Bret: to me buying toys was always like feeding my kids, you know, a good diet of food, right? I always like always made those comparisons because you always wanted to feed them the best things, right? And I always wanted them to have broccoli and greens and you know, they didn't always want that, right? Like you know, so so sometimes buying Pokemon cards and and you know what squishies right now is the big trend. And that's okay, right? Like it's it's fine to participate in these things, you know. But you know, have a balanced diet. Buy other things, you know, try other things. Have your kid, you know, play with squishies and play with building toys and read books and you know, I I think that having candy and broccoli in the same meal is okay, right?
Jasmine: Jasmine and I am joined today by my friend and colleague Bret Faber. Hello, Bret. Hi, welcome to the show. I'm so glad you're here. and I don't want to butcher your title. You are vice president of sales for Plus- Plus- USA. Is that accurate?
Bret: think that's accurate. I've had a few names over the years, some we don't need to repeat. But it's yes. Sales has always been my world, so I think we'll roll with that for now. So
Jasmine: All right, Vice President of Sales of Plus- Plus- USA. And you are also a dad, right?
Bret: I am. Yep. Two kids.
Jasmine: Two kids, are they grown?
Bret: They are. So I have one in college, attending Miami University, which was my alumater. Woohoo, you know, so and then I got a son who's a senior in high school. So, you know, as we celebrate ten years of plus- plus, I have ten years of history with my children looking back on it. So yeah, it's been pretty good.
Jasmine: wow.
Bret: So
Jasmine: That's a terrific segue to my very first question. How did you get started with plus- plus and the toy industry? So you've been doing this for like ten years. How would how did you get into this? Did it fall into your lap or was this a a path you chose?
Bret: Yeah, it's kind of a fun journey. I mean, you know, we've been doing plus plus ten years now. So, you know, that that road has its own story. But I've been doing the toy business for wow, almost thirty five, almost forty years now. So a long time, unfortunately, but or fortunately. So a long time. You know, my first job in the toy industry was I got assigned Right out of college, I went to work for JCPenney and I got I was in their buying program and I trained in the men's department, which was something that was very familiar to me as a guy. But when I got my first official assignment, I got assigned to kids. Yikes. I was terrified. I was, you know, all but 20 years old, 22 maybe, I don't know, and kids was a complete foreign entity. But the one category that really wasn't that far removed from my world was buying toys. So working with the toy reps and meeting the toy people. were coming to work with us. That was right, you know, understanding toys was a little easier than premi sizes and clothing and things like that. So yeah so I enjoyed the buying the toys but I quickly came to realize that a lot of the reps I met with were not very good and not very prepared and I was probably on the wrong side of this desk. So I went to work for another toy company called Applause and was with them for a good part of my career. I you know did sales in Ohio and then I was a sales manager in New England. And then I ended up moving to their corporate offices in California, where I lived, and met my wife and decided to start a family. Then we moved back to Ohio and I went to work for a company called Wild Republic, which is another toy company in our industry. You might recognize them. They do a lot of this snakes and birds and wild animals, things you see at the zoos and stuff like that. So they're headquartered here in Ohio. And so I worked for them for a number of years. And then I Saw or I met Ryan and who was also a buyer at the time, I think, in the toy industry. And we connected and started a company together. So there's a lot of story in there too, but you know, in the interest of time, we'll just kind of move to the chase. So that's what led us to Plus- Plus-, and that's where we are today.
Jasmine: Gotcha. Wow, that's super cool. so did having kids and working in toys change the way you looked at selling toys?
