It’s important to stay relevant and change with the times as a toy person and the latest skill you’ll need to add to your repertoire is a doozy. What skill is that? Well, it’s video editing. But don’t stress out too much, video editing is much simpler today. There are apps that have simplified the process to it’s almost as simple as drag and drop! In today’s podcast episode we’re going to go over 7 tips that will help you improve your next virtual toy pitch.

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.

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.

Coming up with toy ideas is fun, and over time it gets easier and easier. And vetting ideas that you’ve come up with is the trickiest step of all, because of our own ego. Ego can get in the way of you recognizing if your latest toy or game idea is really GREAT or just OK. So, in today’s episode The Toy Coach breaks down 3 methods and exercises that you can utilize to vet your latest Amazing toy idea.

For today’s episode The Toy Coach engages in a hard and honest conversation with Jacqueline Vong a 20 year toy expert and founder of Playology where she works as a consultant in concept development, distribution and franchise management. Jacqueline comes on the show today to share her personal experiences being a Can-Asian woman and walks alongside me as we uncover and unpack the differences between positive and offensive representation in media and toys.

What does it take to create a hit kids’ TV show? Well in today’s episode, Farnaz Esnaashari, Creator of the hit kids’ tv show Shimmer and Shine joins us to answer that question and so many more. Farnaz shares her journey in the world of production and media, starting from her first internship and taking us to her first few pitches. This episode is for you if you’re a budding toy entrepreneur with a new show idea, OR you’re an established toy company seeking to make your existing IP more toyetic. Get ready to gain a fresh perspective on how to approach and connect the development of your IP and your future toy line.

Amazon Live is Amazon’s lives streaming platform that allows Amazon sellers, vendors, and Amazon influencers to sell their products live in a QVC-style experience. In this episode, I’ll walk you through the steps to start going live with your Amazon product on this new platform. Plus you’ll find out how you can work with The Toy Coach and Amazon influencer, Albert Lawrence to get your product featured on a his new show, Night Light with Albert Lawrence.

The Toy Development process can seem big, scary, and overwhelming if you’ve never taken it on before, but today’s episode is going to eliminate any uncertainties you may have about what that process looks like. Learn the 5 key steps of the toy development process, and which of those steps you should invest the most of your time and resources on.

If you’re new to the toy space, you’ve chosen the perfect episode to get started with. Let’s dive into learning the best next steps to making our toy ideas into toy products.

This episode is packed with valuable, actionable advice featuring Marie Nastasi’s 5 Keys to a Successful Buyer Presentation. She brings a wealth of experience to you from her roles as both a buyer and a manufacturers’ representative.

Are you ready to pitch your product to retail buyers? Listen in now!

The Toy Coach presents a mini-series: Getting To Know Black Women In Toys and Entertainment. In this mini-series, The Toy Coach asks four interviewees the same 10 questions, in an effort to celebrate their career achievements in toys and entertainment, connect on a personal level, reminisce about toys from their childhood, and share their valuable life lessons.

The Toy Coach presents a mini-series: Getting To Know Black Women In Toys and Entertainment. In this mini-series, The Toy Coach asks four interviewees the same 10 questions, in an effort to celebrate their career achievements in toys and entertainment, connect on a personal level, reminisce about toys from their childhood, and share their valuable life lessons

In celebration of Black History Month, The Toy Coach presents a mini-series: Getting To Know Black Women In Toys and Entertainment. In this mini-series, The Toy Coach asks four interviewees the same 10 questions, in an effort to celebrate their career achievements in toys and entertainment, connect on a personal level, reminisce about toys from their childhood, and share their valuable life lessons.

In celebration of Black History Month, The Toy Coach presents a mini-series: Getting To Know Black Women In Toys and Entertainment. In this mini-series, The Toy Coach asks four interviewees the same 10 questions, in an effort to celebrate their career achievements in toys and entertainment, connect on a personal level, reminisce about toys from their childhood, and share their valuable life lessons.

Content is King. How many times have you heard that statement? And how many times did you take that statement seriously? Today’s podcast episode is focused on teaching you strategies and tactics to build your brand identity as a toy creator. In today’s world, a big part of building that identity is going to be the content you create. So that’s why I reached out to Albert Lawrence, an experienced show host who has interviewed Oprah, Dolly Parton, and Kermit The Frog throughout his media career.

Have you ever thought about inventing or designing a game? There are two markets you can create games for. The mass market and the hobby market. Eric shares with us the process he uses to develop his game concepts, and this process is proven and works!

In today’s podcast episode, we talk about the grind of obtaining funding for your toy business. My guest is Terri Nichelle Bradley, the founder, and CEO of Brown Toy Box. Terri’s toy company, Brown Toy Box, makes STEAM culturally representative, accessible, and fun. She drops in to share her toy business journey. From failures to successes and everything in between, Terri shares tips and advice based on her personal experience.