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;Investors doubted it. Friends questioned it. Retail experts couldn't understand how it would scale.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;Today, Build-A-Bear has generated billions in sales, survived the decline of malls, weathered the financial crisis, and become a global brand.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN&nbsp;How a failed errand—and an offhand comment by a kid–inspired a business plan&nbsp;How Maxine leveraged two decades of retail experience to launch Build-a-Bear&nbsp;How Willy Wonka and Walt Disney were early inspirations&nbsp;How she built a wedge against competitors&nbsp;How she got through the financial crisisHow she knew when to step down as CEO– and how to collaborate with her successor&nbsp;&nbsp;TIMESTAMPS: <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>This episode was researched by Rommel Wood and produced by Kerry Thompson, with music by Ramtin Arablouei, and edited by Neva Grant.&nbsp;Follow How I Built This:Instagram → <a href="https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@howibuiltthis</a>X → <a href="https://x.com/howibuiltthis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@HowIBuiltThis</a>Facebook → <a href="https://www.facebook.com/howibuiltthis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How I Built This</a>Follow Guy Raz:Instagram → <a href="https://www.instagram.com/guy.raz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@guy.raz</a>Youtube →<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNSfrxNEmCruNtjIzxCBHjg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> guy_raz</a>X → <a href="https://x.com/guyraz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@guyraz</a>Substack →<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://guyraz.substack.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">guyraz.substack.com</a>Website →<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://guyraz.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">guyraz.com</a>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

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Build-A-Bear: Maxine Clark. A Former Shoe Executive Launches a Stuffed Animal Empire

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