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Staff post about: Leon Leonwood Bean Become an Author

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The Merchant of Maine: L.L. Bean is Born

For the first 39 years of his life, few people ever thought that Leon Leonwood Bean would amount to much. He floated from one undistinguished job to the next, and had little in the way of formal education. Instead, Bean was a young man happy to retreat to the woods, whiling away his time hunting and trapping instead of reading books. But it was Bean’s love of nature that would eventually become what is today a thriving multimillion dollar business. Named one of the Wall Street Journals Top Ten Entrepreneurs of the 20th century, Bean turned his passion into the internationally successful outdoor clothing and equipment company L.L. Bean.

Dressed for Success: L.L. Bean Takes On Retail

Bean had designed the Maine Hunting Boot to solve his own problem of wet feet, but once it was created, he knew it was going to be a hit. He was so sure of its innovative design that he even paid the hefty sum to have it patented. Once the local shoemaker had made a few more pairs, Bean began to promote his product.

Lesson #1: Plan for the Long Run If You Want to Run Long

Hunting was nothing new, and neither was hiking. Both had been around for as long as man and Bean knew it. His business had sprung up from a need that was not being met – getting wet feet in the great outdoors. It was a need that had not been met for centuries past, and one that would need to keep being met for years ahead. Bean knew that if he played his cards right, his company could be at the forefront of meeting that need for the foreseeable future, and beyond. Indeed, it was Bean’s long term vision and planning that explains the company’s continued success.

Lesson #2: Care for Your Customers and They Will Keep Coming Back for More

When Bean first founded his company, he did so with one golden rule in mind: “Sell good merchandise at a reasonable profit, treat your customers like human beings, and they will always come back for more.” Today, Bean is a legend in the industry for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duties for his customers. From having a 100 percent money back guarantee to keeping stores open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Bean placed the customers’ priorities at the heart of everything he did. And that was why they continue to reward his company so well.

Lesson #3: Go Ahead and Get Your Hands a Little Dirty

Bean might have been an entrepreneur, and a successful one at that, but in his heart he was a hunter, and a fisherman, and an all around outdoorsman. He felt more comfortable in the woods of Maine than in the corporate boardrooms of the city. It was his passion that gave birth to the company, and a passion he never lost. It might have been for that reason that Bean insisted on being hands on and putting his personal touch on everything the company did. From talking to customers to putting new products through trial runs, Bean could always be found right there in the middle of all the action.

Lesson #4: Network to Bring Others Into the Know

By the end of World War II, L.L. Bean products were being found in the homes of everyone from Calvin Coolidge and Franklin Roosevelt to Doris Day, Babe Ruth, and the Aga Khan. Even John Wayne took off his country western getup to wear something a la L.L. Bean every now and then. But, was this just coincidence? Or was it part of a larger strategy on Bean’s part to grow his business by networking and creating word of mouth?

Lesson #5: Do Not Go Wild with Your Marketing

The name L.L. Bean conjures up exciting images of adventure and explora tion. It was the store you would go to if you wanted to set off on an arctic expedition. It was the brand you would trust to get you through a night camping during a thunderstorm in the back woods of Yosemite. It was the company that was going to help you survive your most daring journeys.

Finding Success in the Great Outdoors: How Bean Lived his Dream

When Bean died in 1967, the executives at the company he had founded were not sure if they should publicize his death. Bean’s attachment to the company was such that most customers believed he himself still personally tested each product and tended to each of their orders. His successors feared that if people knew he was gone, that perception would be eroded and the company would lose ground. They considered keeping his death a secret, until a television news show got wind and broke the story. That was the importance that Bean, at 94, still had on his company. But just how did this outdoorsman create one of the most successful and innovative mail-order catalogue companies of his time?

L.L. Bean Quotes

L.L. Bean Quotes

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