I was inspired by NPR’s How I Built This podcast with the founder of Patagonia (clothing), Yvon Chouinard. He advocates for slower growth in companies, in order to create the kind of place that can be around for a hundred years.
There are many great tips and quotes from the interview, and I highly suggest you check it out. One result of the way the company runs is how they now have about 70% female employees, and they participate at all levels of company management. Patagonia reportedly does over $750 million per year, while advocating for customers to not buy new stuff if their current clothes can be repaired.
Also from How I Built This, the SouthWest Airlines founder — Herb Kelleher, who is now 85 — had a great story too, about how they did things differently. Sidenote: linking to specific episodes on NPR is near impossible, so that goes to the main page.
I’ve really enjoyed learning from entrepreneurs from a different generation — people who have been through it and come out the other side and still have a story to tell. There’s much to learn from them.
