Let My People Go Surfing

I’ve been a businessman for almost sixty years. It’s as difficult for me to say those words as it is for someone to admit being an alcoholic or a lawyer.

If you just ask people for help—if you just admit that you don’t know something—they will fall all over themselves trying to help.

I’ve always thought of myself as an 80 percenter. I like to throw myself passionately into a sport or activity until I reach about an 80 percent proficiency level. To go beyond that requires an obsession and degree of specialization that doesn’t appeal to me. Once I reach that 80 percent level I like to go off and do something totally different; that probably explains the diversity of the Patagonia product line—and why our versatile, multifaceted clothes are the most successful.

Looking back now, I see that we made all the classic mistakes of a growing company. We failed to provide the proper training for the new company leaders,

Never exceed your limits. You push the envelope, and you live for those moments when you’re right on the edge, but you don’t go over. You have to be true to yourself; you have to know your strengths and limitations and live within your means. The same is true for a business.

But when considering quality it’s important to not make the mistake of comparing oranges to apples. A jacket for alpine climbing is waterproof and so is a rain jacket for urban use. One is not necessarily better than the other. They are different. Our goal is to make the best in class.

Buy less; buy better.

a society of product consumers, not owners. And there’s a difference. Owners are empowered to take responsibility for their purchases—from proper cleaning to repairing, reusing, and sharing. Consumers take, make, dispose, and repeat—a pattern that is driving us toward ecological bankruptcy.

Let’s behave like owners, not consumers, and repair rather than inflict something new on the planet if we don’t truly need it.

People have too many choices these days. They are tired of constantly having to make decisions, particularly when it takes a major effort to make intelligent decisions

The best restaurants in the world have set menus, and the best ski shops have already decided which skis are best for your skill or price level. The Dalai Lama says too much choice brings unhappiness.

only 10 to 15 percent of the money Americans spend on goods and services is necessary for survival.

most 100 percent pure cotton clothing is on average only 73 percent cotton, the rest is composed of chemicals like formaldehyde that are put on to stop wrinkling and stabilize shrinkage. Formaldehyde is that chemical you use in biology class to preserve frogs and such. It is toxic, has never been regulated by the FDA, and in fact was being used as a straightener in hair salons.

If you wait for the customer to tell you what to do, you’re too late. My customers didn’t want a model T, they wanted a faster horse. —Henry Ford

It’s almost as if every idea has its time.

Being first offers tremendous marketing advantages, not the least of which is you have no competition. Coming in second, even with a superior product at a better price, is often no substitute for just plain being first.

Maintaining a sense of urgency throughout a company is one of the most difficult challenges in business.

Computers don’t screw up; people screw up. Garbage in, garbage out.

“I didn’t have the time” or “I’ve been too busy” to answer your letter, to return your call, to write a weekly report, to clean my desk, whatever. These are dishonest excuses. What the person really means is that the job didn’t get done because it had the lowest priority, and in fact he may never return your call because he really doesn’t want to. People do what they want to do.

On the contrary, sales representatives, shop owners, salesclerks, and people in focus groups are usually not visionaries. They can tell you only what is happening now: what is in fashion, what the competition is doing, and what is selling. They are a good source of information if you want to be a player in the “cola wars,” but the information is too old if you want to have leading-edge products.