Travis Makes Money 633: Azhelle Wade | How to Make It in the Toy Industry
You may have a great idea that has the potential to be the next big thing. So how do you get a foot in the door? Azhelle Wade is THE toy coach. For Azhelle toys and teaching go hand in hand and her passion has led her to work at companies like Toys R Us, Madame Alexander, Party City, Horizon Group USA, and Creative Kids.
Azhelle has also been named on 3 US patents, won multiple toy awards, and has a history of building up multi-million dollar brands. She gives back now by helping others make it in the industry by inspiring their brand-building through her podcast The Toy Coach and her online course.
Dive into this episode and you’ll learn how to make it in the toy industry and many others!
Things you will learn in this episode:
[00:01 - 05:49] Opening Segment
- I introduce today’s guest, Azhelle Wade
- Bio
- If anything in this episode impacts, take a screenshot and tag us
- Azhelle gives us a bit of her background
- Wanted her own business since middle school
- A love for teaching kids and design
- Getting into toy design
[05:50 - 14:50] How to Make It in the Toy Industry
- From college right into the field
- Being specific about your placement and program
- Evolving focuses and responsibilities in the toy industry
- Figuring out how to take shares from competitors through innovation
- Determining the value of an idea before it hits
- Online databases and analytics as an available resource
- Keep your ears on the ground on social media
- How social media has impacted the toy world
- Giving the control to the kids
- Faster reaction speeds
- Where to go to get your ideas off the ground
- Listen in to The Toy Coach Podcast for more info
- A word from our Sponsor
[14:51 - 20:18] Get a Foot in the Door Through Relationships
- How the virtual space has forced its way into the toy industry
- The rising expenditure on toys
- Companies already in e-commerce exploded
- Changes in operations
- The role relationships play in this business
- Placement based on who you know
- How to break through with your idea
- What investors are looking for
[20:19 - 34:01] Closing Segment
- Who you know, or what you know?
- What you know started the success
- Opening the doors to the ‘who’
- When a connection led to success
- Finding support in podcasting
- Getting on NBC’s Access Daily through a post
- The importance of masterminds and mentorship
- Mentorship through leaders and peers
- Building the course
- ThE RaNdOm RoUnD
- How to engage with Azhelle
- Links below
- Final words
Tweetable Quotes:
“Relationships are everything… For a lot of people, building their toy businesses, getting placement, has a lot to do with who you know and who you can get a meeting with.” - Azhelle Wade
Resources Mentioned:
Connect and engage with Azhelle on LinkedIn and Instagram. Be sure to check out https://www.azhellewade.com/ to learn more about modern marketing strategies.
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