Image via Greenloop via Ben Baker.

“No one ever Dreams of someday becoming a Businessman when they Grow Up.”

Founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard is a Reluctant Businessman—and therefore a hero to those few “mindful merchants” who want to remain independent instead of building something up just to sell out, who want hue closely to their original values, let their business rise out of their life and be useful to the living of it, and give back to the earth that sustains us, and our business.

Video, via UCSB:

From the video description: Yvon Chouinard, legendary climber, businessman and environmentalist, is the founder and owner of one of the world’s most inspiring companies, Patagonia, Inc. Mr. Chouinard talks about his personal history, how he created Patagonia, and the philosophy he uses to run the company. He discusses how he has tried to minimize Patagonia’s impact on the environment, such as making fleece clothing from recycled soda bottles. He also talks about his One Percent for the Planet plan in which participating businesses contribute at least 1% of their net annual sales to groups on a list of researched and approved environmental organizations…