Don’t be surprised if the CEO of Build-A-Bear sends you a series of heart and clapping emojis the next time you do business.
And for Sharon Price John, business has been good.
A toy industry insider with stints at Mattel and Hasbro, John has served at the helm of the customizable stuffed animal retailer since 2013. She is now on a mission to tap into millennial nostalgia by designing toys geared towards adults—like Pokémon, Harry Potter, and Stranger Things collections—and leaning into pop-culture moments, including a new Wicked collection.
The strategy appears to be working, even as competition in the plush-toy business is heating up: Build-A-Bear was hit with a lawsuit in February 2024 from the makers of Squishmallows, and its efforts to dismiss the case were rejected last summer by a U.S. judge. Still, the company recorded third-quarter profits in December, expecting total revenues for the full year up to $495 million.
It’s been a long time coming for the toy company, which reported a loss of $49 million before John took over the brand more than a decade ago. Now, as Fortune’s Emma Hinchliffe reported, all of Build-A-Bear’s 525 physical stores are now profitable, up from 80% over the past decade. But amid the swirl of new strategies and technology at the 27-year-old company, John makes sure to take an hour out of her busy schedule to send a classic message that’s often overlooked nowadays in corporate America: a thank-you note.
“I found that means an awful lot to people,” she told Fortune of her weekly Friday practice. “It only takes a few seconds to text somebody.”
John said her business days are often packed with back-to-back meetings and post-work events, so often, it’s easy to forget to point out employees’ wins and problem-solve in the moment. Carving out a chunk of time to acknowledge a great sales day or pen a message of appreciation helps her stay on top of the week, and is great for business, too.
“It's very easy in this role to focus on everything that needs to be fixed, and there's always something that needs to be fixed,” she said. “But if you balance it and acknowledge and be thoughtful about the things that are going right, sometimes that helps the momentum.”
John also hopes the practice elicits copycats among company leaders.
“I would hope that the people that I'm sending these emails [or texts] to are also then turning and doing that for their own organization,” she said.
In addition to her weekly displays of gratitude, John shared several other key business learnings with Fortune, including a warning for other C-suite wannabes: Don’t be surprised if you need to be an expert in everything before taking the top job.
The chief executive is “an incredibly varied type of position where you have to be a bit of a jack of all trades, and I think that sometimes surprises people when they step into the CEO role,” she said. Potential bosses must be prepared for a “learning curve,” but that spirit of “learning and leaning in” is still one of her favorite aspects of the gig, even after nearly 12 years in the role.
John credits her daily routine for her enduring enthusiasm for the toy retailer, and gave Fortune an exclusive look at her day, which kicks off before sunrise.
How Build-A-Bear’s CEO structures her work day
6 a.m.: John rises hours before the start of her work day, but unlike many professionals, purposefully ignores the urge to check her emails, “even though my phone is right beside me.”
“I try not to look at it upon that first moment,” she explained. “I try to get in a good mood and think about what's great about the day, [and] not be overwhelmed with what's next on the calendar or what emails came in overnight.”
Instead, John pauses for five to 10 minutes for gratitude and reflection before brewing her first cup of caffeine for the day. A self-proclaimed “coffee addict,” John estimates she drinks two to three cups per day, and often multitasks by browsing her email while enjoying her first beverage. She doesn’t always eat breakfast, but if she’s hungry, John often opts for granola and fruit or a bagel and cream cheese before heading out on a mile-long walk through her neighborhood.
“Often I'm listening to a podcast, or maybe I'm meditating, depending on what's going on, but then I come back, get ready, go into the office,” she said.
9 a.m.: After a short commute through scenic St. Louis and its famous Gateway Arch, the chief executive arrives at company headquarters—conveniently located above a Build-A-Bear location—and begins preparing for the day.
Her arrival time often fluctuates, and could range from an early 8 a.m. start to a 9 a.m. entrance.
“It really depends on when my first meeting is, unless I have some work that I need to do in preparation for that meeting,” she explained. “I will go in when the first meeting starts.”
10 a.m.: At Build-A-Bear, meetings are often lengthy, lasting about an hour or upwards of an hour and a half. As CEO of an international organization, John’s schedule is often booked with back-to-back Zoom or in-person meetings with worldwide partners.
“You have to squeeze in a bathroom break,” she joked. “It's nonstop.”
Her “eclectic” workweeks could range from hosting a “bear quarters” meeting for staff to provide updates and answer questions, to meeting with district managers to chat through new products or licenses.
“The best thing about Build-A-Bear, in my opinion, is that every day is completely different,” she said. “It's one of the things that attracted me to the company.”
12 p.m.: On days when she has time to break for lunch, John opts for a healthy mix from a meal she packs herself, but, “as my husband would say, I'm kind of a picky eater,” she jokes.
2 p.m.: John’s afternoons are stacked with meetings; she relies on her “admin extraordinaire” to help organize her days. However, planning out the latter half of her working hours in advance is often pretty rare, and depends on the whims and needs of the business.
“I tell my administrative assistant often that in some ways, she is the most important person at this company, because this business moves based on my interaction with people," John explained. "We have to be very cognizant of that of the use of time and the prioritization of those meetings."
The pair have been working together for years, and often spend Monday mornings and Friday evenings carving out meetings, deadlines, and travel weeks in advance.
“It's absolutely critical, in my opinion, for someone in my role, or a C-level role, where there are so many people and things tugging on your time and your attention to have that intelligent, thoughtful filter,” John said.
6 p.m.: While her work day, on paper, may end around the standard close of business, John noted her corporate commitments rarely end when she leaves the office. Oftentimes, she spends parts of her evenings attending events as a representative of the brand, or ironing out the details of a negotiation or deal over dinner with a business partner. John said she recognizes these additional duties “as a part of my role.”
But for the mother of three adult children who have since flown the nest, John said her duties are much different now than when her kids were growing up.
“I really, really went out of my way to make sure that we would have family dinner together on the nights that we could and that is also true for my husband, who has his own company,” she said. “There's always things going on, but then we work hard to have that downtime.”
While she says Build-A-Bear is part of her family, she also added “it's important to put your family first.”
If she’s not scheduled for extracurricular activities, John often enjoys a home-cooked meal and a glass of wine prepared by her husband, Russ. The couple will often discuss business challenges—”we talk the same language”—and unwind by enjoying the Missouri weather on their patio.
“I don't cook dinner,” John said. “I’m not that good at cooking, but my husband is. In fact, he's a very good cook, and he likes food a lot.”
9 p.m.: John and her husband unwind by watching their favorite channel: PBS. Before lights out at 10 o’clock, she’ll catch up on any missed emails or messages, and map out tasks for her next business day.
