Build-A-Bear CEO Provides Insights in Debut Book About How Personal Stories Can Shape Success

Stories & Heart by Sharon Price John Releases with Forbes Books Today

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW) announces that Sharon Price John, Build-A-Bear Workshop President and Chief Executive Officer, has launched her first book, Stories & Heart: Unlock the Power of Personal Stories to Create a Life You Love, published with Forbes Books, and available on Amazon today.

Ms. John has been the President and CEO of the publicly traded company for nearly a decade. During her tenure, she has successfully led the 25-year-old iconic brand and organization through economic challenges and a global pandemic, with it emerging as a reimagined company that delivered the most profitable year in its history in 2021, followed by the recently announced expectation to repeat that feat in 2022.

Ms. John's unlikely combination of small-town southern roots and big-city Ivy League education make for a compelling contrast in observations and insights. Stories & Heart is structured as a compilation of a variety of life experiences creating a loose arch of her life that include a tree climbing challenge in childhood, an entrepreneurial business disappointment, and leading some of the world's best-known toy brands. Her personal stories inform the lessons, insights and tools in each chapter that are provided in an approachable manner and understandable format.

Specifically, following each chapter's "Story," the reader is asked to contemplate a "Question from the Heart," and a personal exploratory exercise supported by data and research. The intention is for this actionable guidebook to creating "a life you love" to be an invitation for readers to challenge their own mindset through the lens of each experience shared. 

"The goal is for this book to be as much a journey for you, as it was for me," Ms. John explained. "This is an opportunity for you to think about what matters in your life while hopefully revealing an appreciation and understanding that your personal stories and, more importantly, the meaning you have woven around them not only impact your journey but can be predictive of it."

In honor of Stories & Heart launching as Build-A-Bear celebrates its 25^th anniversary, the company has pledged $25,000 to the Build-A-Bear Foundation, which focuses on childhood literacy and the wellbeing of children. Funding this donation is expected to be partially generated by purchases of the book.

In addition to the book debut, Ms. John has launched a Stories & Heart podcast series. Each episode features trailblazers and groundbreakers who have lived extraordinary lives and share their personal stories, acquired wisdom and insights with listeners. The podcast series can be found on ForbesBooksAudio, Apple and Spotify.  Also in conjunction with Forbes Books is a collection of blog posts sharing stories and lessons gleaned directly from the book that can be found on the blog series at Forbes.

Learn more about Stories & Heart and actionable insights for changing your life at storiesandheart.com.

Sharon Price John has served as Chief Executive Officer of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. since 2013. In her tenure as CEO, she revitalized the brand, bringing profitability back to the publicly traded company (NYSE: BBW) and creating a springboard for the brand's relevance in the years to come.

She also serves on the board of directors at Jack in the Box (NASDAQ: JACK) and on the executive committee of the Toy Industry Association board. She has been named one of the University of Tennessee Knoxville's 100 Distinguished Alumni of the last 100 years as well as a Distinguished Alumni by Columbia Business School's Women in Business. Sharon has three children and lives in St. Louis with her husband.

Launched in 2016 in partnership with Advantage Media Group, Forbes Books is the exclusive business book publishing imprint of Forbes. Forbes Books offers business and thought leaders an innovative, speed-to-market, fee-based publishing model and a suite of services designed to strategically and tactically support authors and promote their expertise. For more information, visit books.forbes.com.

Build-A-Bear is a multi-generational global brand focused on its mission to "add a little more heart to life" appealing to a wide array of consumer groups who enjoy the personal expression in making their own "furry friends" to celebrate and commemorate life moments. Nearly 500 interactive brick-and-mortar retail locations operated through a variety of formats provide guests of all ages a hands-on entertaining experience, which often fosters a lasting and emotional brand connection. The company also offers engaging e-commerce/digital purchasing experiences on buildabear.com including its online "Bear-Builder", the animated "Bear Builder 3D Workshop" and its age-gated adult-focused "Bear Cave". In addition, extending its brand power beyond retail, Build-A-Bear Entertainment, a subsidiary of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., is dedicated to creating engaging content for kids and adults that fulfills the company's mission, while the company also offers products at wholesale and in non-plush consumer categories via licensing agreements with leading manufacturers. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. posted total revenue of $411.5 million in fiscal 2021. For more information, visit the Investor Relations section of buildabear.com

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SOURCE Build-A-Bear Workshop