September 21, 2022

Great things don't happen overnight. A tribute to long-term commitment and consistency

6 minutes

Script:

When he decided to launch his new gig, the founder was selling hand-made pittons and climbing hardware for the already 10 years. He was driving its van across California to supply other mountain enthusiasts. But it was small and the margins were slim. And he felt the products he was selling were unreliable, fragile, and needed to be replaced often.

So he started this new company started with a simple mission: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. Imagine at the time how forward-thinking this was.

And so it went. Slowly but great. And with developing new products and getting more sales, Yvon and his team started thinking about how they could make their initial mission statement a more believable and real one.

So they launched initiatives toward that mission:

They were the first company to write educational articles on how to buy fewer clothes but arrange them better to create layers and keep you warm

They used real nature pictures of their customers for their product catalog, not fake ones

They wrote the book “let my people go surfing” which sold hundreds of thousands of copies

They gave 1% of their sales to small and impactful organizations to defend the planet When you’d land on their website, you’d see information about wildlife protection and activism. Not products. Quite counterintuitive for the e-commerce conversion gurus

To start a global movement on giving back to the environmental cause, they founded 1% for the Planet in 2002 with another company

They got the B-Corp label (I worked on it at a previous company, believe me, it’s a lot of work) They produced dozens of video documentaries showcasing wildlife and its protection

They launched the Worn Wear program, a series of videos and actions around repairing clothes instead of buying new ones

They run an ad in the NYT called “Don’t buy this jacket” during Black Friday

They sued the president over the reduction of the Bears Ears National Monument

and even add a “Vote the assholes out” clothing tag on their products to support the movement

They partnered with climate and social activists (such as Naomi Klein, Clare Gallagher, or Ian Walsh), rather than influencers and affiliates They announced they’d refuse to sell corporate Logo Vests to Ecologically Damaging Companies

And many many more… Until last week’s move, I’m sure you read about it.

Yvon Chouinard and its family decided to sell 100% Patagonia non-voting stocks to a nonprofit dedicated to fighting the environmental crisis and defending nature. Yvon wrote a letter called “Earth is now our only shareholder”.

Whether you’re sensitive to social and environmental issues or are looking to grow as big as Patagonia or not, there are 2 interesting lessons from this short story:

It’s not because you claimed something once that people are going to believe you. Patagonia is about 40 years of commitment, repetition, and dedication until they created a brand that feels responsible, sustainable, and doing good for the planet.

Building around your unique hedge, opinion, and conviction, is the best fuel for your roadmap, marketing, and else. Start with that as you’re figuring out your positioning, and you’ll know what you have to do to make it real.

In case you’re interested, I’ve written a post on making your claims more believable by the way, you’ll find it on the blog.

Once again, shout out to the Chouinards!

Have a great end of your day!

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By Clément Rog