#032 About Elon Musk, Patagonia, and The North Face (08/01/2023)

Some days of the week were really busy, with so many annoying and trivial things keeping me constantly on the go, handling different tasks (e.g., resolving a bank and a foreign fabric factory's inability to transfer funds, installing a sign-in system, making special display decorations for the Tsim Sha Tsui store, resolving issues encountered while developing new products, manufacturing prototypes, preparing refresh packaging, and delivering a batch of finished refreshes, etc.). There were so many things to do, but nothing particularly significant was accomplished.

Let's talk about new products. I want to complain a little, but developing a product from scratch that's unique to the market is truly difficult. There are many failures along the way, various problems and difficulties, and solving them one by one is no easy task. So, it's probably an open secret that most bedding brands actually just buy from suppliers, make minor modifications, change the name, and make it sound like they have some scientific evidence in their advertising. They've been doing this for decades, both in Hong Kong and Europe and America. There are competitors who are truly willing to research and improve their products, but they are very few. This might explain why we see so little innovation in bedding; for the past ten or twenty years, it's all about "memory foam space pillows" for neck and spine support, down comforters, and 100% XXX-thread-count cotton bedding... 

I recently spent a week reading Elon Musk's book, which is a book you've probably seen in bookstores in recent years; there's a picture of him on the cover. (By the way, the book is good, you can check it out.) On the first few pages, there's a sentence that I'll see if I can find it again. The gist is that many talented people are doing money-making things, like finance and law, and not many are willing to do innovative research, resulting in our generation, in the last ten or twenty years, since 2000, having seen little innovation in the world. I won't say that being innovative is noble or superior, but if humanity wants to continue to progress, there will always be people who need to do these things. Not everyone can be cunning, thinking of all sorts of ways to make money, or just spending time figuring out how to get others to click on their ads and watch their YouTube channel. This is what people nowadays call the "traffic code."

(Image: Found, a page by Elon Musk about innovation)

I recently read about the stories of Patagonia and The North Face, and they really moved me. Let me summarize: these two outdoor apparel companies originated from two friends who love hiking, Chuinard (Founded Patagonia) and Tompkins (Founded The North Face). Their love for nature led them to start making outdoor gear for themselves and others with similar interests. As they expanded, environmental protection has always been a core value. Chuinard, in particular, once had his company's best-selling product for a single day due to environmental concerns; at that time, that product accounted for 70% of the company's total sales. This shows that what he did was definitely not for publicity, but out of a genuine belief in environmental value.

Every day, new companies are born and companies close down, and we are no exception. I want to seize the opportunity to try new things and uphold our values. We have our own way of doing things, we insist on making good products, and we hope to bring a positive impact to the planet.