This episode explores the journey of Avani Sarkar, co-founder of Modi Toys, from identifying a gap in the market for toys representing Indian heritage to building a successful DTC brand. Against the backdrop of becoming a parent and recognizing the lack of culturally relevant toys, Avani and her brother launched Modi Toys, combining his operational expertise with her marketing background. More significantly, Avani details her initial struggles with marketing, learning on the job and leveraging organic strategies due to budget constraints, including reaching out to local moms for photoshoots and feedback. As the discussion pivoted to scaling the brand, Avani shares her experience with paid advertising, highlighting the challenges of finding the right talent and maintaining creative control. For instance, she recounts her experience of gifting Modi Toys to Nita Ambani at a Harvard event, which led to a viral video and increased brand visibility. Emerging industry patterns reflected in Modi Toys' story include the power of community feedback in product development and the importance of adapting marketing strategies to different social media platforms while maintaining a strong email list for direct customer communication.
