{"podcast":{"title":"How I Built This with Guy Raz","slug":"how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz-714258","podcast_index_feed_id":714258,"rss_url":"https://rss.art19.com/how-i-built-this","website_url":"https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/?utm_source=rss","image_url":"https://content.production.cdn.art19.com/images/56/ae/46/57/56ae4657-2aa7-4cfc-8ddf-9be24410d5ed/a42755c24a721ea0aaed99c400150d8e67da266430f4bf312684a4bd64e5a1b2f4be14f56746ce0633855e356d7a41a0973d96be2dd0f1d4a174bbe7f456aa4e.jpeg","author":"Guy Raz | Wondery","episode_count":842,"summary":"Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate moments of doubt and failure, and share insights on their eventual success. How I Built This is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds. New episodes release on Mondays and Thursdays.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-15T16:17:51.485190+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz-714258"},"episode":{"title":"Build-A-Bear: Maxine Clark. A Former Shoe Executive Launches a Stuffed Animal Empire","slug":"build-a-bear-maxine-clark-a-former-shoe-executive-launches-a-stuffed-animal-empire","published_at":"2026-06-15T07:10:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz-714258/build-a-bear-maxine-clark-a-former-shoe-executive-launches-a-stuffed-animal-empire","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz-714258","url":"https://rss.art19.com/episodes/8e5da7d7-4e2b-4978-b625-f72cb5d57d88.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","audio_url":"https://rss.art19.com/episodes/8e5da7d7-4e2b-4978-b625-f72cb5d57d88.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","summary":"When Maxine Clark left a top job in retail to start a make-your-own stuffed animal store, people thought she’d lost her mind.  Investors doubted it. Friends questioned it. Retail experts couldn't understand how it would scale. But drawing on more than 20 years as a retail executive, Maxine built a massively  successful shopping “experience,”  where kids could stuff, dress and personalize their own stuffed animals.  Today, Build-A-Bear has generated billions in sales, survived the decline of malls, weathered the financial crisis, and become a global brand. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN  How a failed errand—and an offhand comment by a kid–inspired a business plan  How Maxine leveraged two decades of retail experience to launch Build-a-Bear  How Willy Wonka and Walt Disney were early inspirations  How she built a wedge against competitors  How she got through the financial crisis How she knew when to step down as CEO– and how to collaborate with her successor   TIMESTAMPS: 05:52 - A mom Who Worked for Eleanor Roosevelt 09:18 - The Impromptu Interview That Changed Maxine’s Career 16:00 - Becoming One of the Few Female Fortune 500 Executives 18:43 - Why She Walked Away From Payless 21:27 - The Beanie Baby Disappointment That Sparked Build-A-Bear 26:14 - Designing the First Store: “Make it Like Willy Wonka.” 37:53 - Opening Day — and a Line Out the Door 39:53 - Defending the Brand Against Copycats and Lawsuits 45:53 - Scaling to Hundreds of Stores and Going Public 58:25 - Letting Go: Stepping Down as CEO and Building a Legacy This episode was researched by Rommel Wood and produced by Kerry Thompson, with music by Ramtin Arablouei, and edited by Neva Grant.  Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis…","meta_description":"When Maxine Clark left a top job in retail to start a make-your-own stuffed animal store, people thought she’d lost her mind. Investors doubted it.…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3844,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz-714258/episodes/build-a-bear-maxine-clark-a-former-shoe-executive-launches-a-stuffed-animal-empire/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz-714258/build-a-bear-maxine-clark-a-former-shoe-executive-launches-a-stuffed-animal-empire.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}