Bret: that's a good that's a really interesting question. I'm sure it did, for sure. I mean, and certainly some of my memories from the industry in when I had kids was just testing products. You know, when Ryan and I started the company, I don't know if you know this backstory, but you know, we started the company as a company called Geared for Imagination. It predated Plus- Plus-. And we distributed a whole bunch of different toy lines from Europe, including what became Plus- Plus-. So Plus- Plus- lived alongside some soft good lines that we sold and some other hard good lines. So we had probably about Six to eight different companies we represented and sold. So as we were looking to add things to our portfolio of things we would distribute, we would, you know, bring some samples in. Ryan would, you know, order up some samples, we'd get them. And one of the ways we tested early on was through our children. You know, hey kids, what do you think of this? And if they liked it, you know, we might consider selling it and distributing it. If they didn't, it quickly got, you know, didn't make the cut, and we moved on to the next thing. And you know, that was one of the things about Plus- plus, I think that sort of became the aha moment is just how both of our kids reacted to it when they were very young. Ryan I both had the benefit of having very young children at the time we were first meeting Plus- Plus- and and partnering with them. And I think it was just, you know, immediate like, wow, this is different than everything else that we've dealt with. This stands a little above the rest of it. And so we both kind of quickly focused on that, I think.
Jasmine: Using your kids is the ultimate focus group. I love it.
Bret: Well they're so honest at least, right? If they hate something, they're like they I don't get this and five seconds later they walk away. That that's pretty telling, right? But if they stick with it, you know, maybe there's something there.
Jasmine: Yeah, no, for sure, for sure. So you're you're mainly the person who talks to retailers or buyers who you're trying to get them to buy plus plus, right? so what do you think parents get wrong about how toys end up on the store shelves? That's a thinker, isn't it?
Bret: That is, yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I mean it used to, you know, before we were in this industry, I think they used to just think it was magic or that, you know, that buyers just, you know, holistically tried to pick the most, you know, amazing toys and put them on the shelf, you know, and there's a lot that goes on behind the scene to sort of cut through the noise of getting the items on the shelf, you know, and I think things are really changing today, right? You know, having your own store, your own brand presence, your online store where you can communicate to people directly is you know a relatively new thing as I mentioned I you know been in this industry a long time and so you know 30 years ago there was no online portal that you could look up the brand and what they stood for and all the items they sold. So the only way you could buy a toy was to go to a retail store. And you know a lot of the big box stores and and this was true 30 years ago as it is today just kind of carried the same things from the popular companies. So you know specialty toy stores were really an outlet to try To find the things that were very different, and I think buyers very much looked for things that nobody else carried so that they could offer unique, you know, assortment and get to market. So I think that's true today. You know, I think people that shop specialty are looking for things different than they would find in your typical Target or Walmart or things of that nature. But you know, regardless, I think there's a lot of discussions about you know how you get the thing on the shelf, and certainly the bigger they are, the more they need you do do for them to sort of get to that point. is something probably most people don't don't realize. So
Jasmine: Yeah, so you're when you were talking about specialty toy stores, you used past tense. Do you think that that shift is different? Do you still think specialty toy stores are the place to go for something unique? Or is that culture sort of sort of different now?
Bret: Yeah, I mean I you know, I still think specialty toy stores are amazing places that carry great products and probably like any store there's great ones and then there's ones that are not so good, you know, and everything in between. And I think, you know, by definition they they should be a place you go to have unique experiences and I think most of them, you know, attempt to do that. But because, you know, the marketing and the awareness for toys is coming from directly from the companies themselves now more than ever. and that you know consumers are discovering things on their own They're being driven a little bit by, you know, what's going on in social media and the trends, and the stores are trying to replicate that. And that's what's odd now, is the big box stores are trying to look to specialty and jump on what they're doing well with, especially is trying to stay ahead of that curve or or be the first to market with things before the big stores get it. So there's definitely a lot of line crossing and and attempts to sort of lead the charge and in having the best toy assortment, I think.
Jasmine: Yeah, that's there's just so many facets to the whole like distribution process from you know, as a manufacturer or a distributor, and getting it into into choice stores. That's that's a lot. A lot to a lot to digest in a few minutes in a podcast.
