#266: NY Toy Fair 2025 Exclusive Interview with Sharon Price John
“There are no tired brands, just tired marketers.” That quote alone has been living rent-free in my head since this interview. It has challenged me to take a look at my own brand and ask, am I doing everything I can to keep it thriving?
In this episode, Sharon Price John, President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop and Chairwoman of the Toy Association, shares how she turned around a failing classic brand, and ushered it into a new era of profitability and heart.
Sharon walked me through her approach to brand transformation, from how she finds hidden profit in the smallest details to how she leads with data, with a focus on building resilience even through the toughest times. Sharon is a master of reframing for a positive mindset. When the pandemic hit, she renamed her daily team meetings from “COVID calls” to “success calls.” And that mindset shift worked wonders. 2021 became Build-A-Bear’s most profitable year ever.
If you’re sitting on a brand that you know has potential but you’ve been feeling stuck on how to help it gain momentum, this episode will certainly give you a new perspective.
Listen For These Important Moments
[04:06] - What do you do when a business is failing, but the brand still has magic? Sharon shares how she approached one of the biggest challenges of her career.
[08:04] - Could saving a few pennies really turn a business around? This moment will make you rethink how you look at every product detail.
[18:50] - In the middle of a crisis, Sharon made one simple change that completely shifted her team’s mindset—and it led to record-breaking results.
[24:58] - “There are no tired brands, just tired marketers.”— This one quote changed how I see branding forever. If your business feels stuck, this is the wake-up call you need.
[38:41] - Think success means climbing a ladder step by step? Sharon has a different take that might just change your entire career outlook.
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This episode is brought to you by www.thetoycoach.com
Watch Sharon on Undercover Boss
Go behind the scenes at Build-A-Bear with Sharon’s episode of Undercover Boss. Watch the trailer!Read Sharon’s Book: Stories & Heart
Love this episode? Her book dives even deeper into leadership and personal growth.Get more insights and updates from Sharon. Follow Sharon on LinkedIn.
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[00:00:00] Azhelle Wade: You are listening to Making It in The Toy Industry, episode number 266.
[00:00:10] Welcome to Making It in The Toy Industry, a podcast for inventors, entrepreneurs, and makers like you. And now your host, Azhelle Wade.
[00:00:22] Azhelle Wade: Hey there, toy people. Azhelle Wade here and welcome back to another episode of Making It in the Toy Industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach.com. Today ends our New York Toy Fair 2025 exclusive interview series.
[00:00:38] Azhelle Wade: I know, I can't believe it's over already too, but before we dive into our next interview, let's quickly recap PurryFuls episode, we learn to prototype on your own. It may take more time, but it does save you money. Katharine of PurryFuls prototyped her plush on her own many times before she brought it to a studio to produce, and the hundreds of cat body parts and iteration she made could have cost her tens of thousands if she had an external studio, do it for her instead of doing it for herself.
[00:01:09] Azhelle Wade: DIYing it also resulted in Katharine understanding her product better and moving faster through the development phase and when she was ready to work with a studio, she had a majority of that work done. Now, if you missed any of the past episodes of our New York Toy Fair 2025 interview series, head over to thetoycoach.com/podcast to check them out.
[00:01:30] Azhelle Wade: If you specifically wanna hear the PurryFuls episode, head over to thetoycoach.com/264. Okay, now let's get into my final interview. I'm so excited to share it. Today we have the incredible Sharon Price John, who is one of the most influential leaders in the toy industry. Sharon is the president and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop where she's transformed the brand into a powerhouse of innovation, digital engagement, and entertainment.
[00:01:59] Azhelle Wade: But that's just the beginning. Sharon's career has spanned some of the biggest names in toys She's worked at Hasbro and Mattel. Overseeing everything from Barbie to Star Wars. She's also currently the chairwoman of the Toy Association, guiding the industry into its next chapter. And if that wasn't enough, she's a published author.
[00:02:19] Azhelle Wade: And even went undercover in Undercover Boss, we didn't even have time to touch on that in this interview. There were too many laughs and too many good pieces to share, but we will put a link to the Undercover Boss episode trailer in the show notes. Can't wait to share this interview with you. Without further ado, let's dive in.
[00:02:39] Azhelle Wade: Sharon, welcome to the podcast.
[00:02:41] Sharon Price: Thank you.
[00:02:42] Azhelle Wade: It is so great to have you here.
[00:02:44] Sharon Price: I'm excited.
[00:02:45] Azhelle Wade: I saw you talk at ChiTAG and I was taking a ton of notes while you spoke. Yeah. You did a talk at the, like at the very beginning of ChiTAG.
[00:02:52] Sharon Price: Yes, I was. I was up there on the panel.
[00:02:54] Azhelle Wade: I was taking notes the whole time.
[00:02:55] Sharon Price: Oh, good.
[00:02:55] Azhelle Wade: It was great. So I'm so honored to be interviewing you–
[00:02:55] Sharon Price: Oh, thank you.
[00:02:57] Azhelle Wade: At Toy Fair. So it's exciting. So you've been with Build-A-Bear for 25 years?
[00:03:03] Sharon Price: No.
[00:03:04] Azhelle Wade: No?
[00:03:04] Sharon Price: Oh, no.
[00:03:04] Azhelle Wade: How long have you been with Build-A-Bear?
[00:03:06] Sharon Price: I've been with Build-A-Bear for 12 years.
[00:03:09] Azhelle Wade: 12? Oh.
[00:03:09] Sharon Price: Yeah.
[00:03:09] Azhelle Wade: That's nothing.
[00:03:11] Sharon Price: Well, I lived it, so it was uh.
[00:03:14] Azhelle Wade: Oh, I'm sorry. Build-A-Bear has been around for 25 years.
[00:03:14] Sharon Price: I’ve been with them for over 25 years, yeah.
[00:03:18] Azhelle Wade: So Build-A-Bear has been around for over 25 years.
[00:03:19] Sharon Price: Since 1997.
[00:03:20] Azhelle Wade: And in your 12, how have you changed the way the brand works? Have you made any adjustments? Have you made any changes? Why?
[00:03:28] Sharon Price: I had to.
[00:03:28] Azhelle Wade: Why?
[00:03:28] Sharon Price: It was a turnaround situation.
[00:03:29] Azhelle Wade: Why? Oh, so what happened?
[00:03:30] Sharon Price: Yeah, so the founder was there with Maxine Clark, who by the way, was just presented with the, she's now in the toy hall of fame.
[00:03:37] Azhelle Wade: Oh, wow.
[00:03:38] Sharon Price: So in the TOTYs earlier this week.
[00:03:40] Azhelle Wade: Oh. I didn't go.
[00:03:41] Sharon Price: Yeah, so it was great. I got, I was, I mean, it was like a–
[00:03:44] Azhelle Wade: You presented?
[00:03:45] Sharon Price: Oh, well, because I'm the toy foundation. I'm, you know, I'm the chair of the Toy association and therefore I'm on the toy foundation--
[00:03:52] Azhelle Wade: You're doing everything.
