect dozens of toy people with this podcast, with my course as well.
[00:16:47] Consultation calls. And while a step publishing a business takes time, the students and alumni of toy creator's academy have already. Some really incredible progress with their products. And I am so proud to be a part of this journey with them. Now, all of these students are at different levels in their toy journeys.
[00:17:13] Some are. Currently working on their pre-production samples with manufacturers for the first time ever. And at the same time, becoming a mom for the first time ever. And that is a call out to you. Pearly one of my awesome students of the course. Others are actually getting their toys into small and large retailers like target and others are realizing their dream of being full-time Twain, Venters, and now regularly and confidently pitching their products to top toy company.
[00:17:57] Some like Chrissy F have even realized their dream of becoming full-time toy inventors and are actively and consistently developing and pitching idea after idea to major toy companies while others who thought that they were inventors. When they started the course discovered that they really wanted to go the route of being a toy entrepreneur and, you know, Couldn't be prouder.
[00:18:27] I've got students like Julie D who are creating incredible educational tools to help children understand their feelings, which at a time like this is such an important product to be available on the market. And I'm happy to say that even this podcast has success stories of its own with listeners like high-end and Jeff landing on toy industry magazines and growing their businesses through advice gleaned on the podcast.
[00:19:03] So it makes my heart extremely full to know that this podcast, the course, my work as the toy coach. Influencing and, and pushing forward the diverse ideas that I'd always intended my work to help push forward. So I want to tell you about something I decided to do and seeing all of this awesome success.
[00:19:28] I, I just thought, you know what we need, we need to highlight this. We need to document this. This is some great stuff. So what we're going to be doing is releasing an Instagram live show. Featuring listeners of this podcast. So if you're a listener of this podcast and you have a toy product that is for sale, I want you to reach out to me, share with me what it is, and maybe we'll have you on the IgG live show.
[00:19:54] It's going to be. Fun and opportunity for me to connect with the listeners of the show, but more importantly, give those listeners a bigger platform and opportunity to show and share their products with the world. And I could not be more excited to be the person to be able to do that for them. Now I have to say toy people.
[00:20:16] This episode was a super hard one for me to get out. I'm actually recording this. On the Wednesday on which it will release, because like I said, with everything going on in the U S I went back and forth with many different episodes and did not know which, or what I would, err, nothing quite felt. Right.
[00:20:38] But I do have to say getting. And of what I wanted to share with you today, this feels right. It helped uplift my spirits. So if you two are struggling with things going on in the U S or if you're in another country, or if you're just struggling with your own thing, I hope that this episode uplifted and inspired you and made you excited about working in the wonderful world of toy.
[00:21:05] Now I have been getting a lot of emails, notifying me of podcast review. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And today's listener. Spotlight comes from toy maker, 16. I picked this one because I just love your username. Toymaker 16 says the best podcast ever Zelle is really making a difference in the toy industry with this podcast, not only is a gel quite knowledgeable about this industry.
[00:21:33] She is such a pleasant and wonderful vibe. She's not just taking up space with this podcast. It's the real deal. Thank you so much for that awesome review. Toymaker 16. I really appreciate it. Who ever you are. And if you also love this podcast and you haven't left a review, what are you waiting for? Head over to apple podcast, scroll down to see ratings and reviews, and then write me a lovely review.
[00:22:00] I get notified on my phone every time a new review comes in and they honestly put a huge smile on my face. When I see. If you haven't already joined the, making it in the toy industry, Facebook community, I would like to invite you to do so. Right now, the links and opportunities I share in this Facebook group have resulted in a few fellow toy creators, hitting major milestones in their toy business.
[00:22:26] So if you're ready to connect with like-minded toy people, this is the group for you. Search the podcast name, or just tap the link in the description. As always, thank you so much for spending the time with me today. I know there are a ton of podcasts out there, so it means the world to me that you tune into this one until next week.
[00:22:46] I'll see you later toy people.
[00:22:49] Jingle Intro : [00:22:49] Thanks for listening to making it in the toy industry podcast with Azhelle Wade and over to thetoycoach.com for more information, tips and advice.
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🎓Learn more about how you can develop and pitch your toy idea with Toy Creators Academy® by clicking here to visit toycreatorsacademy.com and join the waitlist.