Bret: Yeah, you know, I think most people and most moms, if that's who we're talking to in this podcast, probably just buy their toys at the places they shop in the regular day, right? They're busy, their lives are sort of, you know, they go to the grocery store, they go to, you know, the big box store to buy their essentials, you know, they're working or not working, and so you know, they're living their life in a pretty confined area. So probably most of the toys they're buying are there. But I really do think that one of the r really great moments of discovery can come than when they do take a Moment to look at some other retail possibilities that you do see a very different assortment. You know, a lot of the big stores carry the same items from the same companies. But if you go to a specialty toy store, I do think it can be a very rewarding experience. Wow, I didn't even know this item existed, or it does something that I haven't really seen from something else, which is where we got our start in the industry, really, and where we first got some traction was you know, by those specialty stores really believing in plus plus and and talking about us and big and and making us. you know, a a brand within that community first and foremost.
Jasmine: Yeah, for sure, for sure. That's actually a really good segue to one of my later questions, but we'll go ahead and ask that now.
Bret: Right.
Jasmine: so do you have any specific advice for that mom who's standing in the toy aisle and she's overwhelmed by her choices? Or there's three or four toys that kind of do the same thing. Do you have any specific advice about that mom who's trying to to make that decision?
Bret: Yeah, I mean, you know, again, I think that one of the benefits of the specialty toy world is that, you know, ask the employee. They're usually very informed about the different toy choices that are in there. And that's one of the benefits of selling that channel is usually the store owner or the store employee knows all the brands, they know the features, they they know the ones they like and why. And you know, so they're very educated on that where. if you're at your typical, you know, chain store, the employee may not be familiar with the different things there. You really sort of left your own devices a little bit. You know, certainly exploring these companies outside of, you know, do your own research. Probably within a matter of two minutes you can look up their website and what their videos and information about the brand. I mean, you can do your own research in a very short amount of time today, which was not a luxury that you had in the past. So, you know, but you know, my my advice is if you want to buy an interesting toy and you're looking for unique gift, go look up that specialty store in your town that maybe you haven't visited in a while or ever. Go in there and Talk to the employees, I think you'll find it a very rewarding experience.
Jasmine: Yeah, for sure. So do you think personally that there's a difference between a toy that just keeps a kid busy versus a toy that's actually doing something for them developmentally? So this is more of a more of a gut check, I guess, for Bret, more than your vice president hat.
Bret: Yeah, you know, that's something I think that every parent sort of struggles with a little bit. I think that, you know, if you ask if you would rather buy him a toy that's just fun or that does something developmental, you know, which would you choose? Of course, every parent would like to think that they choose the developmental toy, but You know, I I guess I just look at it a little bit more that toys should be fun, it should be captivating, it should keep a child's interest. So, you know, whether it's a cardboard box or a big ball of slime or whatever, if they enjoy it, if they play with it, if it comes in and out of the toy box on a regular basis, then that to me makes the ultimate toy, right? And and if it does something beyond that, you know, like we like to talk about how plus- plus is certainly a great tool for creativity and development. I you know, those are all bonuses, but at the end of the day I hope plus- plus is just fun for the kid and that they come back to it time and time again.
Jasmine: Yeah, for sure, for sure. so two well, two questions. Two more that I'm like back to back to back. Let's let's pick that that gut check for Bret again. I'd really like to know in your 30 or forty years of doing like toys and and this type of sales business, was there any stories or any moment where you were like, This is the reason why I do what I do? Or this is the reason why I continue on for Almost forty years doing this same thing. I'm just getting right to it. Just jabbing it in the heartstrings right there.
