Patagonia: Yvon Chouinard

Kettle Chips: Cameron Healy. The Wild Bet That Made a BrandMost founders expand the “right” way: local → regional → national → international.Cameron Healy totally skipped the “national” part. When Kettle Chips was still an upstart regional brand, Cameron made a move that seems al ...  Show more

Today’s callers: Jess from Washington seeks counsel on structuring a collaboration between her sympathy cards company and a pet products brand. Then, Caroline from Colorado wonders if she should build an in-house production team or outsource manufacturing for her decorative garla ...  Show more

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 ...

It’s 1970 and The North Face’s new owner Hap Klopp is on a mission to turn the dirtbag outdoor store he bought into an industry trailblazer. But with outdoor activity still a niche pastime, he’s going to have to do more than create gear – he’s going to have to create a market ...

It’s the 1960s, and two climbing buddies are about to lay the foundations for a new industry.

The older of the two is an outdoorsman and part-time blacksmith Yvon Chouinard. His younger buddy is Doug Tompkins, who abandoned his Connecticut rich-kid life to find his kicks ...

It’s the late 1990s and The North Face is seeking to attract mainstream customers by opening hundreds of Summit Shops within the nation’s stores.

But when the expected avalanche of sales fails to materialize, the company finds itself slipping over the edge.

Meanwhi ...