HoneySuckleBlue
03-12-2008, 10:56 PM
People like this are sooo inspiring:)
like to say the lightbulb went off for Build-A-Bear Workshop one day in the summer of 1996. I was out shopping with my friend Katie, who was 10 years old at the time. We were on a mission to find Beanie Babies, but the store that had promised a new shipment had none left. Katie looked at me and said, "These are so easy—we could make them." She meant go to my basement and do a craft project, but what I heard was so much bigger and the idea for Build-A-Bear Workshop was born.
Building On Her Passion I have always believed in listening to what others have to say, but being careful about the advice you actually take. Rather than adhering strictly to the traditional ways of doing things, I challenge myself and those I work with to think more creatively. I'm constantly trying to come up with ways we can take a conventional product or task and put our own unique spin on it by making it more "bearish."
For instance, Build-A-Bear Workshop didn't invent teddy bears, nor were we first to create the places that make them. But we put an entirely new spin on the teddy bear business. We saw possibilities like no one else. People always say to me "Why didn't I think of that?" Well, because teddy bears weren't their thing, they weren't their passion, but perhaps they have a passion for something else.
One of the greatest challenges that I've faced hasn't been based around being a female business owner (BusinessWeek.com, 3/15/07). Instead it's convincing people that Build-A-Bear Workshop and teddy bears are not a fad and that this concept has staying power. Every grown-up that I spoke to about the idea before I started said it wouldn't work, but every child I spoke to loved it, so I knew it was a winning concept. Teddy bears are over 100 years old. In 2007 we are celebrating our 10th birthday and have sold over 50 million furry friends!
Don't Sweat the Small Stitches I've learned many lessons along the way, and I consider mistakes part of the learning process. I encourage people to take risks and to make the most of the mistakes that do occur. In my book, The Bear Necessities of Business, I write about how mistakes make you better. We've taken some of our old so-called mistakes and turned them into the normal course of business.
For example, we had a mistake in our clothing for our bears—when I was ordering clothes from our manufacturer, I didn't think to ask them to leave a little hole in the back of each outfit so the animal's tail could fit through. Once the clothes arrived in the store, our associates started making these peek-a-boo holes by ripping an inch out of the seam in every outfit. When I realized my mistake, I didn't beat myself up. I just called the manufacturer and asked for a tiny hole opening the seam in every outfit. Problem solved.
Finally, you should always allow yourself to dream—and dream big—it's only through such thinking that great things happen. Don't limit yourself because you don't think your dream is attainable. You must start by believing you can truly achieve whatever you set your mind to, no matter how big it might seem. Not dreaming big enough is one of the biggest mistakes you can make—if you can't see your dream, how do you expect others to?
More journals are available in our ongoing Entrepreneur's Journal series.
Dream Big!
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-112572-m-1-sc-12-buildabears_founder_shares_her_story-i
like to say the lightbulb went off for Build-A-Bear Workshop one day in the summer of 1996. I was out shopping with my friend Katie, who was 10 years old at the time. We were on a mission to find Beanie Babies, but the store that had promised a new shipment had none left. Katie looked at me and said, "These are so easy—we could make them." She meant go to my basement and do a craft project, but what I heard was so much bigger and the idea for Build-A-Bear Workshop was born.
Building On Her Passion I have always believed in listening to what others have to say, but being careful about the advice you actually take. Rather than adhering strictly to the traditional ways of doing things, I challenge myself and those I work with to think more creatively. I'm constantly trying to come up with ways we can take a conventional product or task and put our own unique spin on it by making it more "bearish."
For instance, Build-A-Bear Workshop didn't invent teddy bears, nor were we first to create the places that make them. But we put an entirely new spin on the teddy bear business. We saw possibilities like no one else. People always say to me "Why didn't I think of that?" Well, because teddy bears weren't their thing, they weren't their passion, but perhaps they have a passion for something else.
One of the greatest challenges that I've faced hasn't been based around being a female business owner (BusinessWeek.com, 3/15/07). Instead it's convincing people that Build-A-Bear Workshop and teddy bears are not a fad and that this concept has staying power. Every grown-up that I spoke to about the idea before I started said it wouldn't work, but every child I spoke to loved it, so I knew it was a winning concept. Teddy bears are over 100 years old. In 2007 we are celebrating our 10th birthday and have sold over 50 million furry friends!
Don't Sweat the Small Stitches I've learned many lessons along the way, and I consider mistakes part of the learning process. I encourage people to take risks and to make the most of the mistakes that do occur. In my book, The Bear Necessities of Business, I write about how mistakes make you better. We've taken some of our old so-called mistakes and turned them into the normal course of business.
For example, we had a mistake in our clothing for our bears—when I was ordering clothes from our manufacturer, I didn't think to ask them to leave a little hole in the back of each outfit so the animal's tail could fit through. Once the clothes arrived in the store, our associates started making these peek-a-boo holes by ripping an inch out of the seam in every outfit. When I realized my mistake, I didn't beat myself up. I just called the manufacturer and asked for a tiny hole opening the seam in every outfit. Problem solved.
Finally, you should always allow yourself to dream—and dream big—it's only through such thinking that great things happen. Don't limit yourself because you don't think your dream is attainable. You must start by believing you can truly achieve whatever you set your mind to, no matter how big it might seem. Not dreaming big enough is one of the biggest mistakes you can make—if you can't see your dream, how do you expect others to?
More journals are available in our ongoing Entrepreneur's Journal series.
Dream Big!
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-112572-m-1-sc-12-buildabears_founder_shares_her_story-i