Flowers and chocolates are traditional Valentine’s Day gifts, but if you’re looking to spice things up this year, you might want to head to … uh … Build-A-Bear Workshop?

The St. Louis-based retail chain, known for customizable teddy bears, is generating unlikely controversy over its new “After Dark” collection of racy stuffed animals for adults. These plush bears, lions, and doggos — which, let’s be clear, are only available to 18+ shoppers online — wear skimpy bikinis, satin robes, and devil horns. They also drink champagne and martinis and sport T-shirts with phrases such as “Be Wine Valentine” and “ZADDY.”

Fans are divided on social media, with some calling the collection “hilarious” and others feeling “violently sick” or wondering, “Build-A-Bear, are you in heat?” Despite upset comments, it’s been a huge seller, Build-A-Bear CEO Sharon Price John told The Wall Street Journal. Still, we can’t recommend a similar move for every family-friendly company. Feb. 14 comes and goes, but protecting your brand reputation is forever.

Valentine’s: Business can (un)break your heart

Strange: Would you buy this $500 e-ink typewriter?

Dolly: She’s a business and philanthropic rockstar

‘Tis better to have loved and lost … but does that apply to losing your company? With Feb. 14 almost here, let’s open a Godiva box — okay, fine, ours was already open — and process some of the most common relationship problems that might pop up in your entrepreneurial life.

How do I start a new business while processing the grief of a failed one?

Similar to a romance that wasn’t meant to be, you should view a failed business as a stepping stone toward finding “The One.” Walt Disney, Bill Gates, J.K. Rowling, Arianna Huffington and even Thomas Edison had major setbacks before finding success. After a significant loss, take time to heal, pick yourself up, plan the next move, and put every past lesson to use.

How can I get over a client breakup? 

By ending things respectfully and cleanly, you’ll feel better about the situation; accusations and insults will just result in more drama, so leave the door open for a potential rekindling.

In the meantime, consider what went wrong. Were their demands truly outrageous or was it the result of you failing to give them the attention they deserved? This is the time to grow, make your services and pitch more attractive, and begin your search for a better match.

My partner isn’t committed to our business — it hasn’t felt 50/50 in a long time. What can I do?

As difficult as confrontation is, approach them directly if they aren’t living up to their end of the bargain. When you’re honest and vulnerable, they’ll have space to open up about their waning interest, allowing you to understand their motivations, communicate expectations, and come to resolutions.

Why are my customers being unfaithful to me with so many competitors?

More than 4 in 10 customers will stop buying from a brand after only a couple of negative customer-service experiences. What have you done for them lately?

Review loyalty analytics like customer churn rate, repeat customer rate, and lifetime customer value; these need to be leading metrics for your business. Listen to customers’ desires and organize around those. Show that you care about and respect them. If you don’t make customers feel special, they’ll go looking for someone who does.

Today’s podcast conversation is with Nate Hoskin, founder of Hoskin Capital, to discuss his journey of starting a business, the unexpected challenges of being an entrepreneur, and the unmet needs in the market for younger generations. Watch the episode on YouTube or listen on your favorite audio app.

(Source: Freewrite)

Less is more. It’s true of cologne, hot sauce, and, according to tech startup Astrohaus, productivity. Its signature product, the Freewrite typewriter, is marketed as a tool to get more done without the internet distracting you.

Just as “dumb phones” have come back in vogue as an escape from the time-suck of smartphones, the Freewrite offers a keyboard, a small e-ink screen (like a Kindle’s) where your typing appears, and not much else. Oh, it’ll set you back $499 for the basic Traveler version, $649 for the Smart version with a nightlight, and $999 for the Ernest Hemingway “Hemingwrite” Signature Edition, endorsed by the great novelist’s estate.

For that price, you could buy a new MacBook Air … but we tested the Freewrite and found it to be a spare environment conducive to deep work and designed to tamp the impulse to edit constantly. (Some reviewers call it a “first draft machine.”) Documents automatically upload to the cloud for refining on a computer, because even the most nostalgic typist has to use spell-check occasionally.

(Source: Shutterstock)

The past year has been big for Dolly Parton. Her album Rockstar featured over 40 collabs (including Elton John, both surviving Beatles, and Lizzo) and her cheerleader-themed Dallas Cowboys halftime show was 2023’s most-viewed TV moment except for the Super Bowl. At 78 years old, she’s finding a new generation of fans.

In addition to being a great musician and businesswoman — she’s a theme park owner, after all — Parton is a great philanthropist. Starting as a Tennessee educational fund in 1988, the Dollywood Foundation has done a mind-blowing amount of good over the years. Just the highlights include:

• 1990s: The “Buddy Program” awards high school grads $500 each, reducing local dropout rates by 29%. The Imagination Library gives kids one free book monthly — to date, over 200 million books have been gifted worldwide.
• 2007: Dollywood raises $500,000 for a new local hospital, including the Dolly Parton Center for Women’s Services.
• 2016: The foundation distributes $1,000 per month for half a year to families who lost homes in Tenessee’s Sevier County fires.
• 2020: Dolly donates $1 million to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development.
• 2021: Dollywood raises $700,000 to help Tennessee residents impacted by flooding.
• 2022: Dollywood announces 100% tuition coverage for its employees, furthering their education.

Rather than limiting herself to one cause, Dolly embraces the flexibility to serve diverse needs as they arise. The Dollywood Foundation doesn’t just walk the walk; it struts harder than Jolene.

Written by Tess Barker, Ali Saleh, and Dan Ketchum.