[00:03:53] Sharon Price: So all that stuff. So I introduced the whole event with Greg Ahearn, who's the CEO and President.
[00:03:58] Azhelle Wade:Yes.
[00:03:59] Sharon Price: And then I did the introduction of Maxine and then I got to give away the Toy of the Year award. So it was a fun night for sure for all, for the 900 some odd people there, but–
[00:04:09] Azhelle Wade: Jealous.
[00:04:10] Sharon Price: Yeah. So anyway, it was a turnaround situation, so we had to change a lot.
[00:04:13] Azhelle Wade: Oh, how. Oh my gosh. Okay. So how did you approach monetizing a beloved brand while keeping its original magic intact?
[00:04:21] Sharon Price: Okay, so that's a really good question. First of all, that's a good question because you know that the magic had to stay intact. Because so many people that come into a situation like that when there's a broken business but not a broken brand. Sometimes lose the plot if you only attack it from one side of the coin.
[00:04:41] Azhelle Wade: And just take like tear it all apart.
[00:04:43] Sharon Price: Yeah, just tear it all apart. And I, A lot of turnaround agents, that is often their MO is to come in and sort of just do a financial sort of, um, dissect.
[00:04:53] Azhelle Wade: Like what, everything that's not working, like rip it.
[00:04:53] Sharon Price: Dissecting every line. Pull it out, rip it out, pull out the inventory, you know, cut off all these things, closed stores, da da, da. You have to have a vision about what you think the brand in this case can become. And make sure that every choice that you're making, even though you have to make some tough choices, without a doubt, you have to return to profitability.
[00:05:15] Sharon Price: But those choices are not. Going to come back and bite you later when you start to get to the build mode. So there is a time when you're right sizing, level setting, getting all of the business, expanding margins. Then you know, if you haven't done that, when you're rebuilding all the different functional areas, you're gonna be in trouble later. So return to profitability first, scale second.
[00:05:40] Azhelle Wade: I was literally about to ask, so it sounds like you do this. Often I don't–
[00:05:45] Sharon Price: I've done it a few times.
[00:05:46] Azhelle Wade: You've done this often?
[00:05:46] Sharon Price: Yeah.
[00:05:47] Azhelle Wade: So what is the formula that you do when you, when you come into a business and you know it's gonna be a turnaround situation, what is the formula, the path that you follow?
[00:05:51] Sharon Price: So, I've done it on brands and business units in the company. Right, so a lot of times I don't like to turn around things that I don't think the underlying brand value is there. So usually the first thing that I do is assess where that value lies. And again, make sure that I'm not cutting out the pieces that are going to be necessary to continue the brand in the future. Then what I'll do is I usually take the entire, you know, sort of spreadsheet and you learn a lot over the course of time about where money is usually hiding. And so I can–
[00:06:26] Azhelle Wade: What do you mean, like opportunity?
[00:06:27] Sharon Price: Yeah. Well, well see. Oh, your margin's this. And I'll know that's never gonna work out. You know, if that's, you're going in margin, you're gonna have trouble. If that's, that's how much you're spending on rent, you're gonna have trouble. If that's how much you're spending on payroll, you're gonna have trouble.
[00:06:38] Sharon Price: Mm. You know, as a percent of the business. And there's these earmarks about certain types of businesses that you're like, mm, that's never gonna work out. And so you start to attack it piece by piece by piece. If that's how much a buildout costs for a new store, you're really extending your payback time.
[00:06:51] Sharon Price: So we went in and dissected it all and put it back together. And here's the thing, people don't understand When you're turning around a brand or a business unit or even a company, if you've been asked to come in, there probably isn't a silver bullet as they say. If there was–
[00:07:07] Azhelle Wade: People think there is?
[00:07:08] Sharon Price: Of course they do. All the time. Investors particularly, that there's a silver bullet and I, I think that people think that that's gonna be like the sexy answer. Like, oh yeah, I. Saw how this one store was a problem. Well, here's the thing. When they finally come out and find you as a turnaround agent or a turnaround expert, if there was a silver bullet, they would have shot that thing.
[00:07:30] Azhelle Wade: Right. Yeah. Right. I am so interested. Like as a business owner, I can't help but analyze my business constantly. So the way that you're approaching this, so pragmatically I haven't been taught or I haven't heard, so I'm quite enjoying this go on.
[00:07:44] Sharon Price: Thank you.
[00:07:45] Azhelle Wade: Go on. I'm in a masterclass right now.
[00:07:48] Sharon Price: Right. The next step to that is you really need to, you don't have to become a deep dive expert in every functional area of the company, but you need to be really good at the functional areas because the truth is there's not a billion dollars with that silver bullet. There's a dollar on every link of the value chain.
[00:08:07] Sharon Price: And that's what you're looking for. Um, so.
[00:08:10] Azhelle Wade: That requires patience then.
[00:08:11] Sharon Price: Yeah. Well--
[00:08:12] Azhelle Wade: As you're coming in.
[00:08:13] Sharon Price: Some of the things you can look at and say, okay, that just has to stop. And first thing you wanna know is like, where are my biggest cost drivers? Where do I spend my money? There's usually 2, 3, 4 things that are gonna be your very largest things. Can I fix that immediately? Or is that long term, I'm gonna have to work my way out of it. Right? And the, the three biggest things for us are gonna be rent because, you know--
[00:08:38] Azhelle Wade: It's a physical location, yeah.
[00:08:38] Sharon Price: Because it's a physical location. You have hundreds of locations.
[00:08:38] Azhelle Wade: And you can't get rid of it, that's a hard thing I'm assuming.
[00:08:43] Sharon Price: Well, I, well, I don't wanna get rid of it. But you're also in that case when you recognize that it's rent, and that's true for almost any retailer. It's gonna be one of their big three. Where am I in my leases? Where can, can I buy out or I'm gonna have to burn it out? What can I renegotiate?
[00:08:59] Sharon Price: What, can I operate with a smaller footprint? So when that lease comes up, can I move to another place and get some, get a little bit of tenant allowance, so, 'cause I'm building out a new location. So all of those things, and you just get a long term strategy, start knocking it out, and the next one's gonna be payroll and the third's gonna be inventory, right?
[00:09:17] Sharon Price: And. You try to get more efficient and on your inventory. For me, I grew up on Barbie. At Mattel. And they're really good because they're vertical in terms of they, even at the time, they own their own factories. So we learned a lot about the value engineering of Cut and Stitch. So you know Barbie fashions?
[00:09:38] Sharon Price: Right. And so went in literally with the team. We took all the stuff, all the clothes, all of the patterns, threw 'em on a big table, and I went through every single one of them and taught those guys how to think about value engineering.
[00:09:53] Azhelle Wade: Interesting.
[00:09:54] Sharon Price: Yes. For--
[00:09:55] Azhelle Wade: Like how to save co-- Okay. How to save cost. Wow.
[00:09:56] Sharon Price: Pennies. Pennies. Pennies, pennies, pennies, pennies. Because--
[00:09:58] Azhelle Wade: Full on cogs exercise.
[00:10:00] Sharon Price: 100%.