Bret: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I guess there was never just that one moment. I guess it's just like any, you know, thing that sort of calls to you. I mean, I think I think if you are successful at what you do, you're probably successful because you love what you do and you found something in there that sort of really spoke to you. You know, so for me, being in this industry is always, you know, I I've always found it very interesting and fascinating. And I have a lot of other interests too, you know. Say I'm like a toy aficionado. I think there are some people in our industry that just you know are super passionate and love toys. You know, for me, probably it was more about the sales process than necessarily the medium, but I couldn't sell things that I didn't love. And you know, you asked the question earlier about having kids. I think probably if I had an aha moment, it was when I had kids. Start seeing the lens through their eyes a little bit and what what excited them and what bored them. And you know, I I had sold toys, you know, I was only probably my kids are. twenty now, so I was almost halfway through my career before I had children. So I sold toys for the first half of my career with no kids and then I had kids and then the second half I saw it through their eyes. So I did think it reinformed my belief about what I was doing and the kind of things I wanted represented, which is part of the reason why we started Plus- Plus-, I think, is that we you know, I wanted just selling any toy didn't wasn't gonna cut it anymore. I had to sell a certain kind of toy. So
Jasmine: Yeah, that's that's such a good segue to my second question. if you had to sell a non toy item as a toy, what would it be and why?
Bret: Non toy item as a toy.
Jasmine: Yeah. That's a that's a thinker too. You might not take a second.
Bret: Yeah, I you know, I've always Probably my first passion in life was music and you know, I I didn't play a lot of instruments. I don't know, I did try a little bit and it never took hold, you know, but I I to this day I still love music. You know, I love going to concerts and I still collect CDs and vinyl records and all sorts of things like that. You know, so I I I even have a collection of musical instrument toys. Matter of fact there was a band I think a little while ago that they they created a band using toys as their only medium of creating music. So so it was all like, you know, they had a drummer but he used toy drums. They had a guitarist, but it had to be a toy guitar. And they recorded a whole album and the whole thing, which I thought was like the super merger of the two things that I loved, you know, being a toy person and music. And I thought that was really interesting. So, you know, I think interpreting just everyday things as toys helps you sort of just relax and enjoy what you're doing and don't look at it as like this like you know, tough thing to tackle, but look at it just with curiosity and in and how can I enjoy this? Whether it's learning some new piece of software or, you know, maybe a computer that you don't like using, you know, it's still, you know, a computer can be a toy just like anything else. So I I don't know. I think that would be my roundabout answer to that.
Jasmine: that's awesome. So do you have you don't have any grandkids or anything, right? Just the two kids. Okay. Yes.
Bret: No, I'm not that old. I probably am that old, but I didn't have kids early enough to have grandkids. So I do hope to have them though in some time, but you know, you know, not not immediately. My kids are still pretty young yet, so
Jasmine: Do you have any lasting or last pieces of advice to that busy mom, that overwhelmed mom, the the young mom? I'm thinking more like, you know, maybe mid twenties, early thirties mom, who's just starting to sort of, you know, get into maybe plus plus age stuff, age three, age five. do you have any words of wisdom or advice or anything you'd want to say to that demographic of of mom?
Bret: Yeah, mmm You
Jasmine: Ha.
Bret: know Just don't be afraid to make mistakes, I guess, is the like any parent, right? I think it especially when you're young and your first child, you're new, it's always you want to do the best, you know. You know, to me buying toys was always like feeding my kids, you know, a good diet of food, right? I always like always made those comparisons because you always wanted to feed them the best things, right? And I always wanted them to have broccoli and greens and you know, they didn't always want that, right? Like you know, so so sometimes buying Pokemon cards and and you know what squishies right now is the big trend. And that's okay, right? Like it's it's fine to participate in these things, you know. But you know, have a balanced diet. Buy other things, you know, try other things. Have your kid, you know, play with squishies and play with building toys and read books and you know, I I think that having candy and broccoli in the same meal is okay, right? Like, you know, so my advice is all things in moderation. That's how I've generally tried to live my life. And I think as a mom, you know, if you teach your kids that, you know, I try to teach my kids that and it's, you know. Knock on wood, so far so good.
Jasmine: Yeah. fantastic. Well thank you, Bret. Is there anything I didn't ask you that you you wanted to contribute to the conversation before we sign off?
Bret: No, just you know, here's the ten years of Plus- Plus- and for all you moms out there, like you know, we appreciate your support. And if you haven't discovered Plus- Plus-, we hope you give it a try. I think that in the in that category of fun I think you'll find it very enjoyable and satisfying.
