Activism & You

Written by: Jimmy Banish

Welcome to The Bear Factory’s first-ever Teddy Time Blog Post! Thank you for taking the time to read this post as this is where we will be posting business happenings, business development support articles, industry news, and other relevant material about the plush industry. We are starting off our blog with a recap of a recent event we as a company support and believe in very much.

The Hero Round Table is a non-profit organization that sets a stage for individuals to talk about leadership, activism, and heroism. “The opposite of a Villain isn’t a Hero, it’s a bystander” is the philosophy of THR and we as a company couldn’t agree more. During last week’s Michigan event, we had the opportunity to meet many great people including Milana Vayntrub, you may know her as Lilly from the AT&T commercials, Deray McKesson, a civil rights activist, and we had the fun opportunity to raise over $600 for THR with Impractical Jokers’, Joe Gatto.

The Take Away:

Our takeaway for you as a business owner for reading this is to challenge you to find a cause you believe in that fits your company’s core values to support. Support it out of the opportunity to make an impact on a value you truly believe in, not just because you feel it is a good business opportunity. Be authentic with the cause you choose. As a business owner of plush animals, you are in the unique position to tap the emotional strings of people and groups you work with but staying authentic is the only way to do that.

When we decided to donate over 100 bears to this year’s The Hero Roundtable, we never had the goal of meeting Joe, Milana, or any of the other speakers for that matter. We did it because we believe in the cause. Meeting some great contacts along the way was only a bonus and made the opportunity an even greater experience.

With the holidays around the corner, make an effort to find your own cause to support and see what happens. Everyone loves a teddy bear around the holidays and you never know whose hands that teddy bear might fall into. Just make sure you have enough business cards in your pocket, know your product and you’re well on your way!