[00:10:01] Azhelle Wade: Wow.
[00:10:02] Sharon Price: Because the discipline--
[00:10:04] Azhelle Wade: How many seams were there?
[00:10:04] Sharon Price: A lot.
[00:10:04] Azhelle Wade: How many pieces? Yeah, like hundreds, thousands?
[00:10:05] Sharon Price: I, hundreds. Because it was for a season, you know, a season that was in out. That we could, that, that there was enough horizon that we could touch it. So from seam allowances to whether there's glitter on the front--
[00:10:18] Azhelle Wade: Seam allowances?
[00:10:19] Sharon Price: You make stuff.
[00:10:20] Azhelle Wade: Oh my. I know I have. Yeah.
[00:10:22] Sharon Price: So, but in the kids' business, I don't need to put the glitter on the back and the front.
[00:10:25] Azhelle Wade: I know. Yeah.
[00:10:27] Sharon Price: Right?
[00:10:27] Azhelle Wade: You don't need lining.
[00:10:28] Sharon Price: Yeah. I don't need the lining. There were stuff, oh, can I tell you a funny story? There was something where we had a little mermaid costume. Yeah. And they actually had padding in her little, and I'm like, guys come on.
[00:10:42] Azhelle Wade: She doesn't need padding.
[00:10:43] Sharon Price: Okay. There's three sips right there, let’s go. She's five, three, four sips.
[00:10:46] Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh, that's so interesting.
[00:10:48] Sharon Price: You know? So it was a really–
[00:10:50] Azhelle Wade: That is so interesting.
[00:10:50] Sharon Price: But think about it. And when you're picking up pennies on hundreds of thousands.
[00:10:56] Azhelle Wade: And one thought that before.
[00:10:57] Sharon Price: It's not a discipline.
[00:10:58] Azhelle Wade: It's little by little these things add up.
[00:11:01] Sharon Price: These are disciplines that you teach and you wanna have to have goals on going in margins, right? And it's not okay to say, well, this one's all right, because you never know what's gonna be your markdown at the end of the-- right? So you have to get above that margin.
[00:11:15] Azhelle Wade: So that you can make money even on the market’s down. Sharon, no wonder you're where you're at. So the way your brain works. Oh, like, and you're so clear. Oh, wow. Very--
[00:11:26] Sharon Price: So we had, but so that, you know, we, we, we returned to profitability that first year when I got there in June.
[00:11:31] Azhelle Wade: You returned profitability in the first year?
[00:11:33] Sharon Price: Yes. Well, I got there in June. We were over.
[00:11:34] Azhelle Wade: Can you share what it was negative when you--
[00:11:36] Sharon Price: In 2012, they'd lost $49 million on a 400 some odd million dollar top line. And then I, when I got there in June, they made some really great corrections and the board was very, you know, helpful and helping them get over the hump. And when I arrived in June, we were. Already $6 million in the hole. And we had like our big season left. And I was like, Hmm. I went to the board and I'm like.
[00:11:59] Sharon Price: I, yeah.
[00:12:00] Azhelle Wade: That was very calm. I would be like, ooh!
[00:12:03] Sharon Price: My technical term of, Hmm. And when I was reading through, uh, all the materials. And I'd spoken with the board, I'm like, now is it true that you're gonna pay out a bonus if we make a dollar? Right?
[00:12:14] Azhelle Wade: What do you mean?
[00:12:15] Sharon Price: Because we were so unprofitable.
[00:12:16] Azhelle Wade: No, they weren't. No they weren’t.
[00:12:18] Sharon Price: Yes, they were.
[00:12:20] Azhelle Wade: So you're gonna immediately go back?
[00:12:21] Sharon Price: It was incentivized. They were incentivizing.
[00:12:24] Azhelle Wade: Yes. Not lost. Yeah. Yes.
[00:12:27] Sharon Price: Make to, to stop to not have a loss. So, this is not atypical. That, that just return to profitability. That's what, when, when you, when you had a $49 million loss.
[00:12:38] Azhelle Wade: That's true. You're right. It's just.
[00:12:40] Sharon Price: That's a major shift.
[00:12:38] Azhelle Wade: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, you're right. You're right.
[00:12:43] Sharon Price: So I wanted to get people moving in the right direction. I think that was actually a really smart move on their part. And I said, okay. I don't think the team understands that. And I think that there was just something to complete that that's not possible.
[00:12:54] Sharon Price: And I said, so let's have a chat about that, guys. And I brought everybody in to, and I've given them, you asked me what I do on how do you get people to believe in a vision? Well first of all, you get way out and paint a massive idea. Like they, this was a brand they built. They owned this. And what we weren't doing is monetizing this extraordinary equity. So we had accidentally built a brand with a retail company. And we needed to not be a retail company that accidentally bought, built a brand.
[00:13:25] Azhelle Wade: Interesting.
[00:13:25] Sharon Price: We needed to become a branded intellectual property company that just happens to have vertical retails as one of its residents.
[00:13:30] Azhelle Wade: Okay. Okay. Okay.
[00:13:32] Sharon Price: Right. So you can extract this value across different categories and different channels, different consumers.
[00:13:37] Azhelle Wade: Different like better margins.
[00:13:40] Sharon Price: With better margin. All that stuff, right? But I had this moment in time to get, 'cause people were afraid. Like what? Turnaround age. Just, you go back there.
[00:13:47] Azhelle Wade: I, when you said inventory, I thought you meant people. And then you started talking about clothes. I was like, oh my god, people.
[00:13:54] Sharon Price: So, but you know what people then do is they're, they're afraid. They don't, they're afraid I'm gonna come in and do slashes cut. cut everything, everyone. Um, and so they were really afraid. Yeah. That I would do that and lose the heart, which is why your question.
[00:14:11] Azhelle Wade: It's so ironic because the Build-A-Bear have a heart. 100%. So ironic, right?
[00:14:14] Sharon Price: Literally, how can I shift this company? Without ripping the heart out.
[00:14:18] Azhelle Wade: Yeah, literally the Build-A-Bear, right?
[00:14:22] Sharon Price: And I'm like, okay guys, we've got this an extraordinary opportunity. If we make a dollar, we make a dollar.
[00:14:27] Azhelle Wade: But you had to make them believe that. 'cause they might have heard that and thought this is just a smoke and mirror show so they can get us to work hard, even though we all know we're about to lose our jobs. Like they could have just thought that and you had to like teach everyone that like, no, no, no. We really, this is possible. We're gonna make this happen.
[00:14:41] Sharon Price: Yeah, I did. So I got up on stage.
[00:14:44] Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh.
[00:14:45] Sharon Price: And I said, guys, here's the thing. If we make a dollar, you're gonna get a bonus for the first time in a few years. Right. And I was like, and here's the vision. There's nothing wrong with this brand. And I'm gonna tell you from many years of experience, if I have to choose between a broken business and a broken brand. All day. Gimme the broken business.
[00:15:02] Azhelle Wade: Really?
[00:15:03] Sharon Price: All day. All day you built this. We just now have to build an infrastructure. That runs profitably to, but you've got everything you need.
