What I learned from Build A Bear Workshop

Yesterday, I had the pleasure to take my “kids”, some of my younger daughter’s friends, 2 of my nieces, and both of my great nieces to Build a Bear Workshop to celebrate my younger daughter’s upcoming birthday. I wasn’t so sure about the Build a Bear party to begin with – Fiona had been given the choice between going to Libby Lou or Build a Bear for her party with friends. She has always been enamored with Build a Bear (who wouldn’t be – their colors are so inviting and lively). So, she chose Build a Bear, and, wanting to make her 6th birthday party very memorable, I agreed. I really thought it would be great to be able to give the guests gifts (their own bear) on her birthday. AND, of course, I love the whole “my bear is like no one else’s bear – custom- aspect of the entire thing).

One thing you should know about me is that I’m always working. Even when I’m playing, my brain is processing everything around me in such a way that if something should happen to be useful for work, I’m all over it…mentally noting it for later research or implementation. (Take a look at our zoo pictures from last year’s summer getaway for more “evidence” of everything being a source of business learning or inspiration for me).

Now, I was somewhat familiar with Build a Bear Workshop’s “story” from a show I had seen in the past. But, it had sort of fallen into those dark, cobwebbed recesses of my mind until yesterday when we went for our Build a Bear Experience. It’s a neat story….you should really check it out.

First Impressions

As you know, I’m very detail oriented. It’s one of my company’s signatures – the high level of attention to every little detail. I know that we pay attention to details that some of our customers don’t even notice. For me, that’s fine – the details are important in what we do, and whether every little detail is noticed right away, later on, or never…..they are there, and that’s very important to me.

When we walked into the door at the local Build a Bear, their attention to detail was very obvious. A happy associate greeted us at the door – and even though we were a little early for the party – she went right to work getting everything arranged for us. I also noticed a detail that I found sort of shocking, considering the “usual” prevailing thought in most retail outlets. Their most inexpensive bears (and bunnies) were actually right inside the door – not clear at the back like most retail outlets position their lower price point items.

So, when the associate got everything ready for the party, the kids had already picked out their bears – at least most of them had. The associate let them know that if they picked bears from “this area” they would also be able to get this and that accessories with it. One thing I didn’t mention that I should have for those of you who haven’t done a build a bear party….they let you set a budget for each child BEFORE the party. I think that’s fantastic, especially from a mom’s point of view. It could get pretty expensive if each child is left to his or her own devices…..but, the associates know the budget and steer the kids to where they are going to get the most for their budget. I LOVED that from a mom’s perspective.

Anyway, that’s where my first revelation came in – the positioning of the bears were not the typical retail outlet positioning – the least expensive bears were towards the front of the store, with the bear-price appearing to move upward as you went to the back. I think that is *fabulous* – kudos to Build a Bear for bucking the trend!

That’s not where my learning experience ended, though. I totally appreciated that pretty much every step of the process totally involved the new bear’s owner/friend. For the party, each child (this includes everyone…I didn’t make a bear – I thought it would be too distracting….but, at some point, I will go back alone and make a bear to “suck up” more inspiration about the process) got to pick out 2 hearts. (I like this detail too) – I heart went to their own bear…the other went in the birthday girls’ bear (bunny, actually)….so, Fiona not only had the heart she picked out to go in her bear….BUT, she also had the hearts her friends picked out, put well wishes “into”, and kissed and hugged. While she will likely never see the hearts again (unless one of the dogs wants stuffed bunny for dinner), she knows they are there. So, it’s a detail that is unseen, but, not unappreciated. I LOVE that.

Then came the stuffing.

All the bears were taken over to this huge fluff machine. I remember thinking how much fun a fluff machine could be. Not that I need one….but, it was really relaxing watching the fluff..fluffing. Each child was asked how they wanted their bear stuffed (do you want it soft and fluffy or strong and firm – well, that wasn’t exactly what they said…but, that was the idea). I wasn’t surprised when they all wanted something a little different. That’s one of the beautiful things that Build a Bear can offer – whether a person wants a bear that is really softly stuffed…or whether they want one that can stand on its stuffing all on its own (strong and firm), you can have it. For obvious reasons, that was not lost on me.

After everyone stuffed their bunnies,bears, monkeys, and dogs….they gave their new friends an “air bath” – and while this was adorable and definitely unique…something else occured to me then – the whole store was setup in a very kid friendly way. The kids didn’t need to know how to read to be able to do the things in the store. Under the air bath, for example, there was a foot pedal with a big bear print on it. It didn’t take long for them to realize they put THEIR foot there to make the air bath work. Clever….and not the usual “boring” pictorials to tell us what to do.

