- Every child has a dream that is in the hands of a cute teddy bear to make friends "Imagine" during the years of childhood. Merely a simple toy, but a hundred years from now, the stuffed animals were childhood attached to hundreds of millions of people around the world, it is also the way that Build - a - Bear achieve Success!
Surely no one believes that the market each year stuffed toys in the U.S. brought about a huge profit of $ 1.5 billion of which nearly one third market in the hands of the manufacturer and distributor of toys Celebrity Build - a - Bear.
This toy retailer was founded in St. Louis with dozens of U.S. products are favored children from the Teddy or Bunny fuzzy friends to win the hearts of consumers age 10 to 60 ... Success is no denying that when it comes to the Build - a - Bear, but it originates success look like?
Start up the suggestion of 10-year-old girl
That was in 1994, Maxine Clark, founder of the famous toy company while he was still a normal trader, in a time finding toys for her granddaughter, but unfortunately, she could not find anything suitable. A 10-year-old girl saw a woman struggling to choose the stuffed animal and told her immediately to a sudden idea. That's why she did not do it yourself a teddy bear! 3 years later, Build - a - Bear was founded, the first facility in the Louis Galleria.
Women entrepreneurs Maxine Clark is now 60 years old, but she remembers the difficulties and effort spent to get the results today. She recalls: Before he became a businessman, I have worked in the commercial sector to take 19 years just to plan, research and market analysis for May Department stores. Since 1992 - 1996, I started to try to executives, company presidents for production and sale of shoes, Payless ShoeSource.
The companies that are involved women entrepreneurs are big names in the region. However, no representation is always center employee, Ms. Clark decided to "own up".
"Although I loved the work at large companies, but I was ready to change, I want something more interesting," Ms. Clark said.
Retail is also entertaining ...
Years of working in the retail sector has left her valuable experience. She remembers what the CEO of May, Stanley Goodman, told her: "The retail sector is also entertainment services, and only when the customer comfortable and happy, then they spend more money." That phrase was ingrained in her mind Clark and to use it as a guideline Build - a - Bear, this is actually true for older children. The pleasure that children get to make them love and bring success to the business providing products and services for children.
CEO Build - a - Bear share thoughts first started that she herself is not the creator of the teddy bear, but she believed that what she did was create a "fever" in the U.S. and that creativity is no different. When Build - a - Bear launches its new appearance in the major commercial centers, the time children go with their parents to shop, it is the adult's.
Can not change people's habits, it also bears fall into a difficult situation because of the Americans, just toys to buy items in occasions such as Christmas, New Year and birthdays only. The only way to overcome this disadvantage is to focus on the customer and the development of entertainment services to customers. Many doubts and denies that idea because it is too risky to change people's habits.
Maxine Clark has devoted 1 in market research, investing $ 1 million from the family savings to start a fresh real thing. Finally, the first teddy bear was shipped along with the first store style colorful fun gets the attention of the media.
The best feature is that each child while in Build - a - Bear, will themselves choose the traits to create lovely friends of their own, which does not do vendor. Not only are concerned by the media, investors turn to see the potential of Build - a - Bear and seek to contribute to the effort.
Only in the first year, sales have doubled estimates, 4 store was established, and after 2 years the number of 39 stores. Currently, this figure is 400 stores in commercial centers, large and small, with 2,800 employees producing 75 million stuffed animals each year, grossed nearly 468 million dollars to Build - a - Bear.
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