Growing up, Haran Yaffe was surrounded by the blocks his father made in his small toy company, and he loved playing with them all through his childhood. As a vet who sustained life threatening injuries in war, Yaffe returned home with a newfound inspiration to rekindle his father’s work and produce the original toy that he loved as a child.
Inspired by the idea of a simplistic and hands-on approach to playtime, Haran joined with his father to launch Ollies Blocks, named after his daughter, to inspire the creativity within children everywhere. Haran spoke with Home Business Magazine about the journey of starting his innovative toy brand that “offers a unique solution to playing and learning.” Check out their Kickstarter to support a business that encourages children to engage in constructive playtime, develop their skills and abilities all while having fun playing with building blocks that don’t bore them anytime soon!
Home Business Magazine (HBM): What inspired you to start your business?
Haran: “About a year ago, I was running a startup in Silicon Valley and I was working from home in order to spend as much time as possible with my baby girl Olivia. You could say that I was living my dream life but something just didn’t click. One could blame it on the head trauma that I sustained almost 10 years ago in the Second Lebanon War, but I think that modern toys played a bigger role. I was sitting to play with my daughter with her flashy, noisy, poorly made plastic toys and I would go out of my mind. I couldn’t sit down to play with my daughter for more than a few minutes before my mind would drift away and my daughter would sense it immediately.
I felt like such a bad dad for not being able to be present while I was playing with my baby girl, and then it hit me. I called my dad and asked him if he still had some blocks from back in the day from the old family wooden toy factory, and if so, I asked him to bring me some when he and my mom came to visit us in CA. He did find some in the attic and in mid-March 2015, my parents came to visit us in CA for my daughter’s birthday. From that moment on everything changed. I was suddenly playing with blocks and building whatever came to mind. They were the exact blocks that I played with as a child and I was suddenly reconnected with my childhood.
It wasn’t just me who noticed the difference in my demeanor – my daughter noticed as well and hence our playtime became much more meaningful than it had before. Friends noticed the blocks and asked where I got them. When I told them that my dad made them when I was a kid, they urged me to ask him to make some more. At first he refused, but as more friends asked for blocks and when my wife and I told him how important and meaningful this was to us, he agreed to reopen his toy factory on the one condition that we would do it via crowdfunding.”
HBM: What did you do prior?
Haran: “Until about a year ago, I was the founder and CEO of a Silicon Valley startup which won best app awards. Before then I was constantly touring as a solo artist and motivational speaker which I still do when time permits.”
HBM: How would you briefly describe your business?
Haran: “Ollie’s Wooden Blocks are a simple, multi-directional toy, which enables training and practice in a number of fields at the same time. Unlike many other toys on the market, Ollie’s Wooden Blocks have no user guide; thus allowing the child a greater scope of creativity and free play. The wide variety of possible relationships between the different blocks encourages mental flexibility, trial and error, problem solving, and a rich experience for children. The underlying message is a child can rely on his/her own intelligence and imagination. Ollies Blocks grant freedom of choice and a wide range of free, unlimited play opportunities for children and adults alike.”
HBM: How do you promote your home-based business?
Haran: “Ollies Wooden Blocks started as a Kickstarter campaign and was promoted via the traditional PR channels as well as on social media channels. To identify relevant bloggers and social media influencers, we use HYPR Brands which we highly recommend.”
HBM: Who are your primary customers?
Haran: “Being a wooden toy company, our primary customers are parents and grandparents who understand the importance of natural play and who are looking to actually sit down and play with their child rather than just give their child a toy to keep him or her busy.”
HBM: What do you consider your best business achievement?
Haran: “Our greatest achievement is the responses that we are getting from people who play with Ollies Blocks and from top childhood development educators, physical therapists and doctors. To highlight a few, to see a disabled veteran, who lost his hand in combat, who for the first time was able to play with blocks with his child, or a child with Autism who was able to engage with the blocks. The joy on their faces was something that we will never forget.”
HBM: What are the primary advantages of working from home?
Haran: “I’ve been working from home for about 10 years now, even ran a Silicon Valley based startup while working from home and I believe that working from home first and foremost allows me to have freedom. It is about setting my own schedule, routines or attire, but most importantly it allows me to have an unconfined and natural creative process. A book and a guitar are always at reach for inspiration and relaxation. I also find that cooking helps get the creative juices going. I don’t need to mention the benefits of a quick walk outside when it’s nice and sunny. From a family point of view, it enables me to spend time with my wife and daughter which is the greatest thing in the world.”
HBM: Where do you see yourself with your home-based business in 3 years?
Haran: “In 3 years from now, we still see ourselves working from home as would our employees. We are firm believers in remote working. In regards to the manufacturing and distribution of the blocks, we have some great ideas that will revolutionize current business models in our market and in others. Stay tuned.”
