Thanks for pointing to that podcast. Definitely going to give that a listen.
At the risk of missing some context from the podcast (since I haven't yet listened to it), I'll offer some thoughts on point #2: being your own first customer.
Part of really understanding Chouinard is understanding that his public speaking is tailored to communicate the concept he wants to get across, rather than the details of how that's implemented. (Which should be familiar to software devs...)
So it might be more in line with how things are actually done to say, "we are our own first customers." The "first customers" are in-house product designers, sponsored athletes, brand ambassadors, product testers, etc. Nothing goes to market without extensive testing and feedback from all of these people. (They even do A/B testing by making the two sides of a garment from different fabrics. By the end of a 20-mile run/hike, it's clear which fabric performed better.)
Chouinard's point is that if you want to build a solid, loyal customer base, you need to be intimately familiar with that market niche. Ideally, you and your employees are part of that niche.
Dev Rel & Live Coding Streamer. Obsessed with using code, inclusion, & design thinking to bring big ideas to life and tell digital stories worth sharing.
Glad you're going to check it out :). Thanks for the awesome explanation of "be your own customer", I can totally get behind that. That fully fleshed out concept totally underlines why it's so powerful to build teams of people that are passionate about the niche you occupy.
On the topic of loyal customers, I can't wait till you've heard the bit he goes into about trucks/vans. He's a huge believer that clothing/items should be honored and used for as long as possible. He did a project with vans driving all around the country as pop-up repair shops that mend clothing or bags regardless of if they are Patagonia brand or not for free. And if something is too damaged to repair, it's collected to be recycled into new garments. It's an amazingly beautiful concept.
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
Thanks for pointing to that podcast. Definitely going to give that a listen.
At the risk of missing some context from the podcast (since I haven't yet listened to it), I'll offer some thoughts on point #2: being your own first customer.
Part of really understanding Chouinard is understanding that his public speaking is tailored to communicate the concept he wants to get across, rather than the details of how that's implemented. (Which should be familiar to software devs...)
So it might be more in line with how things are actually done to say, "we are our own first customers." The "first customers" are in-house product designers, sponsored athletes, brand ambassadors, product testers, etc. Nothing goes to market without extensive testing and feedback from all of these people. (They even do A/B testing by making the two sides of a garment from different fabrics. By the end of a 20-mile run/hike, it's clear which fabric performed better.)
Chouinard's point is that if you want to build a solid, loyal customer base, you need to be intimately familiar with that market niche. Ideally, you and your employees are part of that niche.
Glad you're going to check it out :). Thanks for the awesome explanation of "be your own customer", I can totally get behind that. That fully fleshed out concept totally underlines why it's so powerful to build teams of people that are passionate about the niche you occupy.
On the topic of loyal customers, I can't wait till you've heard the bit he goes into about trucks/vans. He's a huge believer that clothing/items should be honored and used for as long as possible. He did a project with vans driving all around the country as pop-up repair shops that mend clothing or bags regardless of if they are Patagonia brand or not for free. And if something is too damaged to repair, it's collected to be recycled into new garments. It's an amazingly beautiful concept.