Ready for a myth-buster? How about 5?

For today’s episode I’m going to dispel 5 myths you may have about the toy industry and share personal stories, and lessons that you can learn from each of these myths. When I first started my toy career I had a pretty clear idea about what it would be like to work in toys. I thought I knew what I’d be doing every day, who I’d be working with, and what would be driving my design decisions. Over the past decade, as I learned what really goes on behind the toy curtain, I’ve also come to be aware of myths other aspiring toy creators have about this industry.

As a toy inventor or entrepreneur, you know that there are about a hundred decisions you make on any given day. A decision to partner with a specific person or organization, a decision in how you interact with your customers, the factory you choose, the suggested retail price point you set. And at times it can seem overwhelming and challenging to continue to make the right decisions day in and day out.

In this episode, we’ll talk about developing the key to guiding the decision making in your toy business, and that key is your vision statement. We'll go through a few examples of vision statements from both toy companies and non-toy companies and then highlight the 4 big questions you should ask yourself to start defining a vision statement of your very own.

If you’re a fan of the holiday toy sensation Elf on the Shelf, you may already be familiar with today’s guest, Brad Reese, the Director of Product Development at the Lumistella Company. Brad will offer valuable advice on developing a baby product from a marketing perspective, as well as give us three golden rules to follow when designing baby toys

Are you thinking about starting your business in the toy industry but stumped about how to set it up the right way when it comes to taxes? Navigating tax protocols as a new business owner can be confusing and intimidating, but today’s special guest and tax guru Margie Montes will shed valuable light on what you need to know to set yourself up for tax success.

Ever toyed with the idea of creating a children’s book but unsure where to start? Today’s guest, Afro Latina author and illustrator Yesenia Moises, knows exactly what it takes. She’ll offer valuable advice on getting your work in front of the right person when first starting out, finding an agent using a great online resource, and her tried-and-true secret to making your artwork stand out.

This season we’ve all cozied up and scrolled through Netflix trying to find the perfect holiday flick, but there’s one in particular that will resonate well with my fellow toy inventors. The movie is called Jingle Jangle, and it’s a musical adventure about a toymaker’s journey from which we can take away 7 valuable lessons about designing toys!

Have you ever watched a child engage with a push-button toy and couldn’t help but feel something was missing? Today we explore why the toy industry needs more toys designed for free play, experimentation, and discovery. Where do today’s push-button toys and arts-and-craft kits fall short, and how can negotiating for a little more free play in toy design benefit a child’s developing mind? Push play to find out!

How to protect not only your toy ideas but also your toy business? In today's episode the 3 most valuable contracts you need to have in your arsenal as a toy business owner, as well as what you need to look out for when you’re signing any work agreement as an employee.

With the Christmas season fast approaching and COVID-19 numbers rising, today’s episode focuses on what you need to do to adapt your toy business or toy career so that you can attract sales and clients in a seemingly cold virtual climate. This new virtual first world we’re living in, while efficient, lacks human connection and warmth.

Are you curious about how COVID-19 might impact toy sales this Christmas and beyond? Whether you're a corporate toy professional or an independent toy-preneur, this is the episode for you. To kick off today’s conversation, we jump into a year review of the impact that COVID-19, stay at home orders, remote learning, and working all made on the toy industry. The Toy Coach highlights the top growing toy categories and the reason they experienced double-digit growth. Get ready to dive into a really important conversation on what the toy industry needs to do to hold onto the growth gained this year.

Currently, the People of Play Young Inventors Challenge is in full swing. Kids from all over have submitted their toy inventions and game ideas for a chance to be named Young Inventor of The Year. Which makes this week the perfect week to celebrate young inventors. And what better way to do that than to have my first kid inventor on the podcast? I have two guests today, kid inventor Sebastian Flores, and his supportive mompreneur Melanie Flores, the creators of the patented line of greeting cards, OctoGifts. Octo Gifts offers DIY, 3 dimensional, functional greeting cards that dispense candy.

When you are creating your toy, you want to make sure it is safe for everyone and that it follows all regulations. This can be a bit complicated for who's beginning and even for more experienced toy veterans. Bill Baxter will walk us through everything you need to pay attention to when creating your toy.

In today's episode, I will explain everything about THE event that is known for connecting inventors to pitch their toy ideas to large and small toy companies. People of Play, formerly known as CHITAG, is a weeklong toy fair for industry inventors, manufacturers, and it’s open to the public. With 2020 knocking out all hopes for an in-person fair this year, the CHITAG group, put together a massive innovation summit dubbed People of Play week. This event is designed to keep inventors and toy professionals up to date with the latest in the industry via daily virtual conferences, as well as connect them to plan meetings and pitch ideas much like the original in-person show.

Silly Sparkles utilizes interactive balloon play, comedy, and magic to entertain and engage with kids. Regina comes on the show today and shares with us the latest trends she’s noticing with kids since COVID-19, from the kinds of characters they like to a surprising change in their attention span.

In the past few months, the were changes and movement around diversity and inclusion within the toy industry. Organizations started creating safe spaces for black people in toys, webinars focused on diversity were planned, and major mass retailers made a push for more inclusive packaging. So in today’s episode, I pose a few thought provoking questions to help you analyze, how diverse is your toy company?

Festival of Licensing is a virtual event, designed to combine and connect the audience that typically attends three major global licensing events that cover Europe, Asia, and the Americas. This event is an online space where Brand owners, Manufacturers, and Brands can network and build licensing relationships.