One Story

A Company Built by Following Your Values

Yvon Chouinard never set out to build a company. He just needed better gear.

In the 1950s, Chouinard taught himself blacksmithing and started forging his own climbing pitons—metal spikes climbers hammer into rock faces for support. The ones on the market weren’t strong enough for the kind of climbing he wanted to do.

So he made his own. By hand. Tested them himself. And when his climbing partners saw what he was using, they wanted some too.

Soon, he was making extras. Then selling them out of the trunk of his car. Then designing ice axes and harnesses.

What started as a side project turned into something much bigger. By 1973, it had a name: Patagonia.

But Chouinard wasn’t chasing profit. He was making the gear he wished existed.

That’s how it started. That’s what it was always supposed to be.

Then Patagonia grew.

And with growth came pressure: scale at all costs, expand product lines, chase the next quarter.

That’s where most people change.

But you? That’s when you find out who you really are.

The Choice That Almost Took Patagonia Down

In 1994, Patagonia ran an environmental audit on its materials. The results were damning.

Despite being a natural fiber, conventional cotton was one of the most destructive crops on the planet. Heavy pesticide use. Chemical runoff. Soil degradation.

Most companies, faced with this information, would’ve put out a statement. Maybe made a donation. Maybe promised to “work toward better practices.”

Patagonia didn’t hesitate. They committed—fully—to removing conventional cotton from every product.

Chouinard set a hard deadline—18 months. No gradual transition. No half-measures.

At the time, organic cotton made up just 1% of the global supply. The transition was a nightmare.

They had to rebuild their entire supply chain. They co-signed bank loans to help farmers transition to organic. They redesigned every single cotton product Patagonia made.

It nearly bankrupted the company.

Employees panicked. What if this doesn’t work?

But Chouinard didn’t flinch. Because it wasn’t a branding decision. It wasn’t a risk assessment.

It was simply the only choice that aligned with Patagonia’s values.

And when they made it work, the industry followed.

Patagonia Has Made A Habit Of Doing What Others Won’t

On Black Friday in 2011, while other brands pushed discounts, Patagonia ran a full-page ad that read, “DON’T BUY THIS JACKET,” inviting their customers to think twice about mindless consumption.

When the U.S. government slashed national monument protections, they didn’t issue a statement, they didn't write an op-ed; no, they—a private company—sued the federal government.

And when Yvon Chouinard could have sold Patagonia for billions, he didn’t—he gave the company away, ensuring every future dollar would fund environmental protection.

And the reality of it is, these weren’t bold moves. They were just the only choices that made sense given the values and conviction the company had.

Because once you know what you stand for, staying true isn’t an act of courage.

It’s just what you do.

Two Quotes

“We are not what we think, or what we say, or how we feel. We are what we do.”
— Gordon Livingston, M.D.

(Your values don’t exist in theory. They exist in action. The decisions you make, the habits you reinforce—those are your real values. Everything else is just talk.)

“Every moment of one’s existence, one is growing into more or retreating into less.”
— Norman Mailer

(There’s no neutral ground. Every choice either strengthens your integrity or erodes it. Either you move toward who you want to become, or you drift away from it.)

Three Takeaways

1. Ignore trends that aren’t yours.

Patagonia never chased what was hot. They chased what was true. The best athletes and leaders do the same. They don’t let outside noise dictate their game, their strategy, or their standards. Stop making decisions based on what’s popular, convenient, or expected. Be clear on what works for you, your team, your mission—and commit to it. Trends fade. Principles last. Build something that lasts.

2. Stand up to power.

Most companies play it safe. Patagonia didn’t. They sued the U.S. government—not for attention, not for show, but because it was the right thing to do. True leaders and competitors do the same. They don’t look the other way when something is wrong. If a teammate is cutting corners, if a system is broken, if the culture is slipping—real leaders speak up. Integrity isn’t silent. If something violates your values, don’t just talk about it. Do something.

3. Think long-term, act now.

The best decisions feel inconvenient in the short term but obvious in hindsight. Patagonia made choices that seemed reckless in the moment but were inevitable in the long run. The same applies to training, leadership, and growth. The reps you don’t want to do, the tough conversations you’re avoiding, the hard choices that make you uncomfortable—these are the decisions that shape who you become. Stop optimizing for today. Make the move your future self will thank you for.

One More Thing

Courage isn’t innate—it’s the consequence of acting on what you believe.

It comes from clarity—knowing, without hesitation, what your values are.

It isn't the absence of fear. It's the presence of vision.

And it comes from commitment to that vision—using that vision as your core decision criteria in any given moment.

That’s why Patagonia made the choices they did. They weren’t waiting for permission. They weren’t testing the waters. They simply acted in alignment with what they already knew to be true.

Most people drift not because they lack conviction, but because they never stop to define it in the first place.

If you don’t get clear on what matters most to you, someone else will decide for you.

And you already know what you need to do.

It won’t be easy. It won’t be convenient.

But it will be right.

MOXIE Reflections

What decision are you facing right now that challenges what you believe?
Where are you making excuses instead of staying true to your standards?
Are your choices today moving you closer to the person you want to be?

 Like this? Share it. Debate it. Apply it. Just don’t sit on it.