Azhelle and I talk about:
- Azhelle’s path to a career in the children’s toy industry.
- The process to walk people through how to change how they’re thinking about things
- Why you need to be creative in solving your customer’s problem
- Why you need to talk about things from your client’s perspective and not your perspective.
My favorite quotes from Azhelle:
- “I teach people how to combine the healthy content you’re absorbing, with the toy that you’re trying to create.”
- “If you have a toy idea and you want to turn it into a toy business, you come to me, I’m your girl.”
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Bio:
A cancer survivor, 3x patented inventor, Women In Toys Wonder Woman award nominee, and 1 of 100 Most Influential in Design in 2020’s Mojo 100 publication. Azhelle has worked in the toy industry for over 10 years with companies like Toys R Us, Horizon Group USA, and now Creative Kids, as the VP of Brand and Product. Azhelle launched The Toy Coach when she noticed that too many inventors attend toy shows or pitch meetings with “half baked” ideas that they’d spent too much money on. Her podcast, Making It in The Toy Industry teaches inventors how to keep their toy and game ideas toyetic, cost-effective, and how to answer buyer needs. When she’s not helping inventors and entrepreneurs break into the toy industry, Azhelle enjoys salsa and bachata dancing, sewing costumes, and exploring New York City with her closest friends.