[00:15:15] Azhelle Wade: How did you know the brand wasn't broken?
[00:15:16] Sharon Price: Because like all the data I. I know. The brand awareness, the affinity members. Yeah. No, no, no. It so it like a really powerful.
[00:15:23] Azhelle Wade:It was how consumers respond to the brand.
[00:15:25] Sharon Price: Yeah, exactly.
[00:15:26] Azhelle Wade: What they think about the brand. And then you see the business, obviously that business is broken.
[00:15:30] Sharon Price: So I got it. I tried to get them to think about this as something sort of like fun and almost funny. So I got up on stage and I'm like, just imagine there's $400 million falling from the sky. Like in one of those game shows. And I'm like running around and I'm like, and all you gotta do is catch.
[00:15:49] Azhelle Wade: What? Oh my God. Can we doing? Is this recorded?
[00:15:56] Sharon Price: That's a true story.
[00:15:56] Azhelle Wade: I have a clip of that.
[00:16:00] Sharon Price: That is a true story.
[00:16:01] Azhelle Wade: Really? Wow. I don't just want you to work on my business for the fun. I'm like, that just sounds like fun. Oh my gosh. Okay.
[00:16:09] Sharon Price: And we did do it.
[00:16:09] Azhelle Wade:Yeah, you did. And how quickly, that's what this next questions--
[00:16:11] Sharon Price: Six months.
[00:16:12] Azhelle Wade: Six months. Wow. This making me recent. Think some things on my resume. I was like, I grew this company. 1 million dollars.
[00:16:20] Sharon Price: That's good, girl.
[00:16:23] Azhelle Wade: That is just. It's a 49 million turnaround in six months.
[00:16:28] Sharon Price: Yeah. Oh, well they had already like, yeah, well, yeah. No, they. You know they were only 6 million down when I got there.
[00:16:33] Azhelle Wade: Yeah. But, but the previous, they, they were on track to keep going there I'm assuming.
[00:16:40] Sharon Price: I don't think so, long before–
[00:16:41] Azhelle Wade: You don't think so?
[00:16:40] Sharon Price: An awful lot of that was right downs to write offs. Because they knew they were in trouble. So not all of that was as bad as it sounds. There's only that's fair enough. I'm glad.
[00:16:50] Azhelle Wade: 6 million.
[00:16:51] Sharon Price: Yeah. So we had to do that--
[00:16:52] Azhelle Wade: To make sure that we didn't go anywhere.
[00:16:53] Sharon Price: So they got a bonus.
[00:16:54] Azhelle Wade: That's awesome.
[00:16:55] Sharon Price: And so, and I'm like, I, and I literally got said, I'm not here to rip the heart outta this company. I don't wanna do that. Oh, why would I do that? That's what all the value is.
[00:17:03] Azhelle Wade: Right. Through the time you've been working at Build-A-Bear, there have been a lot of changes. Like, remember when the malls were closing, like the mall apocalypse and then like the pandemic. I remember that. Having the pandemic, then nobody could go to the store. How are you still in stores right now? Like how is Build-A-Bear, are we still thriving.
[00:17:23] Sharon Price: Four most profitable years in the history of the company on an consecutive status, yeah.
[00:17:27] Azhelle Wade: What? Wait, for the retail side?
[00:17:29] Sharon Price: Everything.
[00:17:31] Azhelle Wade: Re-- Okay. Four most profitable years. His four consecutive years. The most profitable years. How?
[00:17:33] Sharon Price: Well, first of all, we were already on a good road of diversification. Including e-comm. And a number of other things. And it was terrible to shut down the stores. We closed down all of our stores in a 48 hour period and had to furlough 95% of our organization. Nothing anybody wants to do with a company with that still had its heart. And we had to rethink, you know, what, what do we wanna do?
[00:17:59] Sharon Price: And what happened was, and I encourage you to do this all the time. Even in the most dire circumstances, to try to separate yourself emotionally from it and say, what's good in here? What could I do? And I'm not trying to imply that Covid was good for anybody. I'm people got--
[00:18:17] Azhelle Wade: No, nobody. I understand what you mean, yeah. No, I get--
[00:18:19] Sharon Price: So, but. It's a remarkable discipline. To just stop and say, what can I do with this? Instead of, look what this is doing to me. What can I do with this? And I thought, oh God, we're on these calls every morning. Even the weekend entire leadership team. Things changing so rapidly. You know, misinformation, confusion. We're in all these places we don't know.
[00:18:45] Azhelle Wade: Fear.
[00:18:46] Sharon Price: Fear. What do you need? Do you need masks? You need like trying to find. How about the masks? Oh my gosh. For reopening, we couldn't find hand sanitizer trying to buy bulk everything and our stuff is stuck in the store. Like it was crazy and I got on the call and I'm like, guys, all, first of all, we're gonna stop calling these the covid meetings.
[00:19:07] Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh. Sorry. I'm just realizing the timeline because like the 2019 big speech and then. Pandemic.
[00:19:13] Sharon Price: Yeah. So 20--. That was 20-- 2012.
[00:19:16] Azhelle Wade: 2012. I'm sorry. 2012.
[00:19:17] Sharon Price: 2012. And then the retail apocalypse.
[00:19:19] Azhelle Wade: The retail apocalypse and then.
[00:19:21] Sharon Price: And then, then when we turned,
[00:19:22] Azhelle Wade: Little break. And then pandemic. Oh my gosh.
[00:19:26] Sharon Price: Like we, yeah. So, guys, no more Covid calls. We're gonna call these success calls. And they were like, oh, Sharon.
[00:19:33] Azhelle Wade: You're like, please stop.
[00:19:35] Sharon Price: Just stop it with your word of the day.
[00:19:37] Azhelle Wade: Your positivity.
[00:19:39] Sharon Price: Your positivity is crushing me.
[00:19:42] Azhelle Wade: You're hilarious.
[00:19:44] Sharon Price: And they're like, because they're all like, we're all on like teams, you know? I just see their little faces like, so they're like, what? Okay. What do you mean?. And I'm like, seriously, guys? You just think about how much time, effort, energy, money, that big, chunky, 85% of our revenue. Eats up of our resources. If I said, I'm gonna take the thing that sucks 85% of your life out of you. And say–
[00:20:14] Azhelle Wade: And it's gonna be the name of the book–
[00:20:17] Sharon Price: Right. A new book. That's crazy. That's very true. Like what sucks the life of you.. But, and so that's gone. And so what are all the things that we just keep pipelining, keep saying we need to do, we keep saying we need to change technology websites.
[00:20:33] Azhelle Wade: Yes.
[00:20:34] Sharon Price: Um, new ideas, expansion of the addressable market, different, you know, everything. Let's just do it.
[00:20:43] Azhelle Wade: Even in this unprecedented time.
[00:20:44] Sharon Price: Yes.
[00:20:45] Azhelle Wade: You feel like, yes.
[00:20:46] Sharon Price: Yes. Because you have to believe.
[00:20:48] Azhelle Wade: Yes.
