Shehnaz Safiuddin

Tell us about your career journey and how you ended up here. 

I spent the first part of my career in classic brand management at well-known consumer packaged foods companies, namely General Mills and Kraft. These companies gave me a great foundation for branding, new product development, market research, and every aspect of marketing and managing a brand. I worked on mom/kid/family brands like Fruit Roll-ups and Jell-O Pudding Pops, so my love for kid-oriented marketing and product development started from the very beginning.

Several years later, I moved back to my hometown of Buffalo, NY, where I had grown up with the storied Fisher-Price Toys company practically in my backyard. I was thrilled when I landed a job as marketing manager at a oy company so near and dear to my heart. Over the years I had the opportunity to work on so many wonderful product lines with so many amazing people. Imaginext and Little People are two of my favorite brands that I helped grow and develop. I also led the team that launched the original Smart Cycle back in 2007, which ended up generating the biggest sales dollars for a single item, at that time. And we won the TOTY award that year as well! 

About 10 years ago I made a move to Chicago, where I continued working in the toy and collectibles industry at TOMY International and then Precious Moments. A couple of years ago I decided to leave my corporate position and embark on a consulting adventure, and that is when Snap Kick Marketing was born! I love helping clients uncover consumer insights to build their brand stories and new product strategies.   

Describe yourself in 5-7 words - have fun with it!

Energetic, passionate, compassionate, creative, strategic, and the queen of spreadsheets!  

Tell us about a time when you thrived at work, and what you learned about yourself from that experience.

My favorite work experiences have been those where I felt I was contributing a lot of my knowledge and expertise to help grow the business, but I was also able to learn new things and gain new skills from my colleagues. The best roles are when you get to both give and take. Also, the times I felt I thrived the most, are those times when I had supervisors and bosses who believed in me and threw new challenges my way because they knew I would be able to rise to the occasion, even if I wasn’t so sure at the start!  

What is your favorite part of your job?

The camaraderie of working together with colleagues to solve problems, launch new products, and take our businesses in new and exciting directions is so rewarding. And the forging of friendships that goes along with that is even better!  

How about when you "turn off" and go home? Any hobbies or fun activities you are involved in?

I started training in Tae Kwon Do about 16 years ago. I just tested for and received my 3rd degree black belt back in December 2023. It's a great workout while also fostering perseverance, determination, camaraderie, and a way get out of your comfort zone.  

Any must-read, must-watch or must-follow recomendations?

Must-read: The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha. It is a collection of the good things in life and a reminder to stop and smell the roses.

Must watch: Frasier. So well written and it never gets old.

Must follow: Your values 

Anything else you want to share with the WiT Community?

A new doctor once asked me what I do for a living. I told her I work in marketing at a toy company. She said, "oh you get moms to spend lots of money on toys." I replied, "no, I help children develop their imaginations and build childhood memories."