B2B Breakthrough Podcast
B2B Breakthrough Podcast
Alibaba.com
The Marmals Method: How to Sell Toys, Test Ideas & Thrive on the Convention Circuit
31 minutes Posted Aug 5, 2025 at 9:00 am.
) Welcome and Marmal Origin Story
) Solopreneur Challenges and Manufacturing Relationships
) Trade Shows as Product Development Laboratory
) Dual Market Demographics and Modular Design
) Supply Chain Challenges and Tariff Navigation
) Upcoming Product Launches and Comic-Con Circuit
) Building Community and Future Vision
B2B Breakthrough Podcast
Meet the Toy Maker
Marmal's Magnetic Art Toys: Where Everything Clicks
The Making of 'Magnus'
The Toy Maker's Collaboration With Suppliers
Marmalades: Five Years in the Business
Jeff Lauber on Will Meets Way
Bob Ley on the Toy Trade Show
Have You Received a Feedback Letter From a Customer?
The Toy Line's Marketing
What Do You Need To Know About Prototyping?
How To Market Your Fidget Toy
Challenging the Supply Chain
What does balance look like for a solopreneur?
The 3-D Animation of Kids
Marvel's Chris Jones on Moving Forward
Comic Cons: A Community
Minimals: When Can we Expect to See Them?
B2B Breakthrough: Comic Con 2017
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Show notes
Why do Comic-Con attendees provide better market research than focus groups, and how can trade shows become your product development laboratory?Building a toy business that sparks imagination while navigating supply chain challenges requires persistence, creativity, and direct customer feedback. In this episode of B2B Breakthrough, host Ciara Cristo chats with Jeff Lawber (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefflawber/), the creative force behind Marmals (https://www.marmals.com/), an adorable modular magnetic toy fostering imaginative play. Jeff shares his path from industrial designer to toy entrepreneur, revealing how he's built lasting relationships with over two dozen suppliers through Alibaba.com while maintaining his vision as a solopreneur. Learn how trade shows became his testing ground for innovation, why direct customer feedback drives product development, and how he weathered tariff challenges through creative problem-solving and domestic innovation.
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