[00:20:49] Sharon Price: That you're gonna come out on the other side.
[00:20:51] Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh, yes.
[00:20:52] Sharon Price: And that is a shift from thriving. And that means from thriving to thriving. Because you're like. All right. And, and we did. 2021 was the most profitable year in the history of the company.
[00:21:05] Azhelle Wade: Really.
[00:21:06] Sharon Price: At that moment.
[00:21:06] Azhelle Wade: Because you made it because of an eCom shift.
[00:21:09] Sharon Price: Because we accelerated the digital transformation. It sets a rate that we then were able to buy online, ship from store, buy online, pick up in store. I mean, everything.
[00:21:19] Azhelle Wade: And people needed toys, but I mean, that's when our industry had the best.
[00:21:22] Sharon Price: And comfort. Comfort Toys.
[00:21:23] Azhelle Wade: Oh yeah. You have Comfort Plus. Perfect.
[00:21:25] Sharon Price: Hundred percent.
[00:21:26] Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh. Okay. So if somebody has a business for a long time, so you came into what? Build-A-Bear then for like ooh, what was it, existing? 12 something years before you came into it? So a company that's been around that long.
[00:21:38] Sharon Price: Since 1997.
[00:21:39] Azhelle Wade: Right. Someone might say, you know what, we can't reinvigorate like we've tried, we've been around so long. The world has just changed. Like maybe we just can't? Like what if somebody just feels like I've been trucking at this company for so long, I don't think that I can make it better for some reason I can't get over this hump. I don't know. Like what would you say to somebody that might feel that way about their own business or a business they've been brought in to help?
[00:21:59] Sharon Price: Mm-hmm. So there's one happy thing to say and then one not so happy thing to say. So the first happy thing to say is really back away from it and say, is the promise of your brand no longer relevant?
[00:22:10] Azhelle Wade: The promise of your brand, no longer relevant. Okay.
[00:22:13] Sharon Price: So is Build-A-Bear. There's no need for comfort. Animals, stuffed animals. The the what? The pro, the real promise, not like, a stuffed. So Build-A-Bear means. Making memories, marking moments in time. Celebrating birthdays. Being together. You know, and, and go, you know, having a fuzzy, you know, furry best friend. Like, is that, that has always been relevant. Ergo will always be relevant. It's what you package around things that make it now or not now, that make it dialed in or dialed out. So it, does it have to evolve? Yes. But if your core value still remains. That's on you. Brian Goldner, who was the CEO of Hasbro for many years, and I worked for him.
[00:23:01] Azhelle Wade: Oh, you did?
[00:23:02] Sharon Price: Yes.
[00:23:03] Azhelle Wade: Oh, my husband just got a job at Hasbro.
[00:23:04] Sharon Price: Oh. I just visited those guys. I worked there for seven years. I was the head of the US toy division. Yeah. Anyway, sidebar.
[00:23:11] Azhelle Wade: Sidebar.
[00:23:12] Sharon Price: Brian would always say there are no tired brands. There are only tired marketers.
[00:23:17] Azhelle Wade: Oh, I was gonna say, I thought you were gonna say tired. Only tired people.
[00:23:20] Sharon Price: Yeah. So if you hold yourself to that standard.
[00:23:25] Azhelle Wade: Yes.
[00:23:26] Sharon Price: Yeah. That's a big look in the mirror.
[00:23:27] Azhelle Wade: That's a very good point.
[00:23:28] Sharon Price: Yeah. And so that's the first thing that's like really, you can't see a vision for something that has indelible heart. And makes memories for people that last a lifetime. You can't see a, you can't see any value in that and then my next thing would be, and this happened on a stage as well. Here's the vision. Here's where we're going. Because if we keep doing what we're doing, we're gonna go outta business. Listen guys, I am open to your ideas. I'm open to insights. I think that's great. I'm not saying I know everything and I'm not saying everything that I'm saying is gonna work. But we're going to have to move forward and, but I am saying, I've done this before and you haven't.
[00:24:04] Azhelle Wade: I am so impressed.
[00:24:05] Sharon Price: And, and if you don't wanna get, you got two options. Get on the train. Be willing to talk to me about a better idea. With data. Or get off the train. Okay. And I don't care.
[00:24:22] Azhelle Wade: We'll keep going.
[00:24:23] Sharon Price: Because you are not, you cannot be a part of the backseat. Blah, blah.
[00:24:28] Azhelle Wade: Wow. Yes, I know. 'cause it pulls everyone down.
[00:24:30] Sharon Price: Not having it.
[00:24:31] Azhelle Wade: Much like you going on stage and turning everyone positive and motivated toward one goal. People that complain and say, we can't get there. We can't get, is just gonna slow it.
[00:24:40] Sharon Price: So wait, so, so be go. Go be happy. Go somewhere happy. And that's not here, so.
[00:24:46] Azhelle Wade: Oh my. Okay. Wait. I wanna talk a little bit about your work in the toy association. Because we're at Toy Fair and this is an amazing fair.
[00:24:55] Sharon Price: Yay.
[00:24:55] Azhelle Wade: First, I would say it's like the first real return, right?
[00:24:59] Sharon Price: Oh, yeah. Boom.
[00:24:59] Azhelle Wade: It's, yeah, you just, right.
[00:25:04] Sharon Price: Yeah. I'm so proud of that team.
[00:25:04] Azhelle Wade: But, now that you’re thinking about the timeline.
[00:25:06] Sharon Price: Mike, Greg, Kim, everybody. Oh.
[00:25:07] Azhelle Wade: Oh yes, yeah. I know.
[00:25:09] Sharon Price: Fabulous job.
[00:25:10] Azhelle Wade: Work with him soon. I hope.
[00:25:11] Sharon Price: Fabulous job.
[00:25:11] Azhelle Wade: But okay. I have to look at the timeline. How long have you been chairwoman?
[00:25:14] Sharon Price: Uh, since February of last year.
[00:25:16] Azhelle Wade: And how long have you been on the board?
[00:25:17] Sharon Price: Uh, so two previous years like.
[00:25:19] Azhelle Wade: Two previous years.
[00:25:20] Sharon Price: Ah, so I was on the executive committee. Probably 2020. Like right in 2020 with Skip Kodak.
[00:25:27] Azhelle Wade: Yeah. So I was going to ask that because the Toy Association also did a really rapid digital expansion in 2020. So I'm, I'm just imagining your life. If you were involved.
[00:25:38] Sharon Price: I was. Yeah.
[00:25:39] Azhelle Wade: So you're like--
[00:25:40] Sharon Price: Not very much.
[00:25:41] Azhelle Wade: Right. But with Build-A-Bear, rapid Digital Expansion and Toy Association.
[00:25:46] Sharon Price: It's the right thing to do.
[00:25:46] Azhelle Wade: No, it was, but it's just so interesting how everybody kind of had an answer to that. So what are you most proud of now where the Toy Association is right now with Toy Fair? What do you think about the show?