Jasmine: For sure. And we're definitely titling this candy cover broccoli is the title of the podcast. That's it.
Bret: There you go. That sounds awesome. So
Jasmine: Thank you, Bret. And maybe we'll have you on in a few episodes. We really appreciate it.
Bret: Hey Jasmine, thanks for having me on and appreciate the time.
Jasmine: Jasmine and I am joined today by my friend and colleague Bret Faber. Hello, Bret. Hi, welcome to the show. I'm so glad you're here. and I don't want to butcher your title. You are vice president of sales for Plus- Plus- USA. Is that accurate?
Bret: think that's accurate. I've had a few names over the years, some we don't need to repeat. But it's yes. Sales has always been my world, so I think we'll roll with that for now. So
Jasmine: All right, Vice President of Sales of Plus- Plus- USA. And you are also a dad, right?
Bret: I am. Yep. Two kids.
Jasmine: Two kids, are they grown?
Bret: They are. So I have one in college, attending Miami University, which was my alumater. Woohoo, you know, so and then I got a son who's a senior in high school. So, you know, as we celebrate ten years of plus- plus, I have ten years of history with my children looking back on it. So yeah, it's been pretty good.
Jasmine: wow.
Bret: So
Jasmine: That's a terrific segue to my very first question. How did you get started with plus- plus and the toy industry? So you've been doing this for like ten years. How would how did you get into this? Did it fall into your lap or was this a a path you chose?
Bret: Yeah, it's kind of a fun journey. I mean, you know, we've been doing plus plus ten years now. So, you know, that that road has its own story. But I've been doing the toy business for wow, almost thirty five, almost forty years now. So a long time, unfortunately, but or fortunately. So a long time. You know, my first job in the toy industry was I got assigned Right out of college, I went to work for JCPenney and I got I was in their buying program and I trained in the men's department, which was something that was very familiar to me as a guy. But when I got my first official assignment, I got assigned to kids. Yikes. I was terrified. I was, you know, all but 20 years old, 22 maybe, I don't know, and kids was a complete foreign entity. But the one category that really wasn't that far removed from my world was buying toys. So working with the toy reps and meeting the toy people. were coming to work with us. That was right, you know, understanding toys was a little easier than premi sizes and clothing and things like that. So yeah so I enjoyed the buying the toys but I quickly came to realize that a lot of the reps I met with were not very good and not very prepared and I was probably on the wrong side of this desk. So I went to work for another toy company called Applause and was with them for a good part of my career. I you know did sales in Ohio and then I was a sales manager in New England. And then I ended up moving to their corporate offices in California, where I lived, and met my wife and decided to start a family. Then we moved back to Ohio and I went to work for a company called Wild Republic, which is another toy company in our industry. You might recognize them. They do a lot of this snakes and birds and wild animals, things you see at the zoos and stuff like that. So they're headquartered here in Ohio. And so I worked for them for a number of years. And then I Saw or I met Ryan and who was also a buyer at the time, I think, in the toy industry. And we connected and started a company together. So there's a lot of story in there too, but you know, in the interest of time, we'll just kind of move to the chase. So that's what led us to Plus- Plus-, and that's where we are today.
Jasmine: Gotcha. Wow, that's super cool. so did having kids and working in toys change the way you looked at selling toys?
Bret: that's a good that's a really interesting question. I'm sure it did, for sure. I mean, and certainly some of my memories from the industry in when I had kids was just testing products. You know, when Ryan and I started the company, I don't know if you know this backstory, but you know, we started the company as a company called Geared for Imagination. It predated Plus- Plus-. And we distributed a whole bunch of different toy lines from Europe, including what became Plus- Plus-. So Plus- Plus- lived alongside some soft good lines that we sold and some other hard good lines. So we had probably about Six to eight different companies we represented and sold. So as we were looking to add things to our portfolio of things we would distribute, we would, you know, bring some samples in. Ryan would, you know, order up some samples, we'd get them. And one of the ways we tested early on was through our children. You know, hey kids, what do you think of this? And if they liked it, you know, we might consider selling it and distributing it. If they didn't, it quickly got, you know, didn't make the cut, and we moved on to the next thing. And you know, that was one of the things about Plus- plus, I think that sort of became the aha moment is just how both of our kids reacted to it when they were very young. Ryan I both had the benefit of having very young children at the time we were first meeting Plus- Plus- and and partnering with them. And I think it was just, you know, immediate like, wow, this is different than everything else that we've dealt with. This stands a little above the rest of it. And so we both kind of quickly focused on that, I think.
