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After a lovely little breakfast here at the Contemporary Resort in Disney World, we’ve moved into the main conference room. We’ve all entered a drawing to win [drumroll please] a stay tonight in Cinderella Castle! How cool would that be? We’ve also gotten badges to write our Twitter names on (finally… could’ve used these a few nights ago) and pink sweatshirts.
The Tweeter Sisters are opening up here… they’re comedians, and they are a little too loud and a little too… shrill for this early in the morning. I think I’d be more amused if I could get a nice can of Coke to wake me up. (I don’t drink coffee.)
President of Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts (correct me if I got her title wrong) Meg Croftin is up. “The closer you look at Disney Parks and Resorts, the more interesting and intriguing they become.” Social media helps that. This is her dream job.
“We have always created magical moments in our parks… and Give a Day Get a Disney Day helps extend those magical moments… around the world.”
The Tweeter Sisters (Robin and J) are back. They want us to do this little “tweet tweet” choreography, but HELLO – we’re tweeting and blogging here!
Giveaway drawing will be later this morning. Sweet holds up to six people. Whoever wins, the overnight bags must be packed and ready by 4:00pm. (Winner will have to miss the afternoon sessions.) They’re snorting up there.
Introducing Maxine Clark, Founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
“When people think of an entrepreneur, they usually associate it with business… something with a lot of risk and reward… I wanted to leave this world a better place. To leave a legacy…”
Creating value for future generations. We all share the entrepreneurial spirit. We’re moms.
It’s about passion. It’s about doing what you love, and loving what you do. (She speaks really fast!)
She has had many great mentors and women who challenged her as she was growing up. Telling us about a teacher she had in school who garded papers with a red pencil. She sharpened a red pencil every week and handed it out to the student each wee who had made the most mistakes… took the most risks. It helped her to know what shee didn’t know.
She loved to learn. Always asked questions. Unlimited curiosity. Twitter was created for us, with endless curiosity, to teach and share with others.
“Retailing is entertainment and the store is a stage. When the customer has fun, they spend more money.” – Stanley Goodman
How did she turn the rough idea for Build-A-Bear Workshop and turn it into a working business? She got back in touch with her inner child and didn’t let anything get in her way of making her dreams come true. You have to believe that you can achieve anything your heart desires, no matter how monumental. The unimaginable is happening every day.
She left corporate America to bring the fun back to retailing. She put her money where her mouth was to bring teh excitement back to shopping, which she had found boring. “Just about the customer retailing.”
“Let a child inspire you.”
Beanie Babies were her inspiration while shopping with a 10 year old, at a store that had promised to have a new shipment, but had none left. “These are so easy, we could make them.” She took that idea and ran with it.
Nearly 80 million stuffed animals sold worldwide.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” many people ask her. Because teddy bears aren’t their passion, but everyone has their own passion. She shares her passion every day with her guests.
Strong emotional connection is part of what makes her business model truly unique. She read us some letters sent to her by guests. Really cute letters from kids.
“Cute sells!”
“Inspire FUN!”
Partnerships are based on the theory that 1+1=10. Powerful brands attract other powerful brands. Partner relationships add up to make so much more for the customers.
Over 40% of women online are moms with children under the age of 18. Go moms!
“Empower kids to make a difference.”
She provides an environment that allows each individual to reach their full potential. She put the heart and the fun back into retail, even in today’s tough economic environment.
Sharing and caring – celebrating the optimism of kids of all ages, leaving a positive mark on the world. Build-A-Bear donates money to a number of causes.
“A world of possibility.”
The Internet is definitely making the world a smaller place. They use the store experience to enhance the online experience.
Holly and Hal Moose debuted this past holiday season on ABC Family. Had their first ever Twitter party (I was there!) and partnered with Stampin’ It Up for in-home viewing parties. Engaging with their guests. Each one is unique, special, and valued.
“Put your heart into it.”
“Our guests are the heart of our business.” Guest-centered business makes them successful.
Question and answer period.
Is this Chris Brogan asking the first question? I missed what he asked. Maxine is talking about making a difference. She is “technologically curious,” but not tech-savvy. She does her own tweets, couldn’t imagine letting anyone else tweet for her.
Miss Lori is asking about helping children in need. Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation provides grants for various projects. Check “About Us” on their Web site. Got into this because of a little girl in chemo who would stop at Build-A-Bear Workshop on the way to all of her treatments, and the employees from her local store all attended her funeral. (I’m tearing up.) They created Nikki’s Bear in her memory – in purple, her favorite color. Huggable Heroes program gives awards to kids who were nominated and selected for changing the world. “I don’t know that we’ve ever said no to a reasonable request.”
How do you balance your time so you can be accessible through social media without getting sucked into the social part? Maxine said that the social part is not the work part, it’s the fun part. She truly enjoys connecting with and engaging with her customers. She was previously the president of Payless Shoes. “You can never have too many shoes or too many teddy bears.” Applause. This is what we, as women, are about – if we’re not connecting, what are we doing this for? Whether it’s 2am or 2pm, the social part is what makes this worthwhile. “Enjoy it while it’s enjoayble, and move on when it’s not.”
How are international workshops different or similar from those in the United States? Only thing that’s different is the language on the signs. Everyone in the world starts as a child with a big heart and no biases. Best selling bear in any given week is the same in U.S., Singapore, Germany, etc. Regional holidays may influence this occasionally, but kids everywhere get the same experience. Local costumes offered to dress the bears in each country.
Did you dream the bigger dream when you had the idea? Yes, but you don’t know exactly how it’s going to play out. She sat down and wrote a business plan, and it worked out how she wanted it. She looked to buy manufacturing companies in the U.S., but they all thought she was crazy. Her 10 year old friend Katie said they could do it themselves. So they did. Investors went for it. Don’t be scared to show your ideas to someone else. People can’t steal what’s in your heart. Talk about it with people who can share value with you. The bigger you can make it, the better it will be. But she didn’t know quite how big this would become.
What do you do differently that makes your employees so unique? One word in their training manual: Yes. Children don’t try to take advantage. (Some adults might, though.) “We can teach you to use the cash register, but we can’t teach you to care.” They hire people who care. They hire about 3% of all the people who apply. They train retail skills; it’s the human being skills they care about.
Disclosure: I paid $350 to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration in Walt Disney World. Included in my conference fee: our room at the Polynesian Resort, Park Hopper tickets, the conference sessions, most of our meals, and a few little extra surprises. That being said, my opinions are my own, and my blogs posts about the experience are my honest opinion.
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
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[…] Founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop – Finding and Building Success. I was lucky enough to hear Maxine speak at the Disney Social Media Moms conference back in February, so I’m looking forward to hearing what she has to say […]