[00:25:57] Sharon Price: Look, first of all it, I've been going to toy fairs since 1994. Right. And I was in the Barbie business and I was actually in charge, I think my second or third year there. The whole Barbie showroom. Which was a complete and ridiculous blast. I mean, the whole carpet is like your jacket. Yeah. Like it's like, and then bring these huge rolls.
[00:26:18] Azhelle Wade: Like probably my dream peak.
[00:25:20] Sharon Price: Carpeted.
[00:26:21] Azhelle Wade: And company we’re for, that would be a dream.
[00:26:22] Sharon Price: It's a com. Nobody understands what happens in the toy industry. For sure. Really in the, under the underbelly of the toy industry. So I've been doing this a long time and Covid really kind of got us off kilter. And the toy industry just needed some fresh air and to come back and I really appreciate Skip, who helped Skip, who was the chairperson during Lego through Covid and then Aaron Muderick, uh, who was the chairperson. Oh, right. You know, through that, that transition period. Amazing. And then we had some tough choices to make and I couldn't be more happy with the vibe. The TOTYs vibe. The people in the hallways, even in the sort of like the midst of things where you would say, Hmm, we have every right to kind of get, like, I'd be like concerned with some of the discussion outta the administration.
[00:27:13] Sharon Price: But it's a great vibe in my opinion. There's always gonna be people that are like, oh, I didn't do whatever. I didn't see what I wanted, but it's back. It's full, it’s, there are people buzzing in the hallways. It's generally Patel.
[00:27:26] Azhelle Wade: And Mattel in the building.
[00:27:27] Sharon Price: Yes. Oh God.
[00:27:28] Azhelle Wade: They always love to be outside. And we're like, where are you guys going?
[00:27:31] Sharon Price: Yeah. Excellent point.
[00:27:32] Azhelle Wade: Stay in the building.
[00:27:33] Sharon Price: Yes, and they did.
[00:27:34] Azhelle Wade: Yeah, they did. They were all in the building. big
[00:27:35] Sharon Price: All the players. Everybody's here. And I'm just so thrilled. I'm so thrilled and proud of the team.
[00:27:42] Azhelle Wade: This might be a surprising question, but I'm curious what you would say is the heart of the Toy Association?
[00:27:46] Sharon Price: Well, probably the foundation.
[00:27:47] Azhelle Wade: Oh, well, yeah. Oh yeah. I'm involved with the foundation talk. Would you talk a little bit about it?
[00:27:54] Sharon Price: Yeah, so the Toy Association is, you know, in some ways we. Well, first of all, we operate in service of all the constituents, right? All of our membership, uh, the end user. We're a communications company as well as we are putting on shows. I mean, most people just know about Toy Fair, but we do so much more than that. But we also are the conduits of, uh, of. The toy foundation, which is for the health and wellbeing of children, both in kind donations funneling, uh, toys from all of our membership partners to children in need, and also working with hospitals as well, as well as providing dollar funds where they're needed.
[00:28:31] Sharon Price: So, I mean, the toy association as well as the toy foundation is an example. Even with the recent fires and hurricanes. I mean, we were able to turn on a dime.
[00:28:42] Azhelle Wade: Oh yes. Yeah. Do and you had a whole resource page also--
[00:28:43] Sharon Price: Amazing.
[00:28:44] Azhelle Wade: For donations I used, I like reposted the entire list of like where to donate and where to support it was so helpful.
[00:28:49] Sharon Price: It really matters. That, you know, and we do that as with Build-A-Bear as well. I mean, we work with the Red Cross and that comfort product when they've lost everything. It actually does matter. I mean, The Red Cross will tell you, it's like, okay, yeah, we've gotta check boxes on food, shelter, you know, clothes. Da da da da da. And then they're like, seriously though, the next thing's a teddy bear.
[00:29:10] Azhelle Wade: Well, the kids, it happened like right after Christmas. So they all, everything they just bought.
[00:29:15] Sharon Price: That's, I had not thought about that, but you're right.
[00:29:16] Azhelle Wade: I know it was, yeah. It was the biggest. Mm. But I can't help but feel that somebody watching this video, who's a woman who's interested in working in the toy industry, is gonna just fall in love with you and say, I wanna be her. How did you become the woman that you are today? Like really? I mean, how did you climb this male dominated industry? The ladder. Your mind and focus is so clear. Your passion is so like there and irreverent. Like you're not slowing down. And how. Did you keep this energy? 'cause honestly even I feel sometimes people think I'm like too much. Like energy wise.
[00:29:55] Sharon Price: Are you saying I’m too much?
[00:29:56] Azhelle Wade: In this, no, I think we're very similar actually. I actually think we're friends, but no, but I think people think like I'm a lot and I. How did you make them embrace this energy? 'cause I don't, I'm learning like how?
[00:30:09] Sharon Price: Well look, I'm not always a lot. You know, I read.
[00:30:12] Azhelle Wade: No, no, you're a lot.
[00:30:13] Sharon Price: I read.
[00:30:14] Azhelle Wade: Oh, I'm, because I'm a lot.
[00:30:15] Sharon Price: I'm reading. I'm reading your energy. I'm reading, I'm feeling you.
[00:30:22] Azhelle Wade: Okay, so, so I'm the problem. Okay. I see it.
[00:30:27] Sharon Price: I'm the problem, it's me.
[00:30:27] Azhelle Wade: Oh my God. Yeah, that's me. I'm the problem. You okay. So I do understand because yeah, when you were cutting the ribbon, I was like, oh, she's so proper. I've gotta be like proper when we have this interview. And she came in here and I was like, oh, this is my girl.
[00:30:41] Sharon Price: I’m a problem, I probably need you.
[00:30:43] Azhelle Wade: Yeah.
[00:30:44] Sharon Price: So no, you read rooms, that's all you have to, you've gotta be kind of this chameleon, malleable, read the room. I don't expect the room to bend to me.
[00:30:55] Azhelle Wade: No.
[00:30:55] Sharon Price: Which I know is not a popular thing. I, I.
[00:31:00] Azhelle Wade: No, that's a very good point.
[00:31:00] Sharon Price: Way too much time as women. I mean, and look, there's a line where you need to be accepted. There's a line. Should not be, I'm not saying that there's to be no accommodations. Um, but for the most part, you're in a culture. Just like if I went to France or, or I wouldn't say, I want everyone to do it this way because this is the way I do it. And if everyone doesn't speak English to me, I'm just leaving. You know? And we have to be conscious of the culture that you're in. And particularly as a marketer, if I can't read a room, I mean, I came up the ladder on the marketing side.
[00:31:33] Sharon Price: If I can't read a room and figure out what's needed, what's looking for, what are they looking for, where's the angle, how can I best. Present this. Um, that's my problem. And I, and I own that problem, right? I have no issue with that. And I've had my husband's fabulous. Um, I'll tell you that. So he's a, he's been a good, sort of like whisper in the ear coach. I'll come home every night, rarely talk about work. I have three children. Um, so we don't like to bring any of that home. We're really good at compartmentalizing. They're just got it all. They're, well, they're, they're like 26, 22, and 19.
