Rebecca's Interviews: Ollies Blocks Founder Haran Yaffe

Rebecca:  How long have you been interested in toys?  At what age did you realize you wanted to run your own business?

Haran:  You could say that I born into toys because my parents had a toy company when I was kid. How cool is that?  After the toy company my parents had a few other businesses and you could safely say that I caught the entrepreneurship bug at a very young age. I think I was about 15 when I tried to launch my first startup.  

Rebecca:  Were you the type of kid who always “created”?

Haran:  As a kid I always fiddled around with stuff and it stayed with me for the rest of my life. Whether I am doing music, writing or other forms of arts or whether I am doing tech or other business related stuff, it is always about creating something.

Rebecca:  What interests you about toys in particular?

Haran:  Toys are how schooling and teaching should always be.  By simply playing with a toy a child can learn and teach himself so many things, while having fun. This creates a synaptic connection in our brain between fun and learning. The real question for me is, why should it be limited to children? Why as we grow older do we choose other forms of learning which turns it into an unpleasant experience? Learning must stay a fun experience and not just something we do to get a job.  

Rebecca:  What advice would you give to kids interested in becoming entrepreneurs?

Haran:  I would tell kids that the world as it is now is different than the world their parents grew up in and different than the world their grandparents grew up in, and so on. Each period in history had its own characteristics which lead people to do and learn different things. It is now the age to be an entrepreneur. There are ways now to create and generate wealth unlike before. There is a way now for self-expression and self-fulfillment unlike ever before. Seize the opportunity!

Rebecca:  What inspired the name and launch of Ollies Blocks?

Haran:  When I was a kid my parents had a toy company which originally manufactured the blocks. The blocks were then named “Yael Wooden Blocks” after my older sister Yael. In order to keep the tradition we decided to name the company after our daughter Olivia - everyone calls her Ollie.  

Rebecca:  How long have you been working on this project?

Haran:  We started working on Ollies Blocks around July 2015.

Rebecca:  Do you have another project in the works?

Haran:  We have some great ideas which we think we revolutionize our market and other markets as well. Stay tuned!

Ollies Blocks is based on the idea that toys should not just entertain kids for a while but should rather engage them in productive play regularly. To help Ollies Blocks launch into the marketplace with a goal of $100,000, the company is hoping to gain the funding needed to produce these unique building blocks for children, aiming to make playtime more engaging and meaningful. You can contribute to their Kickstarter Campaign at www.kickstarter.com/projects/1020758689/ollies-wooden-blocks-make-playtime-more-meaningful.  To find more information about Ollies Blocks, visit www.olliesblocks.com.