During the stuffing and bathing time….I had some “free” time to watch how things were going in the store in general. First thing I noticed? The employees seems genuinely happy to be there. I can’t think of the last time I went into a retail establishment (or even an office type environment) where everyone seemed happy to be there and not there simply to earn money. It was refreshing. There wasn’t tension in the air like you find in other work environments. And, the “happy” wasn’t fake. I mean, I wouldn’t want employees who seemed unhappy working with my customers – but, “fake happy” is almost worse than blatantly unhappy.

The choices in the workshop were numerous. I mean, it was a little overwhelming for some of our party goers. I understood this from working with my own customers. I think giving people options – so they can create *exactly* what they want is really important. But, it seems like the corporate culture of making things as cheap and as fast as possible have gotten people out of the habit of expecting to get exactly what they want. In other words, I think current corporate culture has killed creativity, and (almost worse) has forced consumers to lower their expectations – either in what they want, in how something will work for them, in quality, or in individual style. I think that’s a terrible tragedy – but, I was so thrilled to find another company out there that didn’t want to put its customers into a box and force them to stay there. To help with all the choices, the associates were right there to help our party goers and the other “guests” at Build a Bear. And, I loved that. That help is why I still do almost all of my company’s customer service….I want to make sure that whoever is answering the phone keeps the customer’s wishes in focus and helps guide them through the numerous choices that we offer.

After stuffing their bears, the kids went on to the task of “accessorizing” and “dressing” their bears, bunnies, monkeys, and puppies. This is where the most choices came into play….and probably the most chaos. Kids were going every direction, and working on what they could get and stay within their budget. Even when one of our party goers decided (after things were figured up) that she was going to change outfits for her bear, the associate was so kind and calm and simply went through the tags and made the adjustments necessary. Truly, it was a place where kids could be kids….and people were allowed to change their minds – mid stream.

After everyone was created, dressed, and appropriately accessorized, the kids sat down at the computers to make the “birth certificates” for each of their new friends. This was another area where useability for kids who didn’t necessarily read was thoughtfully implemented. On the screen the instructions were easy to follow….and the keyboards were modified with colored buttons – so, between the pictures, the colors, and the words, most of the kids could get through the birth certificates on their own (with very few issues – we had a non-reader, and several of the 6 year olds obviously didn’t spend as much time on/with a computer as Fiona….so, we really got a neat sampling among our party goers with the experience).

At the end of the party, each bear got it’s own “house”, birth certificate, and, of course, many pictures to commemorate the event. I am sure that none of them will ever forget Build a Bear – and, I’m also positive that they have a customer for life in me. I was so terribly impressed with their detail orientation and their true “build it like you want it” philosophy (unlike the build it like *we* want you to think you want it philosophy of 99% of the retail outlets out there.) In a world where “custom” rarely means “custom” – Build a Bear is definitely an inspiration.

While I was there, I also picked up the book: “The Bear Necessities of Business, Building a Company with Heart” by Maxine Clark, the founder of Build a Bear Workshop. I’ve not read a great deal of it at this point (mostly because I’m taking notes and highlighting as I read and get another idea for something I can implement in our business or a small change I would like to try to better serve our customers)….but, so far, it’s definitely an excellent read and one that I would recommend to anyone – whether you are building your own business or working for someone else.

One thing she mentions in the book that I LOVE the idea of (and am wanting to implement) is that they have a wall of pictures in their corporate headquarters of their “guests” – to remind them why they do what they do. I think that’s fantastic. I have a book right now that I have the stories of our customers….the stories are really what stick with us and are part of the reason why we do what we do. I think those stories – those connections – are really the lifeblood of our business….and while we don’t always get to hear the stories (people think they are dealing with some huge corporation that doesn’t care…so, we don’t always get to hear the stories)….the ones we do have – and the great pictures we get sometimes – are worth their weight in gold to us. I keep the book out where all of us can flip through it. We already know the stories by heart. When I get the privilege of hearing a story behind an order…I always write it down and share with everyone – because that provides that incredible connection between our work and our customers….and helps us always remember that what we do does make a difference to that person. Every step of our process – from tearing paper for our journals to individually (and carefully) packaging each product….because whatever we have created is important to THAT customer….to their life. So, while we know we aren’t working on a cure for cancer…..each of us feels like we are making a difference

I see alot of commonalities between what Build a Bear does and what Saving Grace Enterprises does….and, I’m so happy I had the privilege of the Build a Bear experience.