[00:32:03] Sharon Price: But, and when my husband's like, he was, he's just a funny guy. He is an MBA and, you know, management consultant, guy. And now he's an entrepreneur, but he would be like, oh, you know what Sharon? Okay. I hear you. I hear you. You know what some, sometimes when a guy asks you for a cup of coffee, do you know what they want? I'm like, he goes, a cup of coffee.
[00:32:22] Azhelle Wade: A cup of coffee. Yeah.
[00:32:22] Sharon Price: Is that the worst thing in the world? Would you ask him for a cup of coffee? What did you want? Get over yourself.
[00:32:28] Azhelle Wade: Really? That's so sweet. He's just like straightforward.
[00:32:32] Sharon Price: Yeah.
[00:32:33] Azhelle Wade: Oh, he's like keeping you. Yeah.
[00:32:35] Sharon Price: Yeah, yeah. Like, oh, and then this, and he goes, I don't think so.
[00:32:38] Azhelle Wade: Like you're overthinking things.
[00:32:40] Sharon Price: I don't think--
[00:32:41] Azhelle Wade: I think you're overdoing it.
[00:32:41] Sharon Price: You add a whole lot that might have happened, but all this stuff you're making.
[00:32:45] Azhelle Wade: It might have happened, that might have, oh, I make up things all this.
[00:32:51] Sharon Price: Did they say that?
[00:32:52] Azhelle Wade: Yeah, exactly.
[00:32:53] Sharon Price: And he's actually, they think about three things. And one of them's food and one of the other one's sports. And this is a G-rated experience, so I'm gonna leave the other one out.
[00:33:04] Azhelle Wade: I already knew. I already knew, but oh my gosh, this has been so fun. You are so fun. I was not ready, I was not prepared.
[00:33:14] Sharon Price: Oh, sorry.
[00:33:15] Azhelle Wade: No, I love it. I love it so much.
[00:33:16] Sharon Price: I run the stuff down, company people.
[00:33:19] Azhelle Wade: That is, that's. Ah, like, okay, wait. Last question about Build-A-Bear. I have seen like a few really cool partnerships come out from Build-A-Bear. Like one of my friends, April shower, she runs Afro Unicorn.
[00:33:31] Sharon Price: I know her.
[00:33:32] Azhelle Wade: And she's got I, and she got like a partnership with Build-A-Bear on like Afro Unicorn.
[00:33:35] Sharon Price: I know April.
[00:33:36] Azhelle Wade: So like not everybody would work with small brands like that. Is that part of the heart you think of Build-A-Bear?
[00:33:42] Sharon Price: Oh, it's just about making money, girl. No, I'm kidding.
[00:33:51] Azhelle Wade: No, it's great.
[00:33:52] Sharon Price: So, no, but we have a really unique brand.
[00:33:53] Azhelle Wade: Yes.
[00:33:54] Sharon Price: And so we really wanna meet our guests where they are. And we have a diverse audience. And you know, we think about that. And if you can't walk in the Build-A-Bear and find yourself there, I'm doing something wrong.
[00:34:09] Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh. That's nice. That's very nice.
[00:34:12] Sharon Price: And that, and that something could be a sports team.
[00:34:15] Azhelle Wade: Yes.
[00:34:15] Sharon Price: It could be Pokemon. It could be your Harry Potter fan. It could be–
[00:34:19] Azhelle Wade: Just purple hair.
[00:34:21] Sharon Price: It could--We have purple hair.
[00:34:22] Azhelle Wade: You do?
[00:34:23] Sharon Price: We do with The Honey Girls.
[00:34:24] Azhelle Wade: Really?
[00:34:24] Sharon Price: You should watch the Honey Girls movie.
[00:34:26] Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh.
[00:34:27] Sharon Price: It's something.
[00:34:27] Azhelle Wade: I haven't seen that.
[00:34:28] Sharon Price: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:34:28] Azhelle Wade: So is there any last thing you'd like to share about Build Bear or about the Toy Association before we wrap up today?
[00:34:34] Sharon Price: Well, thank you for this opportunity.
[00:34:37] Azhelle Wade: Thank you.
[00:34:37] Sharon Price: Yes. And so I appreciate your comments about whether somebody, you might be interested in the toy industry or you know, like climbing the ladder any–
[00:34:45] Azhelle Wade: You are inspiring the generation.
[00:34:47] Sharon Price: Well, the thing about. The ladder. There is no ladder.
[00:34:49] Azhelle Wade: Oh.
[00:34:50] Sharon Price: There's no corporate ladder.
[00:34:50] Azhelle Wade: Tell me more.
[00:34:51] Sharon Price: Just forget that that doesn't exist, because I will promise you as anyone else who you could even marginally call, you know, somebody that you like that's done something.
[00:35:00] Sharon Price: I, I don't even wanna say successful because Yeah. The bar keeps changing for me. Like I changed the bar for me. You gotta figure out what you want. And don't judge yourself about anybody else, and just get that on that track. And sometimes what you want is like, you think that I'm done.
[00:35:16] Sharon Price:. Uhuh. So that's one thing. But the latter implies that there are perfectly separated steps in one trajectory. And you know what? That ain't right.
[00:35:29] Azhelle Wade: Really?
[00:35:30] Sharon Price: No.
[00:35:30] Azhelle Wade: I honestly sidebar, worry sometimes that I started my own business too early. 'cause I was really climbing the ladder and then I feel like I went over here and I want, I'm like, oh, did I just like. Throw away the whole, yeah.
[00:35:42] Sharon Price: And anyway, I think you can climb, climb ladders, climbing ladders pretty easy actually. I, you can even do that in hills.
[00:35:53] Azhelle Wade: Do you think it's more like a crime board? Oh, it's more like, yeah.
[00:35:56] Sharon Price: It could be a crime board if that's the way you think. I was thinking more about, I don't know, like a mountain path. If you wanna call it a crime board, call it a crime board. It's all good. Um, but you are gonna take side roads, you're gonna have some experiences.
[00:36:15] Sharon Price: And here's the thing, if you get, and it's great to have a really specific goal. But sometimes the universe has a bigger plan for you than you have for yourself. And although there's a certain value in being like, you know, I've got, I'm so focused on this, right. And it's. And a lot of people give accolades for that kind of focus.
[00:36:33] Sharon Price: And you'll still be successful. The biggest beauty in life comes from those side roads.
[00:36:41] Azhelle Wade: Oh it’s good, all the quotes in this episode.
[00:36:42] Sharon Price: Yeah.
[00:36:43] Azhelle Wade: Oh, thank you.
[00:36:45] Sharon Price: Trust me on that.
[00:36:45] Azhelle Wade: Okay.
[00:36:46] Sharon Price: Yeah. So.
[00:36:47] Azhelle Wade: I'm gonna go with my side roads.
[00:36:48] Sharon Price: And then the other thing is you stop. Stop your self-talk. Negative self-talk. Get rid of all of that.
[00:36:49] Azhelle Wade: Yeah, I know.
[00:36:52] Sharon Price: Let go of perfectionism. Get rid of that one. I can talk. I have a whole–
[00:36:57] Azhelle Wade: Whole other podcast.
