Podcasts Culture Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson Vincent Stanley - Lessons Learned from Patagonias First Fifty Years

Vincent Stanley - Lessons Learned from Patagonias First Fifty Years

Published: Oct. 24, 2023, 5:40 p.m.

Vincent Stanley is the Director of Philosophy at Patagonia, and he holds the honor of being the company\u2019s longest-serving employee. He is also an author, poet, and a resident fellow at the Yale Center for Business and the Environment. His most recent book, which he co-authored with Patagonia\u2019s founder Yvon Chouinard, is titled "The Future of the Responsible Company: What We\u2019ve Learned from Patagonia\u2019s First 50 Years."

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The book recounts Patagonia\u2019s evolution from its humble beginnings as a small offshoot of Chouinard Equipment for Alpinists to becoming the world\u2019s premiere outdoor apparel brand into its current role of serving as a blueprint for how business can be a force for good in the world. In less than 200 pages, Vincent delves into Patagonia\u2019s greatest business challenges, victories, and missteps, and he explains Patagonia\u2019s never-ending quest to become more responsible, more thoughtful, and more effective in achieving its mission of \u201csaving our home planet.\u201d

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My first real exposure to Patagonia\u2019s business model was when I was a student in graduate school, earning my MBA. I read Yvon\u2019s book "Let My People Go Surfing," and realized that many of the business lessons and philosophies from Patagonia stood in stark contrast to those of mega-corporations. Patagonia\u2019s approach opened my mind to a different way of thinking about business, one that led me to follow a much different path than I\u2019d planned when I initially showed up at grad school.\xa0 So it was a real honor to have the conversation with Vincent and dig even deeper into the philosophies, ideals, and tactics that have made Patagonia such a legendary enigma in the world of big-time business\u2013 and a role model for me and countless other business owners.

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Vincent and I connected virtually\u2013 he was in Maine, I was in Colorado\u2013 and we talked about all aspects of the book, as well as his long and storied history at Patagonia. You can check out the episode notes for a full list of everything we discussed, and I would highly recommend you pick up a copy of "The Future of the Responsible Company"\u2013 it\u2019s chock full of actionable, applicable wisdom that anyone with a job would benefit from knowing.

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Thanks to Vincent for taking the time to chat, thanks to you for listening, and I hope you enjoy.

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

  • 3:00 - How Vincent became involved in Patagonia
  • 7:00 - Why Vincent and Yvon decided to update "The Responsible Company," and a history of changes at Patagonia
  • 24:00 - When Vincent realized there was interest in and demand for the business model and values of Patagonia
  • 28:00 - Differentiating between \u201cresponsible\u201d and \u201csustainable\u201d
  • 31:00 - How VIncent and Patagonia approach the work of marketing
  • 34:30 - The unconventional business performance indicators and evaluations that Patagonia employs
  • 37:15 - Why books are important in Vincent and Patagonia\u2019s work
  • 41:15 - Who and what gives Vincent hope for the future
  • 44:15 - Reconciling the guilt of \u201cmessing up\u201d
  • 50:15 - Vincent\u2019s book recommendations
  • 53:00 - Vincent\u2019s parting words of wisdom

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