What does it take to turn around a beloved brand during a "retail apocalypse" AND a global pandemic? Sharon Price John, President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, did exactly that—leading the company to five consecutive years of record results while staying true to its mission of "adding a little more heart to life."

In this episode, I speak with Sharon Price John, who's spent over 30 years shaping iconic brands—from Barbie and Transformers at Mattel and Hasbro to Stride Rite footwear, and now Build-A-Bear. Since 2013, Sharon has completely reinvented Build-A-Bear's business model, expanding beyond malls, scaling e-commerce, entering entertainment, and growing the consumer base so that 40% of sales now come from teens and adults.

Here's the fascinating part: Sharon spent years underestimating herself. She worked McDonald's drive-throughs, Lee Jeans night shifts, flower shops—and kept thinking she was about to hit the wall. High school was easy, so college would be where she'd fail. College was fine, so her first job would be it. Got her MBA at Columbia thinking, "This is where it ends." It never did. She finally realized she'd been shooting too low the entire time.

When Sharon joined Build-A-Bear, the brand had mid-90s awareness but was struggling. She saw the equity was trapped—stuck in malls, stuck targeting only kids. Her vision? Transform it from a mall retailer into a branded IP company with multiple revenue streams. Then COVID hit. They shut down 100% of stores in 48 hours. But Sharon's team pivoted fast, moved with imperfect information, and came out strong.

How to Reinvent Like Sharon:

You're not supposed to know everything about the next step—that's the point. If you knew everything, it wouldn't be growth. Embrace not knowing.
Stop catastrophizing—what's the actual worst that can happen? Sharon was terrified to move to New York. Worst case? She'd come back exactly where she was. Do this exercise every time.
The stories you tell yourself are usually wrong. Stop carrying disempowering baggage from past "failures" that probably aren't even based in reality.
Learn how your entire company makes money. Be curious. Visit every department. When you understand the interconnections, you can connect dots others miss.
When you're young, you're recoverable. Taking risks early is strategic. Stop letting fear keep you from trying.
Build trust before you need it. Sharon's team could pivot during COVID because they'd already built credibility through years of solid strategy.

Connect with Sharon:

Find Build-A-Bear at buildabear.com

Read "Stories & Heart" on Amazon at https://a.co/d/3qSQcnK

Connect with Sharon on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-price-john-26239820

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