[00:36:59] Sharon Price: Yeah. I wrote a whole book. I wrote a book.
[00:37:00] Azhelle Wade: Do you actually have a book?
[00:37:01] Sharon Price: Yes.
[00:37:01] Azhelle Wade: Oh, we'll put it in the link in the show.
[00:37:01] Sharon Price: Yeah. Stories and Heart: Unlock the Power of Personal Stories to Create a Life You Love the under and it goes through all of this stuff.
[00:37:09] Sharon Price: Read, because I want you to do it. So I don't care what you think. Okay. But at the end of the day, it's really bad. Nothing. Nothing that happens in life is anything until you name it.
[00:37:20] Azhelle Wade: Mm, Inter-- like good or bad.
[00:37:21] Sharon Price: Good or bad. Then there because, and if you choose that power, you choose to empower yourself at that level. Because you know there is no bad. So it just.
[00:37:29] Azhelle Wade: I know what you mean, right? Because like you win or you learn type mentality.
[00:37:33] Sharon Price: Yes. And on top of that, usually where I get people when I'm in a, like doing a big speech or something on that. 'cause I'll get a bunch of groans on that.
[00:37:42] Azhelle Wade: Really?
[00:37:43] Sharon Price: Really no bad, you know?
[00:37:43] Azhelle Wade: Interesting.
[00:37:43] Sharon Price: Like it's, I'm like, for you, you, and the importance of that is that whatever you call that, you will start using that as your own personal narrative. And your own personal narrative about that will create a self-fulfilling prophecy.
[00:37:57] Azhelle Wade: That is very true. Like kind of what you think comes to pass a hundred percent.
[00:38:00] Sharon Price: One hundred percent.
[00:38:01] Azhelle Wade: Hundred percent.
[00:38:02] Sharon Price: And you are 100% in control of that.
[00:38:04] Azhelle Wade: I've noticed that. When I first launched this business, I was like, oh, it's gonna be great. And things just kept coming. Then when I started freaking out, like everything's falling apart, things just fell apart. Just started falling apart. Yeah. Then I'm like, oh, no, no, no. Everything's fine. Yeah, everything's great. Everything's great. Did you hear me, universe?
[00:38:15] Sharon Price: Be aware of that. And what and what narrative you're wrapping around. All of these things that go on. And usually where I really get people to stop and think about it is just all you gotta do is give yourself enough grace.
[00:38:30] Sharon Price: When something doesn't happen the way you wanted it to or was a disappointment. On. Just try to put something in your mind of one thing in your life where at the time it was devastating. And you now have enough years on it. To go back and say, thank God that happened.
[00:38:47] Azhelle Wade: Yes. Yeah.
[00:38:48] Sharon Price: So how do you not know? That's one of those.
[00:38:52] Azhelle Wade: Yes. Yeah. This could, yes, I know exactly what you mean. I have those things. Yes. Oh, Sharon, this is so fun. Like you okay? Okay. It was so great. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Where can people follow you if they wanna follow you online?
[00:39:05] Sharon Price: I don't know.
[00:39:06] Azhelle Wade: Do you not do that?
[00:39:08] Sharon Price: I have LinkedIn.
[00:39:09] Azhelle Wade: Where if they wanna see you speak, where do they find out what you are speaking. I will put her LinkedIn in the show note. Okay. Thank you so much, Sharon. Have a great rest of your show.
[00:39:18] Sharon Price: Okay, thanks.
[00:39:19] Azhelle Wade: Okay. Before we dive into our recap from today's episode, I've gotta share this review from Melly blogs.
[00:39:25] Azhelle Wade: Melly says, love this all the way from the uk. I found the toy coach after starting my own doll line, and I've been listening and watching her for a year now and love everything about this podcast and channel. Thank you so much for that review. Melly. And yes, we do also have a YouTube channel. Head over to youtube.com/TheToyCoach to check out the YouTube channel.
[00:39:45] Azhelle Wade: Or actually, if you do go to thetoycoach.com You can top tap YouTube at the top right of the menu bar. Now let's get into our closing summary of this episode and of our New York Toy Fair Interview series. So sad, it's gone. Okay. Sharon and I had an incredible time laughing and sharing insights in this conversation.
[00:40:07] Azhelle Wade: I don't know if you could tell, but I had a great time chatting with Sharon. We covered everything from how she reinvented Build-A-Bear um, to be the future of Toys in Play. She gave us a masterclass in Leadership Resilience, what it takes to evolve a brand while keeping its heart. Again, Sharon, if you're listening to this episode, I just wanna say thank you for sharing your wisdom.
[00:40:27] Azhelle Wade: For giving your time and for continuing to do the work of bringing joy to kids and families around the world with such a heart filled brand, like Build-A-Bear. Now, there were a couple of key points that I wanted to point out from Sharon's interview. There was a moment where I asked Sharon for advice.
[00:40:44] Azhelle Wade: When you're going into a company and the company maybe isn't doing as well as it should, or maybe it's doing really poorly, how do you start a turnaround? Her first piece of advice here was to take inventory. She said, when you come into a company for a turnaround. Meaning the business is down and needs to be fixed.
[00:41:01] Azhelle Wade: You've got to literally take an inventory, a full cost of goods or cogs exercise is what revealed the key construction savings that had been overlooked for years at Build-A-Bear when she worked there further, I asked Sharon, how did you make it so far in this industry? You are a vivacious, colorful, energetic woman, and that's not typically the face we see leading everything in the toy industry, is it?
[00:41:27] Azhelle Wade: Well, Sharon said, you've gotta read the room. She said she climbed the corporate ladder with intention and the way she said she achieved so much in the industry, grew in so many different directions, in so many different roles is because she reads the room. While she always wants to stay true to herself, and she would love for you to stay true to yourself as well, you don't enter a space and expect the people in the room to bend for you, you adapt to them.
[00:41:54] Azhelle Wade: Again, Sharon, thank you. So much for this interview Toy people. If you love this interview, please wherever you're listening to this podcast, leave a rating or a review. Leave a comment. I would love to hear what you think about this episode and the New York Toy Fair 2025 interview series as a whole. As the series comes to an end, I have to say New York Toy Fair was a success for many people.
[00:42:19] Azhelle Wade: If you struggled to get the sales you wanted at New York Toy Fair, I just have to remind you, preparation is key. You've gotta do PR prep and contact prep and invite buyers and marketers to your booth ahead of the show. So that you can have a successful show, and when they get there, you have to be ready to receive them, ready to either walk them through your product, share your pricing, whatever you have to do to help them, help your product.
[00:42:45] Azhelle Wade: Get to that next level. Get that next placement, get that next, uh, PR feature, whatever. Just be ready. As always, thank you so much for spending this time with me here today. I know your time is valuable and that there are a ton of podcasts out there, so it truly means the world to me that you tune into this one.
[00:43:04] Azhelle Wade: Until next week, I'll see you later toy people.
[00:43:08] Thanks for listening to the Making It In The Toy Industry Podcast with Azhelle Wade. Head over to thetoycoach.com for more information, tips, and advice.
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