The North Face vs Patagonia - Zen and the Art of Business | 4

Business Wars

Wondery

History, Business, David Brown, Management

4.6 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2020

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It’s the dawn of the 1990s and Yvon Chouinard is struggling to come to terms with his new status as a successful entrepreneur. He cannot decide what to do with the fast-growing monster he’s created.

Meanwhile, The North Face’s new owner Odyssey International is pushing the limits as it scrambles to become the king of the mountain.

But when economic headwinds roll in and bring recession, both companies find themselves battling unforgiving conditions.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to business wars, add free on Amazon music.
0:04.6	Download the app today.
0:07.0	It's 1988, and in Lighthouse Point, Florida, Iván Xunard stands on a dock and shields his eyes from the sun.
0:25.0	The Patagonia owner scans the expensive yachts anchored along the walkway.
0:30.0	At the far end, he spots the 42-foot status symbol he's searching for.
0:35.0	As he climbs aboard, an old man wearing a captain's hat pokes his head up from the cabin.
0:41.0	Oh, Iván!
0:43.0	Dr. Cammy?
0:44.0	Yes, but call me Mike.
0:45.0	Take a seat.
0:46.0	I'll fetch you some chilled guava juice.
0:49.0	With his snow-white beard and sailor's hat, Cammy doesn't immediately register as a management guru,
0:56.0	but he used to be a strategist for Xerox and IBM.
0:59.0	Now, he's a sought-after advisor to America's biggest companies.
1:04.0	This seafaring business Yoda rakes in a million dollars a year dispensing his wisdom.
1:10.0	Guava Juice in hand, Xunard explains the dilemma that's brought him to Cammy.
1:15.0	Thanks for seeing me.
1:17.0	My problem isn't what you'd expect.
1:20.0	Very soon, Patagonia's sales will pass 100 million dollars a year.
1:25.0	Our growth, it's relentless, and I don't like it.
1:30.0	Deep down, I'm a craftsman, not a businessman.
1:34.0	I see.
	...

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