yannai book club #1: let my people go surfing reflection

Our first book in the Yannai Book Club is Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman--Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual written by Yvon Chouinard. Yvon founded Patagonia, an organization that is kind of the blueprint for Yannai. They are one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies on Earth and have taught us some of the most crucial things we should be doing if we too would like to run an environmentally and socially conscious organization. 

The book starts off telling its readers about Yvon’s early life and how Patagonia came to be. We were shocked and impressed by his fearlessness in the natural world but it explained his passion for the environment and his willingness to take risks and go about business on his own terms. 

I definitely felt that I could relate to Yvon and his distaste for traditional business and capitalism, it was both refreshing and astonishing to hear a founder of such a large global organization to say that business “has to take the majority of the blame for being the enemy of nature, for destroying native cultures, for taking from the poor and giving to the rich, and for poisoning the earth with the effluent from its factories”. Yvon also understood that businesses can do many good things as well, and make a profit without losing its soul, which is what his book was about. 

Below I have added some of our favorite takeaways from the book:

• The accepted model of capitalism that necessitates endless growth and deserves the blame for the destruction of nature must be displaced.

• Make the best product, with the best materials, with an emphasis on durability and reparability.

• You must fully understand the environmental, social, and economic impacts of all your business activity (we would like to communicate that to you all as well).

• You do not need to compromise your values to grow and become a world renowned business and profitable organization.

• Create long-term partnerships with your suppliers.

• People and the planet should always come first.

We highly recommend everyone to go out and read this book, as it is not only for those who have a business or are interested in starting a business. Let my people go surfing will help you make better informed purchase decisions and have you start asking important questions about the things you buy.

We are nowhere close to perfect, but we are trying our best! If you have any questions or concerns related to this article please reach out to us at sourcing@yannai.ca. Your feedback is valued and encouraged!