{"id":15747,"date":"2026-07-21T00:11:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T00:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15747"},"modified":"2026-07-21T00:11:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T00:11:25","slug":"from-air-hogs-to-paw-patrol-ronnen-hararys-startup-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15747","title":{"rendered":"From Air Hogs to PAW Patrol: Ronnen Harary\u2019s Startup Lessons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>This week on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">How Success Happens<\/a>, I sit down with <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ronnen-harary-99b13370\/\" id=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ronnen-harary-99b13370\/\">Ronnen Harary<\/a>, cofounder and chairman of <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spinmaster.com\/en-US\/\">Spin Master<\/a> (think Air Hogs, Bakugan, PAW Patrol) and author of <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0FM6SR4BR?lv=shuf&amp;channelId=500&amp;plpRedirect=mhFallback\">No Experience Necessary<\/a><\/em>, a guide for twenty\u2011somethings trying to figure out their next (or first) move in business. Ronnen turned a learning disability, financial instability, and a $10,000 startup into a global kids\u2019 entertainment powerhouse with a lot of grit and, as he explains, a little bit of naivety. \u201cWhen you\u2019re young,\u201d he told me, \u201cyou don\u2019t really know everything that you need to know.\u201d But, he says, sometimes that\u2019s actually a good thing and can help power your path to a whole new way of doing things.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve broken down his success insights to help you play out your own plan for success in <strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">three, two, one<\/span><\/strong><\/strong>!<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-listen-here\">Listen here<\/h2>\n<p><iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=EML9115311304\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Subscribe now:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">Apple<\/a>\u00a0|<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7zAcFs6B1nwjGXPTpK6gPB?si=Kh-jG4ZZS_u0V92JhcsTvQ&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=1b7da5539ac742f3\">\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0|<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@EntrepreneurPodcasts\">\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-three-key-insight-s\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">Three<\/span> <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>Key Insight<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>s<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-start-the-business-first-let-the-passion-catch-up\">1. Start the Business First, Let the Passion Catch Up<\/h2>\n<p>Ronnen didn\u2019t grow up dreaming of toys and TV shows\u2014he grew up knowing he wanted to be in business. \u201cIf you would have asked me in university if I\u2019d end up in the children\u2019s entertainment business and in the toy business and producing TV shows \u2014\u00a0it never came into my consciousness,\u201d he told me. His core passion was building something of his own and having equity, especially after seeing the instability of profit\u2011sharing in his dad\u2019s carpet business. He argues that waiting for a perfect idea keeps you stuck in the middle: \u201cIf you\u2019re sitting in the middle, the universe won\u2019t give you the idea\u2026 but if you make that commitment, then suddenly all the opportunities get unlocked for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong> If you feel stuck, commit to starting a business you can actually launch now\u2014and trust that clearer passion and better ideas will reveal themselves once you\u2019re in motion.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-don-t-let-ai-drain-your-drive\">2. Don\u2019t Let AI Drain Your Drive<\/h2>\n<p>Ronnen is talking to a generation being told daily that AI might erase their future\u2014and he\u2019s not buying it. \u201cDon\u2019t let this moment define you,\u201d he says. \u201cUse AI to your advantage\u2026the barriers to entry are way lower than they\u2019ve ever been before.\u201d He believes that when you start doing, you create \u201clearning luck\u201d: each failure teaches you a new category, a new buyer, a new factory, a new skill\u2014and that compounds. After licensing a BMX bike that did around $150 million and then watching three follow\u2011up products completely bomb, he still calls it luck because \u201cwe were learning as we were failing.\u201d<br \/><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong> Treat AI as a cost\u2011cutting teammate and every flop as \u201clearning luck\u201d\u2014keep shipping, keep showing up, and let that momentum compound into real opportunities.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/info.entrepreneur.com\/hsh\">Subscribe to the free\u00a0How Success Happens\u00a0Newsletter<\/a> for weekly inspiration.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-show-up-in-person-even-if-you-re-banana-boy\">3. Show Up In Person (Even If You\u2019re \u201cBanana Boy\u201d)<\/h2>\n<p>One of Ronnen\u2019s favorite themes is physically showing up. He did 12 trips to Japan before doing any business, passed on Beyblade (yes, <em>that<\/em> Beyblade), then later helped create Bakugan\u2014a billion\u2011dollar franchise with its own TV show\u2014because he kept showing up in rooms where ideas lived. My favorite story: in a high\u2011stakes meeting at Pilot Corporation, jet\u2011lagged and starving, he peeled and ate a banana mid\u2011meeting\u2014an enormous cultural faux pas. \u201cIn Japan, you can\u2019t eat in a meeting\u2026 and I just ate the banana,\u201d he remembers. Despite the misstep (or mis-bite), he then made a deal on Aquadoodle, which went on to do close to $200 million, and in the toy industry he\u2019s still known as \u201cBanana Boy.