Have you ever dreamed of creating your own neighborhood toy store? Even if that’s not your toy industry dream, today’s episode is full of valuable tips for any toy industry entrepreneur. Today’s guest started a toy store in her local community with her dad, and turned into a successful family business over the eight years it has been open. Listen to the episode to find out about the differences between starting a digital business and a brick-and-mortar business and how a business plan can give you a solid framework for success.

Today’s guest, Theresa Duncan, started her career in non-profit work, developing programs for at-risk youth. Now, she is the owner of Villa Villekulla Toys in Amelia Island, Florida. In today’s episode, she tells how she got the idea to quit her job and start a neighborhood toy store in the first place, how focusing on the community can help you to market your small business, and valuable tips for getting your toy into a neighborhood toy store. Listen to the full episode for these essential pieces of toy industry information and more!


EPISODE CLIFF NOTES

• Learn how Theresa’s work with kids inspired her toy store idea. [00:01:45]
• Find out how having a business plan helped Theresa and her father start their toy store. [00:08:46]
• Learn about the startup differences between digital and brick-and-mortar toy stores. [00:09:54]
• Learn about the five stages of entrepreneurship and how they relate to your business. [00:13:32]
• Ever heard of Neighborhood Toy Store Month? It’s something you need to learn about even if you don’t own a toy store! [00:21:34]
• Find out the benefits of shopping locally. [00:22:37]
• Explore clever ways to market your toy or game products to independent toy stores. [00:32:31]
• We even dive into tips on Google Ads! Find out how to save money on Google Ads with the negative keywords list. [00:33:35]
• Learn why Theresa got comfortable being the face of her store and how it helped her business. [00:39:19]
• Find out the “secret sauce” of Theresa’s toy store. [00:40:40]

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/160

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