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How I Built This with Guy Raz

Patagonia: Yvon Chouinard

How I Built This with Guy Raz

Guy Raz | Wondery

Business

4.831.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2016

⏱️ 27 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1973, Yvon Chouinard started Patagonia to make climbing gear he couldn't find elsewhere. Over decades of growth, he has implemented a unique philosophy about business, leadership and profit. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to how I built this early and ad-free on Amazon Music.

0:07.0

Download the app today.

0:09.0

New Year's is here, and with it brings the possibility of change.

0:13.0

As one behavioral scientist put it, first starts are really powerful.

0:17.0

So as you head into 2023, LifeKit is a great resource to help you plan your life and tackle changes, both big and small.

0:24.0

Listen to the LifeKit podcast from NPR.

0:29.0

One of my favorite quotes is, if you want to understand Hunter Bernard study the juvenile delinquent,

0:35.0

because they're saying, you know, this sucks, I'm going to do it my own way.

0:39.0

That's what the Hunter Bernard does. They just say, this is wrong, I'm going to do it this other way.

0:44.0

And that's the fun part of business, actually.

0:47.0

I love breaking the rules.

0:50.0

From NPR, it's how I built this.

0:58.0

A show about innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built.

1:08.0

I'm Guy Ross, and on today's show, how Ivan Chenard went from pounding hot metal in a converted chicken coop

1:14.0

to founding the outdoor clothing brand Patagonia.

1:17.0

And why today? He says he does not want your money.

1:27.0

If Anshanard isn't the kind of entrepreneur who's going to wow you with a PowerPoint presentation or a snappy elevator pitch,

1:34.0

he's basically a surfer, a kayaker, and a mountain clamor who sort of stumbled into the role of businessmen.

1:40.0

And he's also pretty, how can I say this, eccentric, but in the best possible way.

1:47.0

If Anshanard never had any interest in becoming rich, he's actively worked to slow down Patagonia's growth and profit margins.

1:55.0

And yet, despite his best efforts to keep it small, this little clothing company he started 50 years ago has turned into a huge business.

2:04.0

Well, I never intended to start a business. It's just, I just have this knack that every time I look at a product, I look at it, and I think,

...

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