\u201d<br \/><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong> Don\u2019t hide behind emails\u2014go where the opportunity is, be human, and let your personality (and occasional awkward moment) build trust and long\u2011term relationships.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-two-free-resources-to-learn-more\"><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">Two<\/span> <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>Free Resources to Learn More<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Toy around in Ronnen Harary\u2019s world by checking out <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spinmaster.com\/en-US\/\">Spin Master<\/a>, the company behind Air Hogs, Bakugan, and PAW Patrol, and pick up his book, <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0FM6SR4BR?lv=shuf&amp;channelId=500&amp;plpRedirect=mhFallback\"><em>No Experience Necessary<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em>\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Dig deeper on grit and finding the right fit for your business passion by listening to this incredible convo between<strong> volleyball Legend Kerri Walsh Jennings and Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<p>Ronnen talks a lot about \u201cnot missing out on the screenplay of your life\u201d and having the courage to trust your internal knowing, even when everyone (and every algorithm) is shouting at you. Here\u2019s your question:<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is one risky idea that keeps quietly tugging at you\u2014and what tiny, non\u2011\u201cbet the farm\u201d step could you take this week to move it from fantasy to your real\u2011life screenplay?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Email your answer to howsuccesshappens@entrepreneur.com, and I\u2019ll read some of the most interesting responses on a future episode.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-about-how-success-happens\">About How Success Happens<\/h2>\n<p>Each episode of <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">How Success Happens<\/a> shares the inspiring, entertaining, and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, the arts, and sports traveled on their way to becoming household names. It\u2019s a reminder that behind every big-time career, there is a person who persisted in the face of self-doubt, failure, and anything else that got thrown in their way.<\/p>\n<p>Before I put the episode description together, do you want this newsletter to skew more toward Gen Z just out of college, or a broader range of aspiring entrepreneurs?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>This week on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">How Success Happens<\/a>, I sit down with <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ronnen-harary-99b13370\/\" id=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ronnen-harary-99b13370\/\">Ronnen Harary<\/a>, cofounder and chairman of <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spinmaster.com\/en-US\/\">Spin Master<\/a> (think Air Hogs, Bakugan, PAW Patrol) and author of <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0FM6SR4BR?lv=shuf&amp;channelId=500&amp;plpRedirect=mhFallback\">No Experience Necessary<\/a><\/em>, a guide for twenty\u2011somethings trying to figure out their next (or first) move in business. Ronnen turned a learning disability, financial instability, and a $10,000 startup into a global kids\u2019 entertainment powerhouse with a lot of grit and, as he explains, a little bit of naivety. \u201cWhen you\u2019re young,\u201d he told me, \u201cyou don\u2019t really know everything that you need to know.\u201d But, he says, sometimes that\u2019s actually a good thing and can help power your path to a whole new way of doing things.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve broken down his success insights to help you play out your own plan for success in <strong><strong><span style=\"color: red\">three, two, one<\/span><\/strong><\/strong>!<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-listen-here\">Listen here<\/h2>\n<p><iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=EML9115311304\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Subscribe now:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/how-success-happens\/id1288418637\">Apple<\/a>\u00a0|<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7zAcFs6B1nwjGXPTpK6gPB?si=Kh-jG4ZZS_u0V92JhcsTvQ&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=1b7da5539ac742f3\">\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0|<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@EntrepreneurPodcasts\">\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/business-news\/no-experience-necessary-spin-master-ronnen-hararys-startup-lessons\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week on How Success Happens, I sit down with Ronnen Harary, cofounder and chairman of Spin Master (think Air Hogs, Bakugan, PAW Patrol) and author of No Experience Necessary, a guide for twenty\u2011somethings trying to figure out their next (or first) move in business. Ronnen turned a learning disability, financial instability, and a $10,000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-green-brands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}