Jasmine: Using your kids is the ultimate focus group. I love it.
Bret: Well they're so honest at least, right? If they hate something, they're like they I don't get this and five seconds later they walk away. That that's pretty telling, right? But if they stick with it, you know, maybe there's something there.
Jasmine: Yeah, no, for sure, for sure. So you're you're mainly the person who talks to retailers or buyers who you're trying to get them to buy plus plus, right? so what do you think parents get wrong about how toys end up on the store shelves? That's a thinker, isn't it?
Bret: That is, yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I mean it used to, you know, before we were in this industry, I think they used to just think it was magic or that, you know, that buyers just, you know, holistically tried to pick the most, you know, amazing toys and put them on the shelf, you know, and there's a lot that goes on behind the scene to sort of cut through the noise of getting the items on the shelf, you know, and I think things are really changing today, right? You know, having your own store, your own brand presence, your online store where you can communicate to people directly is you know a relatively new thing as I mentioned I you know been in this industry a long time and so you know 30 years ago there was no online portal that you could look up the brand and what they stood for and all the items they sold. So the only way you could buy a toy was to go to a retail store. And you know a lot of the big box stores and and this was true 30 years ago as it is today just kind of carried the same things from the popular companies. So you know specialty toy stores were really an outlet to try To find the things that were very different, and I think buyers very much looked for things that nobody else carried so that they could offer unique, you know, assortment and get to market. So I think that's true today. You know, I think people that shop specialty are looking for things different than they would find in your typical Target or Walmart or things of that nature. But you know, regardless, I think there's a lot of discussions about you know how you get the thing on the shelf, and certainly the bigger they are, the more they need you do do for them to sort of get to that point. is something probably most people don't don't realize. So
Jasmine: Yeah, so you're when you were talking about specialty toy stores, you used past tense. Do you think that that shift is different? Do you still think specialty toy stores are the place to go for something unique? Or is that culture sort of sort of different now?
Bret: Yeah, I mean I you know, I still think specialty toy stores are amazing places that carry great products and probably like any store there's great ones and then there's ones that are not so good, you know, and everything in between. And I think, you know, by definition they they should be a place you go to have unique experiences and I think most of them, you know, attempt to do that. But because, you know, the marketing and the awareness for toys is coming from directly from the companies themselves now more than ever. and that you know consumers are discovering things on their own They're being driven a little bit by, you know, what's going on in social media and the trends, and the stores are trying to replicate that. And that's what's odd now, is the big box stores are trying to look to specialty and jump on what they're doing well with, especially is trying to stay ahead of that curve or or be the first to market with things before the big stores get it. So there's definitely a lot of line crossing and and attempts to sort of lead the charge and in having the best toy assortment, I think.
Jasmine: Yeah, that's there's just so many facets to the whole like distribution process from you know, as a manufacturer or a distributor, and getting it into into choice stores. That's that's a lot. A lot to a lot to digest in a few minutes in a podcast.
Bret: Yeah, you know, I think most people and most moms, if that's who we're talking to in this podcast, probably just buy their toys at the places they shop in the regular day, right? They're busy, their lives are sort of, you know, they go to the grocery store, they go to, you know, the big box store to buy their essentials, you know, they're working or not working, and so you know, they're living their life in a pretty confined area. So probably most of the toys they're buying are there. But I really do think that one of the r really great moments of discovery can come than when they do take a Moment to look at some other retail possibilities that you do see a very different assortment. You know, a lot of the big stores carry the same items from the same companies. But if you go to a specialty toy store, I do think it can be a very rewarding experience. Wow, I didn't even know this item existed, or it does something that I haven't really seen from something else, which is where we got our start in the industry, really, and where we first got some traction was you know, by those specialty stores really believing in plus plus and and talking about us and big and and making us. you know, a a brand within that community first and foremost.
