{"author_name":"BITP - How I Built This with Guy Raz","author_url":"https://art19.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episodes/8e5da7d7-4e2b-4978-b625-f72cb5d57d88","description":"<p>When Maxine Clark left a top job in retail to start a make-your-own stuffed animal store, people thought she’d lost her mind.&nbsp;</p><p>Investors doubted it. Friends questioned it. Retail experts couldn't understand how it would scale.</p><p>But drawing on more than 20 years as a retail executive, Maxine built a massively&nbsp; successful shopping “experience,”&nbsp; where kids could stuff, dress and personalize their own stuffed animals.&nbsp;</p><p>Today, Build-A-Bear has generated billions in sales, survived the decline of malls, weathered the financial crisis, and become a global brand.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>WHAT YOU'LL LEARN&nbsp;</strong></p><p>How a failed errand—and an offhand comment by a kid–inspired a business plan&nbsp;</p><p>How Maxine leveraged two decades of retail experience to launch Build-a-Bear&nbsp;</p><p>How Willy Wonka and Walt Disney were early inspirations&nbsp;</p><p>How she built a wedge against competitors&nbsp;</p><p>How she got through the financial crisis</p><p>How she knew when to step down as CEO– and how to collaborate with her successor&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong>TIMESTAMPS: </strong></p><ul><li>05:52 - A mom Who Worked for Eleanor Roosevelt </li><li>09:18 - The Impromptu Interview That Changed Maxine’s Career</li><li>16:00 - Becoming One of the Few Female Fortune 500 Executives</li><li>18:43 - Why She Walked Away From Payless</li><li>21:27 - The Beanie Baby Disappointment That Sparked Build-A-Bear</li><li>26:14 - Designing the First Store: “Make it Like Willy Wonka.”</li><li>37:53 - Opening Day — and a Line Out the Door</li><li>39:53 - Defending the Brand Against Copycats and Lawsuits</li><li>45:53 - Scaling to Hundreds of Stores and Going Public</li><li>58:25 - Letting Go: Stepping Down as CEO and Building a Legacy</li></ul><p><br></p><p>This episode was researched by Rommel Wood and produced by Kerry Thompson, with music by Ramtin Arablouei, and edited by Neva Grant.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Follow How I Built This:</strong></p><p>Instagram → <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@howibuiltthis</a></p><p>X → <a href=\"https://x.com/howibuiltthis\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@HowIBuiltThis</a></p><p>Facebook → <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/howibuiltthis\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">How I Built This</a></p><p><strong>Follow Guy Raz:</strong></p><p>Instagram → <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/guy.raz/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@guy.raz</a></p><p>Youtube →<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNSfrxNEmCruNtjIzxCBHjg\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> guy_raz</a></p><p><br></p><p>X → <a href=\"https://x.com/guyraz\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">@guyraz</a></p><p>Substack →<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> </a><a href=\"http://guyraz.substack.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">guyraz.substack.com</a></p><p>Website →<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> </a><a href=\"http://guyraz.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">guyraz.com</a></p><p><br></p>","html":"<iframe src=\"https://art19.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episodes/8e5da7d7-4e2b-4978-b625-f72cb5d57d88/embed\" style=\"width: 720px; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" width=\"720\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"></iframe>","provider_name":"ART19","provider_url":"https://art19.com","title":"Build-A-Bear: Maxine Clark. A Former Shoe Executive Launches a Stuffed Animal Empire ","type":"rich","version":"1.0","width":720,"height":200}