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Q&A

Becky Starling of Horsing Around Toys

Horsing Around Toys
is a neighborhood toy store catering to
children from birth to age 12, with family games and high quality toys that educate and exercise children’s minds. Their toys
spark imagination and growth. It offer exceptional customer service and quality products.
What led you to start
your business?
My partner (who’s also my daughter) and I started Horsing Around Toys after becoming frustrated with chain and big box stores. All they offer is the same low quality, mass produced toys that have very limited benefits to help children exercise their minds. We have a combined 35 years experience in the retail toy industry and like being able to offer high quality toys along with one on one service to our customers.
Tell me something about your business that people might not know.
We have layaway. That’s a service that has pretty much gone away. With today’s economy, I think layaway is a convenient way for parents to budget for birthdays and holidays.
What are the biggest challenges
you’ve had to overcome as a business
owner?
The economy has been our biggest challenge. We’ve had to change the way we look at the day to day operations of our business and how we manage our cash flow.
What drives your passion in this business?
The look on a child’s face. The important thing to remember is when children play they learn. So by giving a child a high quality toy, they learn to build something, create something, learn something.
What advice would you give somebody
starting their own business?
Two things: location and advertising. Location: Do your homework; ask questions of the other
merchants. Contact the leasing agent and get the traffic reports. Remember its LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Advertising: You MUST advertise. Make sure you target your demographic and be consistent. If you stop advertising, your customers forget you’re in business.
Stuart’s Tip:
Becky is right on with her advice on advertising (marketing). The old axiom is, “You can’t sell a secret.” As a business owner, you need to get the word out, promote your business, and track your results. A fine-tuned marketing plan is the
driver of new business, growth, and success.

Horsing Around Toys is a neighborhood toy store catering to children from birth to age 12, with family games and high quality toys that educate and exercise children’s minds. Their toys spark imagination and growth. It offer exceptional customer service and quality products.

What led you to start your business?

My partner (who’s also my daughter) and I started Horsing Around Toys after becoming frustrated with chain and big box stores. All they offer is the same low quality, mass produced toys that have very limited benefits to help children exercise their minds. We have a combined 35 years experience in the retail toy industry and like being able to offer high quality toys along with one on one service to our customers.

Tell me something about your business that people might not know.

We have layaway. That’s a service that has pretty much gone away. With today’s economy, I think layaway is a convenient way for parents to budget for birthdays and holidays.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome as a business owner?

The economy has been our biggest challenge. We’ve had to change the way we look at the day to day operations of our business and how we manage our cash flow.

What drives your passion in this business?

The look on a child’s face. The important thing to remember is when children play they learn. So by giving a child a high quality toy, they learn to build something, create something, learn something.

What advice would you give somebody starting their own business?

Two things: location and advertising. Location: Do your homework; ask questions of the other merchants. Contact the leasing agent and get the traffic reports. Remember its LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Advertising: You MUST advertise. Make sure you target your demographic and be consistent. If you stop advertising, your customers forget you’re in business.

Stuart’s Tip:

Becky is right on with her advice on advertising (marketing). The old axiom is, “You can’t sell a secret.” As a business owner, you need to get the word out, promote your business, and track your results. A fine-tuned marketing plan is the driver of new business, growth, and success.

E-mail: info@horsingaroundtoys.com

WEBSITE: www.horsingaroundtoys.com

ADDRESS: 1022 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler, AZ 85225

PHONE: (480)917-3074

written by By Stuart Preston, MyBusiness Advisors

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 20th, 2009 at 1:49 pm and is filed under Q & A. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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