Jasmine: Yeah, for sure, for sure. That's actually a really good segue to one of my later questions, but we'll go ahead and ask that now.
Bret: Right.
Jasmine: so do you have any specific advice for that mom who's standing in the toy aisle and she's overwhelmed by her choices? Or there's three or four toys that kind of do the same thing. Do you have any specific advice about that mom who's trying to to make that decision?
Bret: Yeah, I mean, you know, again, I think that one of the benefits of the specialty toy world is that, you know, ask the employee. They're usually very informed about the different toy choices that are in there. And that's one of the benefits of selling that channel is usually the store owner or the store employee knows all the brands, they know the features, they they know the ones they like and why. And you know, so they're very educated on that where. if you're at your typical, you know, chain store, the employee may not be familiar with the different things there. You really sort of left your own devices a little bit. You know, certainly exploring these companies outside of, you know, do your own research. Probably within a matter of two minutes you can look up their website and what their videos and information about the brand. I mean, you can do your own research in a very short amount of time today, which was not a luxury that you had in the past. So, you know, but you know, my my advice is if you want to buy an interesting toy and you're looking for unique gift, go look up that specialty store in your town that maybe you haven't visited in a while or ever. Go in there and Talk to the employees, I think you'll find it a very rewarding experience.
Jasmine: Yeah, for sure. So do you think personally that there's a difference between a toy that just keeps a kid busy versus a toy that's actually doing something for them developmentally? So this is more of a more of a gut check, I guess, for Bret, more than your vice president hat.
Bret: Yeah, you know, that's something I think that every parent sort of struggles with a little bit. I think that, you know, if you ask if you would rather buy him a toy that's just fun or that does something developmental, you know, which would you choose? Of course, every parent would like to think that they choose the developmental toy, but You know, I I guess I just look at it a little bit more that toys should be fun, it should be captivating, it should keep a child's interest. So, you know, whether it's a cardboard box or a big ball of slime or whatever, if they enjoy it, if they play with it, if it comes in and out of the toy box on a regular basis, then that to me makes the ultimate toy, right? And and if it does something beyond that, you know, like we like to talk about how plus- plus is certainly a great tool for creativity and development. I you know, those are all bonuses, but at the end of the day I hope plus- plus is just fun for the kid and that they come back to it time and time again.
Jasmine: Yeah, for sure, for sure. so two well, two questions. Two more that I'm like back to back to back. Let's let's pick that that gut check for Bret again. I'd really like to know in your 30 or forty years of doing like toys and and this type of sales business, was there any stories or any moment where you were like, This is the reason why I do what I do? Or this is the reason why I continue on for Almost forty years doing this same thing. I'm just getting right to it. Just jabbing it in the heartstrings right there.
Bret: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I guess there was never just that one moment. I guess it's just like any, you know, thing that sort of calls to you. I mean, I think I think if you are successful at what you do, you're probably successful because you love what you do and you found something in there that sort of really spoke to you. You know, so for me, being in this industry is always, you know, I I've always found it very interesting and fascinating. And I have a lot of other interests too, you know. Say I'm like a toy aficionado. I think there are some people in our industry that just you know are super passionate and love toys. You know, for me, probably it was more about the sales process than necessarily the medium, but I couldn't sell things that I didn't love. And you know, you asked the question earlier about having kids. I think probably if I had an aha moment, it was when I had kids. Start seeing the lens through their eyes a little bit and what what excited them and what bored them. And you know, I I had sold toys, you know, I was only probably my kids are. twenty now, so I was almost halfway through my career before I had children. So I sold toys for the first half of my career with no kids and then I had kids and then the second half I saw it through their eyes. So I did think it reinformed my belief about what I was doing and the kind of things I wanted represented, which is part of the reason why we started Plus- Plus-, I think, is that we you know, I wanted just selling any toy didn't wasn't gonna cut it anymore. I had to sell a certain kind of toy. So
Jasmine: Yeah, that's that's such a good segue to my second question. if you had to sell a non toy item as a toy, what would it be and why?
