Transforming an idea into reality and establishing a successful business is an uphill task. It requires countless years of hard work, dedication, and determination to build this world. However, once this success is achieved, the scenario changes and businesses become less customer-centric. They make decisions based solely on profits and their leaders become ignorant of the primary purpose—the betterment of customers. To change this situation, a young and passionate leader, Matthew Granberg (MG Collectibles and Toys) (MGCT), has started working relentlessly to establish an optimum and satisfied customer base. He is one of those eminent CEOs who leads, manages, and operates at a high level to ensure the success of the business.
Admirable Journey
Since childhood, Matthew always wanted to become his own boss and grew up in an incredible support system—his family. He considers himself lucky and admits that with such strong support, he was able to dream of building his own successful business in the future. For that, he invested his time in running through new ideas and various businesses in his teenage years. Being a huge fan of pop culture, Matthew’s businesses revolved around the niche. Whether it was reselling LEGOs or designing costumes for cosplay or fan films, he focused on intellect and in-depth knowledge.
Incredible Inception
In 2019, Matthew registered his own business with the NY State called MG Collectibles and Toys, where he resold other people’s products. To uplift the business, he worked relentlessly throughout his first year of college, investing all his efforts in building a strong business model. Soon, he decided to sell his own products and approached Warner Brothers to grab a license for famous cartoon characters like Scooby-Doo and Looney Tunes. With this, MG Collectibles and Toys evolved into a licensed pop-culture memorabilia company. Currently, it has two licensed 1:6 scale collectible lines released. Their Looney Tunes line has five statues, retailing from $200 to $230 and reaching up to 8 inches in height. Additionally, the Scooby-Doo line has six statues retailing from $350 to $400 and going up to 18 inches in height. MGCT is doing one thing no other related company has done- 100% U.S.-made manufacturing!!
Learning through Challenges
Every leader in the organization faces several challenges as a part of the routine. Product development and manufacturing were big learning curves for Matthew. Being a perfectionist, he wanted to ensure the best representations of the two cartoon licenses. During the sculpting process, his team went through three different sculptors to land on the proper feel for these characters. Moreover, he tried to minimize the production costs initially in China, and unfortunately, that led to some quality concerns and further issues. To solve that issue, they recently entered a big partnership with a U.S. manufacturer, to ensure everything is 100% made in the U.S.A.! The local manufacturer beats their old one on cost, lead time, and shipping, thus allowing them to in-turn display those benefits back to their customers with quicker product turn-around time and delivery! After spending some time on improvement, MG Collectibles and Toys is now on track to ship its products out in the second quarter of this year, likely even sooner with this new partnership! Matthew has hired an excellent and experienced team which guarantees there will be no delays and lack in quality.
Be Different from Others
Matthew proudly boasts of his different leadership style. Being the CEO of an organization, he ensures fan engagement and customer satisfaction. This 21-year-old young businessman shares his journey of committing mistakes, dropping out of college, gaining knowledge, and earning experience. He also thanks his mentors for guiding him through his incredible career path. Looking back at how far he has come, Matthew says, “I would say one thing that really got me through was my determination and drive to never give up. If I didn’t know how to do something, I would make an effort in learning it. If I had an issue, I solved it. I pushed myself through, and that’s a huge accomplishment in my eyes.”
Excellent Powerhouse of a Team
By creating an excellent powerhouse of a team, MG Collectibles and Toys is working with the motto of “For The Fans, By The Fans,” ensuring that no customer is left out, and there is something to collect for everyone. Matthew is leading ahead in the industry with an amazing team and global network of strategic allies for the sake of further guidance.
Speaking about the team, Peter Muzzio, the Chief Operating Officer, oversees all logistical and shipping tasks and will be keeping track of the shipment of every product. The company is blessed with an experienced industry veteran, Don Widmer, who serves as the Chief Product Officer. He is responsible for all product development and tasks related to licensing and product offerings. His authentic designs contribute billions of dollars in consumer sales for the industry. Brian Esposito, the Chief Strategy Officer is responsible for building strategic alliances with investors, distributors, and licensors, as well as clearing a proper path forward.
Optimum Customer Satisfaction
Happy customers build a bright future for the company. Being a revolutionary leader, Matthew knows how to keep every customer satisfied by offering products of all price points and ensuring there is always something for everyone! From lower priced products like apparel and posters, to higher end collectibles, from cartoon-based licenses, all the way to hyper-realistic designs, the company guarantees optimum customer satisfaction. Speaking about the efforts taken for customer engagement, Matthew says, “I will be actively engaging with our potential customers via social media, conventions, live streams, podcasts, and more! And as a collector myself, I know firsthand that some may not be able to afford a $500+ high-end collectible.”
Expanding Sources of Revenue
With innovative products and future strategy, MG Collectibles and Toys aims to achieve ambitious projections this year. With the help of numerous planned releases, and license acquisitions, plus new team additions and hopeful investment partners, Matthew wholeheartedly believes that they’ll achieve their goal. This year, in addition to high-end collectibles, they’ll be expanding to product lines in apparel, graphic posters, prints, and even NFTs! Moreover, they’re in the process of acquiring an additional 3 licenses at the least, with hopefully expanding to more acquisitions later in the year.
Spending a Beautiful Life
Being a family-oriented person, Matthew loves to spend time with his family. He works persistently for the betterment of his family and their future. According to him, family is a constant driving force that taught him never to give up on dreams in life. Moreover, Matthew expresses gratitude toward his parents, grandmother and friends, considering himself lucky to have such a great support system. He says, “I have a blast with my family when I’m not working. I appreciate them even more, now knowing in my adult life, that quite a few people do not have what I have. And it makes me cherish them even more.”
Piece of Advice
Matthew is truly a role model for his generation and wants to share a piece of advice for those aspiring youths who want to make their name in the industry.
- Though corny, never give up on dreams. One must have the determination and strong drive to enact them. A large reason as to why businesses fail, is their owners give up on its hardships.
- Make a business-oriented LinkedIn account. It is a good platform to meet all those people from all over the world who can help or lend a hand in the growth of the business.
If interesting in investing or reaching with questions out about this article, please feel free to email Info@mgcollectiblesandtoys.com
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