Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman–Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual by Yvon Chouinard

Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman—Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual by Yvon Chouinard is a business and outdoors book written by the founder of the popular outdoor clothing company Patagonia. This book is an exploration of how Chouinard has navigated his company from fledgling startup to a household name.

The book begins with Chouinard reflecting on his upbringing and what helped him become the successful businessman he is today. He talks about his parents, his background of a family of Canadians who moved to California and how his father built their house from the ground up. In that same spirit, Yvon took the business philosophy of sustainability and environmentalism into the outdoors industry—and it's paid off.

Yvon releases an “anti-mission statement” for his company, emphasizing that “we are in business to save our souls.” This is a fitting comment as most companies have a mission statement that states the exact opposite. By doing this, he advocates for a different type of business model in which the priority is to do something that will ultimately benefit humanity, instead of solely aiming to increase profits.

Chouinard talks in great detail about Patagonia’s unique business model and how they try to incorporate principles of sustainability into their operations. This involves the use of recycled materials, creation of eco-friendly products, innovative outdoor research and activism. He also emphasizes that their employees should be allowed to go surfing during working hours—hence the title of the book. This is an attempt to bring the same kind of joy one gets from the outdoors back into their working lives.

In addition to outlining Patagonia’s key business practices, Chouinard also discusses the importance of real leadership. He believes that guiding any company forward falls solely on the shoulders of the leaders and they should lead with courage and integrity while remaining open to failure. He illustrates this with personal anecdotes that demonstrate how he has used his potential as a young businessman to build up Patagonia.

The final part of the book outlines the philosophy of business unusual which is about removing the bureaucracy and hierarchy often found in many companies. Instead, the focus should be on collaboration, respect for your employees and working together to find solutions.

Overall, Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman—Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual is a great book for readers from all backgrounds and interests. It provides an insight into Yvon Chouinard’s journey in building a successful business and how he has manages to maintain its core values throughout the journey. Readers will also find invaluable business advice from Yvon’s own experience, which can be applied to almost any type of business or start-up. It is a must-read for anyone that wants to be a successful entrepreneur.