Bret: Non toy item as a toy.
Jasmine: Yeah. That's a that's a thinker too. You might not take a second.
Bret: Yeah, I you know, I've always Probably my first passion in life was music and you know, I I didn't play a lot of instruments. I don't know, I did try a little bit and it never took hold, you know, but I I to this day I still love music. You know, I love going to concerts and I still collect CDs and vinyl records and all sorts of things like that. You know, so I I I even have a collection of musical instrument toys. Matter of fact there was a band I think a little while ago that they they created a band using toys as their only medium of creating music. So so it was all like, you know, they had a drummer but he used toy drums. They had a guitarist, but it had to be a toy guitar. And they recorded a whole album and the whole thing, which I thought was like the super merger of the two things that I loved, you know, being a toy person and music. And I thought that was really interesting. So, you know, I think interpreting just everyday things as toys helps you sort of just relax and enjoy what you're doing and don't look at it as like this like you know, tough thing to tackle, but look at it just with curiosity and in and how can I enjoy this? Whether it's learning some new piece of software or, you know, maybe a computer that you don't like using, you know, it's still, you know, a computer can be a toy just like anything else. So I I don't know. I think that would be my roundabout answer to that.
Jasmine: that's awesome. So do you have you don't have any grandkids or anything, right? Just the two kids. Okay. Yes.
Bret: No, I'm not that old. I probably am that old, but I didn't have kids early enough to have grandkids. So I do hope to have them though in some time, but you know, you know, not not immediately. My kids are still pretty young yet, so
Jasmine: Do you have any lasting or last pieces of advice to that busy mom, that overwhelmed mom, the the young mom? I'm thinking more like, you know, maybe mid twenties, early thirties mom, who's just starting to sort of, you know, get into maybe plus plus age stuff, age three, age five. do you have any words of wisdom or advice or anything you'd want to say to that demographic of of mom?
Bret: Yeah, mmm You
Jasmine: Ha.
Bret: know Just don't be afraid to make mistakes, I guess, is the like any parent, right? I think it especially when you're young and your first child, you're new, it's always you want to do the best, you know. You know, to me buying toys was always like feeding my kids, you know, a good diet of food, right? I always like always made those comparisons because you always wanted to feed them the best things, right? And I always wanted them to have broccoli and greens and you know, they didn't always want that, right? Like you know, so so sometimes buying Pokemon cards and and you know what squishies right now is the big trend. And that's okay, right? Like it's it's fine to participate in these things, you know. But you know, have a balanced diet. Buy other things, you know, try other things. Have your kid, you know, play with squishies and play with building toys and read books and you know, I I think that having candy and broccoli in the same meal is okay, right? Like, you know, so my advice is all things in moderation. That's how I've generally tried to live my life. And I think as a mom, you know, if you teach your kids that, you know, I try to teach my kids that and it's, you know. Knock on wood, so far so good.
Jasmine: Yeah. fantastic. Well thank you, Bret. Is there anything I didn't ask you that you you wanted to contribute to the conversation before we sign off?
Bret: No, just you know, here's the ten years of Plus- Plus- and for all you moms out there, like you know, we appreciate your support. And if you haven't discovered Plus- Plus-, we hope you give it a try. I think that in the in that category of fun I think you'll find it very enjoyable and satisfying.
Jasmine: For sure. And we're definitely titling this candy cover broccoli is the title of the podcast. That's it.
Bret: There you go. That sounds awesome. So
Jasmine: Thank you, Bret. And maybe we'll have you on in a few episodes. We really appreciate it.
Bret: Hey Jasmine, thanks for having me on and appreciate the time.
