Entrepreneurship Archives

3 Authentic Business Tips to Earn Your Customers’ Trust

A small business owner smiling in her store

What makes a business authentic? What are ways to introduce people to your products? Authenticity in business goes a long way, especially if you want to keep new customers around. By being transparent, you’re building a relationship of trust with your customers. In his book Let My People Go Surfing, Yvon Chouinard discusses the importance of authenticity at Patagonia. Continue reading to learn how to be an authentic business that makes its mission clear.

Top 3 Employee Well-Being Initiatives for a Healthy Workplace

Do you want to prioritize the well-being of your employees? How can you create a more casual workplace? In his book Let My People Go Surfing, Yvon Chouinard says that a core tenet of Patagonia’s business philosophy is prioritizing the well-being of its employees. Your business depends on your employees, so ensuring their happiness and safety is a recipe for success. Discover three employee well-being initiatives that you should utilize as a manager.

Yvon Chouinard Before Patagonia: An Eco-Friendly Adventurer

What did Yvon Chouinard do before Patagonia? Where did Chouinard’s love for the environment come from? The founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, never wanted to be a traditional businessman. His true passion was the outdoors, and more specifically, advocating for environmental protection. Take a look at what inspired Chouinard to become an entrepreneur.

History of Patagonia Clothing: Earliest Challenges & Crises

When was Patagonia founded? What challenges did Patagonia face after launching? Yvon Chouinard founded the outdoor apparel company Patagonia to expand upon Chouinard Equipment. Like with the climbing gear he manufactured, Chouinard wanted to produce clothing that was simple, practical, and durable. Discover more about the history of Patagonia clothing.

Patagonia: Innovation Saved the Outdoor Apparel Company

What are Patagonia’s best innovation practices? What makes Patagonia stand out from other outdoor apparel companies? After launching Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard quickly discovered that running an apparel business wasn’t the same as making climbing equipment. The company quickly had to pull together creative strategies that would help it succeed. Keep reading to learn more about Patagonia’s innovation strategies.

25 Business Model Questions Every Entrepreneur Must Answer

What should you consider when creating a business model? How should you evaluate and test a new model? A business model defines how a company creates, delivers, and captures economic value. Drawing from concepts in the books Business Model Generation and Running Lean, we’ve created six exercises containing several business model questions that will help you devise a model that fits your vision. Continue reading for these exercises you can do with your team.

44 Questions to Ask About Company Growth: Keep Scaling Up

Has your business stalled out on the path toward your vision? What have you failed to consider? What questions do you need to answer? If you’re a business leader, you’re concerned about your company’s growth—regardless of the phase of growth it’s in. We’ve put together 13 exercises containing a total of 44 questions to ask about company growth that are based on concepts in Built to Last, The E-Myth Revisited, Traction, and Zero to One. Read on for these practical exercises you can do on your own or with your managers.

How Amazon Became Successful By Doing Things Differently

What explains how Amazon became successful? What did the company do differently? Amazon became successful by creating a strong business culture based on giving value to the customer before all else. If you take a close look at Amazon’s guiding principles and strategies, you’ll see that many of its tools can be used in other businesses too. Continue reading to see how Amazon grew from a startup into the successful business it is today.

Amazon’s Business Strategy: The 4 Tools for Success

What is Amazon’s business strategy? What tools do they use to grow as a company? Amazon’s business strategy centers on four tools: the product development proposal, the deep thinking document, the DMAIC process, and big-picture planning. Seeing the way that Amazon uses each of these tools is a great way to grow your own business strategy. Keep reading for an in-depth look at each of these tools.

Product Development Proposal Tactics From Amazon

What is a product development proposal, and what is its purpose? How does Amazon use product development proposals? The product development proposal, or PDP, is a two-part document including a hypothetical press release and frequently asked questions that you create before developing a new product. By looking at how Amazon uses the PDP, you can get a sense of good product development processes. Read on to see what a good product development proposal looks like and how it is used.