Have you ever longed to create a "little business" that might entertain you in retirement while bringing in a bit of extra cash? I often dreamed of doing just that over decades of helping other people make their fortunes.
But when I was finally preparing to retire, I wondered what kind of business would be successful during the COVID pandemic. Not only successful, but also fun to create and manage. It didn't take long till I knew just what I wanted to do.
There's so much that my husband, Joe, and I love about puzzles:
So, when it was time to figure out what my "bright idea" for a new business should be, puzzles were a natural fit.
Getting a puzzle business off the ground turned out to be complicated, expensive, and definitely not for the faint of heart.
The other day, a friend asked, "What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a puzzle business?"
"Don't do it!" I said, only half joking.
Starting a puzzle company takes a large investment of time and money — far more of both than I had initially imagined. It also takes persistence and a massive dose of faith that, when you leap, the net will appear.
Because, at some point, despite all the planning and negotiating and nail-biting and second-guessing and third-guessing, leaping becomes essential if you're ever going to create that first puzzle.
TOOZLE is evolving daily, and some things will change for sure. But one thing I refuse to change is the commitment to quality. When you purchase a TOOZLE puzzle, I want you to be confident that you're getting your money's worth — and then some.
A spin around Amazon will show you that there are a lot of puzzles that cost far less than a TOOZLE. But the old adage holds true in puzzles as in anything else: You get what you pay for:
Today, TOOZLE Puzzles are not only available for sale on this website and on Amazon, they're also in stores in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Corridor as well as in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, and Wisconsin (and more to come). Please support the stores that are taking a chance on this small, woman-owned business. You can see the store locations on our Stores page.
Thank you!
TOOZLE STEAM Puzzles is a woman-owned-and-operated small business based in Iowa City, Iowa.