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Yvon Chouinard á 0 CHARACTERS CHARACTERS Let My People Go Surfing The Education of a Reluctant Businessman 100 Pment Let My People Go Surfing is the story of a man who brought doing good and having grand adventures into the heart of his business life a book that will deeply affect entrepreneurs and outdoor enthusiasts alik. I m always wary of the stories of successful people who make it seem like they fell into their success At the same time because Patagonia is for a for profit business very environmentally responsible and family oriented I really wanted to like this book Unfortunately I didn tThe beginning is pretty interesting as Chouinard writes about his early life and how his company started making better euipment for mountain climbers I was with him for this part He figured out how to build a better mousetrap and the world beat a path to his doorAs the company grew Chouinard wrote about how little he knew about business Mostly he wanted to keep climbing and surfing and fishing He makes it seem as if his business sort of magically grew I find that much harder to swallow You don t get to be the size of Patagonia without some very savvy business people running things While at first it was just Chouinard and his friends my guess is that not every employee was a ski bumThere are many reasons to laud Patagonia The company is incredibly environmentally responsible They were on the forefront of implementing family leave for employees who gave birth They had child care on site so that families can be togetherBut as another reviewer pointed out Patagonia clothing is damned expensive Chouinard certainly touts Patagonia as a company run by thrill seeking iconoclasts for thrill seeking iconoclasts Then he charges prices that only lawyers and corporate executives who want to come off as thrill seekers can affordIn my opinion this book is a little disingenuous Chouinard may be a reluctant businessman but he certainly hired some very competent businesspeople to work for him and help build his company That was not the message I was looking for out of this book

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Yvon Chouinard á 0 CHARACTERS CHARACTERS Let My People Go Surfing The Education of a Reluctant Businessman 100 In his long awaited memoir Yvon Chouinard legendary climber businessman environmentalist and founder of Patagonia Inc shares the persistence and courage that have gone into being head of one of the most respected. I don t know where to start with my reverence for Chouinard He s my anti business business hero a reluctant radical in corporate America The book opens I ve been a businessman for almost fifty years It s as difficult for me to say those words as it is for someone to admit being an alcoholic or a lawyer I ve never respected the profession It s business that has to take the majority of the blame for being the enemy of nature for destroying native cultures for taking from the poor and giving to the rich and for poisoning the earth with the effluent from its factories Yet business can produce food cure disease control population employ people and generally enrich our lives And it can do these good things and make a profit without losing its soul That s what this book is about When I think about Patagonia I think about a company that prioritizes its values over profits The brand image of the company is not simply a product of skilled marketing but an extension of the authenticity of its founder and the culture he established Chouinard never wanted to be a businessman he didn t really care that much about making money he simply needed to make a little cash so he could go climbingand well why not make climbing gear to do it As the company slowly took off Chouinard grappled with that success In a pivotal moment for the company a management guru asked Yvon If the main goal of the company is to fund environmental causes why not sell the company today for 100M and give it all rather than a steady drip of 10% of your profits Chouinard struggled with that uestion until he figured out his answer years later I knew after thirty five years why I was in business True I wanted to give money to environmental causes But even I wanted to create in Patagonia a model other businesses could look to in their own searches for environmental stewardship and sustainability Today Patagonia s mission statement is Make the best product cause no unnecessary harm and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis This philosophy took decades to catch on but today it is common knowledge that mission driven businesses develop strong brands and loyal customers attract the best employees and often deliver above average returns to investors with lower risk When we think of contemporary innovative business leaders we often think of people who developed products that made the future come to life Yvon Chouinard did create a few new products but that is far from being the most significant part of his contribution to the advancement of management I would argue that the paradigm shift that is still under way that you can do well by doing good which owes so much to Patagonia s example and success will prove to be one of the most important business innovations of our age and a key component of what hopefully tips us into a cleaner economy

Yvon Chouinard á 0 CHARACTERS CHARACTERS Let My People Go Surfing The Education of a Reluctant Businessman 100 And environmentally responsible companies on earth From his youth as the son of a French Canadian blacksmith to the thrilling ambitious climbing expeditions that inspired his innovative designs for the sport's eui. It was 3 stars until 70% of the book but the ending deserves 4This book is the story of Patagonia and how its founders deal with business people and the environmentTheir way of life resonates a lot with what I think is a good way to live Maintain a sustainable business hire people you trust and give them enough freedom to live a good life while giving their best to make the company grow thinking about the environment grow only when you have to grow to supply your demand live a minimalistic life and so many other stuffThe book speaks in the first person about their own story but here are some notes I took You don t make it perfect when you add everything you can but when you remove everything possible and keep it to the bare minimum Employ people who share the fundamental values of the corporation while representing cultural and ethical diversity The uality of the product is related to its use Provide ways to fix the product because each new product manufactured is a piece of the environment that goes away People say they can t contact someone but this is a dishonest answer They don t want to do it or it doesn t have a high priority for them Deliver what your client wants when he wants it If you don t do that he will look for a company who does After he does that it s hard to get him again Expect your supplier to deliver on schedule but you have to do the same American companies fail in Japanese market because they try to do business by the book Show people who you are as a company not a fictional character There are companies creating fictional characters for what they want people to see not the real truth It s easier to show the real company if you really live what you say Profits happen when you do everything right It s a conseuence Grow only in natural rate If there is no product in the stock it means we have to produce and it s natural growth Don t create an artificial advertisement for your goods just to increase the demand Create a product that your clients really need We want customers that need our product not just desire it We don t want to be a big company we want to be the best company Hire many as people as possible who use your product and like it they will make it even better I never saw a company who wants to build the best product ever when people who work there are not passionate about it We prefer to hire from our network of friends and business associates We don t want stars seeking for special treatment we look for the best person for the job even if it means keeping a position open for a long time It s easier to teach the work to people who have your culture and like your product but it s really hard to teach culture for high skilled people Let my people go surfing and believe they will not abuse their benefits Everyone can make their own work time Work whenever you want and feel productive and enjoy your life We don t want soldiers who obey orders we want people who uestion every decision and wants to make the best for the product Managers must be always available for those who report to them Have a common place for people to exchange ideas cafeteria The answer for global environmental change is action Don t wait for others or for the technology to solve the problem act now No businessman change aggressively one department without thinking on the rest of the company but that s what is happening to the environment A company that builds landmines but don t know what they do should go to a country where they are a problem to locals so they can see what their product to the people All companies should do the same with the environment Evil is the absence of good If you can do good and you re doing nothing you are doing evil The you know the less you need

• Paperback
• 272
• Let My People Go Surfing The Education of a Reluctant Businessman
• Yvon Chouinard
• English
• 07 June 2020
• 9780143037835