☕ A completely normal workday – and only then does El Affo Toys begin
My day doesn't start among figures or packages.
I have a completely normal full-time main job that dictates my daily routine and, of course, takes priority.
Only after work does the question even arise:
Is anything even happening today – or will the shop just be left untouched?
And very often, it is left untouched.
And that's okay.
Because El Affo Toys is a hobby, a small business that I run in the afternoons or evenings – if there's time left over.
Chaos is half of life. Sometimes there's simply no time to clean up — and that's exactly how it looks here. An honest snapshot from my little everyday El-Affo-Toys life (I've managed to clean up since then)
🕒 Time is my biggest bottleneck
Everything that goes into running a small shop takes a massive amount of time:
- SEO
- Product photos
- Listing new items
- Google Search Console
- Instagram Reels
- Preparing posts
- Answering messages
These aren't "just a quick" tasks.
These are hours.
And that's exactly why it took over two months for me to even set up this shop.
Not due to lack of motivation – but because every day I have to weigh my options:
Shop or family? Shop or relaxation? Shop or simply do nothing?
Very often, everyday life wins.
And that's perfectly fine.
🧸 When the kids help – or we simply play
Sometimes the kids come down to the "basement."
They love browsing through the storage or my collection.
And usually, it ends with us just taking something off the shelf and playing:
- Playmobil Western City – Saloon, Sheriff's Office, Indians 3483, Stagecoach
- LEGO – Mario landscapes, Knights, Forestmen
- MOTU – Building Castle Grayskull and letting Skeletor attack (he wins surprisingly often)
- or we experience the truly great crossover moments:
Skeletor and He-Man sitting at the Barbie table, munching on a chicken.
These moments are just as much a part of El Affo Toys as every package or every product photo.
And they are more important to me than any to-do list.
Sheriff's Office, Saloon, Drug-Store and Stagecoach – 80s Playmobil. The best Playmobil there ever was.
Just a normal Wednesday on Snake Mountain: Skeletor and his band (apart from the Snake-men) are munching on a chicken at the Barbie table, while Ram-Man has to slave away at the grill.
📦 El Affo Toys happens in the evening – if at all
Many days I have no time at all for the shop.
I don't get around to unpacking new goods, let alone photographing or listing products.
It just gets left untouched then — and that's perfectly fine.
What always runs, however, is shipping.
I almost always manage to do that in the evening.
Ten minutes for packing can always be found somehow, and I want orders to be shipped reliably.
A typical El-Affo-Toys package: carefully packed, with bubble wrap, packing paper, a small extra, and my flyer. This is how every package starts its journey.
❤️ Why I do all this
Because I enjoy it.
Because I love figures.
Because I like it when my kids go through the shelves with sparkling eyes.
Because it's a project that accompanies me — without pressure, without stress, without full-time ambitions.
El Affo Toys is not a job.
It's a passion project.
And that's why it feels right.