Every two weeks, the B2B Breakthrough Podcast brings you the knowledge, insights and strategies that you need to continue to grow your business. By learning from industry experts, successful e-commerce business owners, and the team at Alibaba.com, you’ll be well on your way to your next big business breakthrough.
If you’re facing challenges on your path to success as a small business owner, we’re here to give you the tools you need to break through and reach the next level.
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Every two weeks, the B2B Breakthrough Podcast brings you the knowledge, insights and strategies that you need to continue to grow your business. By learning from industry experts, successful e-commerce business owners, and the team at Alibaba.com, you’ll be well on your way to your next big business breakthrough.
If you’re facing challenges on your path to success as a small business owner, we’re here to give you the tools you need to break through and reach the next level.
The Marmals Method: How to Sell Toys, Test Ideas & Thrive on the Convention Circuit
B2B Breakthrough Podcast
31 minutes 14 seconds
3 months ago
The Marmals Method: How to Sell Toys, Test Ideas & Thrive on the Convention Circuit
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.
Tune in to learn:
(00:00) Welcome and Marmal Origin Story
(08:00) Solopreneur Challenges and Manufacturing Relationships
(14:06) Trade Shows as Product Development Laboratory
(20:22) Dual Market Demographics and Modular Design
(22:09) Supply Chain Challenges and Tariff Navigation
(26:42) Upcoming Product Launches and Comic-Con Circuit
(30:35) Building Community and Future Vision
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
Scaling a Purpose-Driven Brand: Inside HoneyBug's Growth Journey(https://b2b-breakthrough-podcast.castos.com/episodes/scaling-a-purpose-driven-brand-inside-honeybugs-growth-journey)
How Mid-Day Squares Disrupted Snacking Through Storytelling (https://b2b-breakthrough-podcast.castos.com/episodes/not-final-audio-how-mid-day-squares-disrupted-snacking-through-storytelling)
Disrupt or Be Disrupted: Future-proofing your Supply Chain with Kerim Kfuri(https://b2b-breakthrough-podcast.castos.com/episodes/disrupt-or-be-disrupted-future-proofing-your-supply-chain)
B2B Breakthrough Podcast
Every two weeks, the B2B Breakthrough Podcast brings you the knowledge, insights and strategies that you need to continue to grow your business. By learning from industry experts, successful e-commerce business owners, and the team at Alibaba.com, you’ll be well on your way to your next big business breakthrough.
If you’re facing challenges on your path to success as a small business owner, we’re here to give you the tools you need to break through and reach the next level.
