Coaching Toys

What Coaching Toys does

Coaching Toys Inc. is a Minneapolis-based, bootstrapped e-commerce company founded in 2002 by Marcy Nelson-Garrison MA CPCC. It operates a curated direct-to-consumer marketplace selling creative coaching tools — including card decks, books, CDs/DVDs, eBooks, audio downloads, image prompts, journals, and bundled packages — primarily serving professional coaches, counselors, trainers, educators, group facilitators, corporate trainers, and therapeutic recreation specialists.

The storefront runs on the Volusion e-commerce platform and operates on a consignment/drop-ship model in which individual authors and inventors (coaches, counselors, trainers, and healers) supply unique products that are then shipped directly to customers. Unit prices range from approximately $9.95 for digital products to $49.95 for premium card decks, with bundles priced $52.99-$59.99. Notable products include Q? Basics Open-Ended Questions for Coaching Mastery, Chiji Processing Cards (over 5,000 decks sold cumulatively), Coaching Cubes, Image Prompts, and Cool Bundles; Image Prompts have been adopted by Stanford University Graduate School of Business for MBA student check-in exercises.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time unit sales via a self-serve storefront. Acquisition relies on content marketing channels including the Pink Paradigm blog (pinkparadigm.com), the AHA Moments email newsletter (gated by a free downloadable lead magnet), gift certificates, and earned media placement in Choice Magazine, the professional magazine for coaches. Geographic scope is restricted to the United States and Canada. The company is founder-owned and operated with a headcount of 1-10 employees and no disclosed institutional investors or external ownership.

Name

Coaching Toys

Legal name

Coaching Toys Inc.

Website

https://coachingtoysstore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coaching Toys Inc. is a Minneapolis-based, bootstrapped e-commerce marketplace founded in 2002 that curates creative coaching tools — card decks, books, eBooks, image prompts, and bundles — sold on consignment to professional coaches, counselors, trainers, educators, and group facilitators across the US and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coaching Tools Retail

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Toy Stores & Games Retail (CRALAIAF)

Keywords

• Coaching card decks
• Professional development tools
• Group facilitation supplies
• Personal growth resources
• Creator-sourced coaching products

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct sales of physical and digital coaching tools, card decks, books, and training materials through the e-commerce storefront. Products are sourced from individual coaches, counselors, trainers and healers on a consignment basis and drop-shipped to customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Coaching Toys operates an e-commerce storefront that aggregates and sells creative coaching tools — including card decks, books, CDs/DVDs, eBooks, audio downloads, journals, image prompts, and curated bundles — for personal growth professionals. Products are created by independent coaches, counselors, trainers, and healers, listed on the storefront, and drop-shipped to customers directly by the creators on a consignment basis. The catalog targets professional coaches, counselors, corporate trainers, educators, and group facilitators in the US and Canada.

Product overview

Coaching Toys is an e-commerce store selling creative tools and resources for personal growth professionals including coaches, counselors, trainers, and facilitators. The product portfolio centers on physical and digital coaching tools organized into categories: Card Decks (various coaching, affirmation, and oracle decks), Books/CDs/DVDs, EBooks/Audio Downloads, Journals, Image Prompts (visual coaching tools), and bundled packages. The store operates on a consignment model where products are drop-shipped by individual authors/inventors. The company serves professionals seeking creative resources for client work, workshops, and personal development. Notable products include Q Basics Open-Ended Questions for Coaching Mastery, Chiji Processing Cards, Coaching Cubes, and Image Prompts collections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coaching Toys Online Store Primary e-commerce storefront at coachingtoysstore.com selling creative coaching tools (card decks, books, eBooks, audio, journals, image prompts, bundles) drop-shipped from independent coaches, counselors, trainers, and healers to customers in the US and Canada.
• Card Decks

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Pink ParadigmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPink Paradigm is co-branded on the Coaching Toys website. The blog content links to pinkparadigm.com/blog. Marcy Nelson-Garrison, founder of Coaching Toys, is associated with Pink Paradigm (www.pinkparadigm.com). Both platforms serve the coaching and personal development community.
• Coaching Toys Associates (Product Creators)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndividual coaches, counselors, trainers, and healers who create products sold through the store. Products are sold on a consignment basis and drop-shipped directly to customers. Over 5,000 product decks sold. The company keeps margins low to support their success.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Conscious Discipline: Conscious Discipline produces educational tools, card decks, and curricula for educators, counselors, and parents — overlapping with Coaching Toys' Tools For Educators/Trainers and Kids, Parenting & Relationships categories.
• Bigger Game Hunters: Bigger Game Hunters designs experiential and team-building games used by corporate trainers and facilitators — closely comparable to Coaching Toys' Ice Breakers & Processing and Workshops & Group Facilitation categories.
• Self-Counsel Press: Self-Counsel Press publishes self-help, business, and personal development books and guides, including career and life planning titles that mirror Coaching Toys' Career Guidance and Professional Tool Kit categories.

Broad incumbents

• Sounds True: Sounds True is an established multimedia publisher of personal development, mindfulness, and coaching content — including card decks, audio programs, and books — overlapping with Coaching Toys' books/audio/coaching tools assortment at greater scale.
• Berrett-Koehler Publishers: Berrett-Koehler publishes business, leadership, and coaching books and tools aimed at professionals and trainers, paralleling Coaching Toys' business-building tools and professional development book offerings.
• Hay House: Hay House publishes self-help, personal growth, and coaching books, card decks (including oracle/tarot decks), and audio learning — directly comparable to Coaching Toys' affirmation cards, oracle decks, and books categories.

Direct peers

• The Coaching Tools Company: The Coaching Tools Company sells cards, books, and worksheets for coaches and trainers via a dedicated e-commerce site, offering a near-identical product set (coaching card decks, facilitation tools) to the same professional coach buyer.
• PESI: PESI is a continuing-education and professional development publisher that sells card decks (e.g., Just One Thing, RETHiNK, both visible in Coaching Toys' catalog) and training tools to counselors, educators, and corporate trainers — directly overlapping with Coaching Toys' product mix and target buyers.

Others

• Center for Creative Leadership: CCL is a leadership development research and training organization that sells books, assessments, and facilitation tools to corporate trainers — thematically adjacent to Coaching Toys' coach training and corporate trainer segments, though its primary business is research-led training services rather than retail.

Regional players

• InnerWill Publishing: InnerWill is an Indian-based self-publishing and personal development brand that publishes books and cards for coaches and trainers — comparable product categories to Coaching Toys, though primarily serving South Asian markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/coachingtoys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corespring-consulting-coaching

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coaching Toys