Gert Boyle's family fled Nazi Germany when she was 13--reason enough for her to hope her path as an adult would be smooth. For a time it was: She raised her three children while her husband, Neal, ran Columbia Sportswear in Portland, Oregon. But when Neal died in 1970 at age 47, Gert had to take over. She knew nothing about business, and the records were in shambles. A calm life was not in the cards.
Gert took Neal's Columbia, whose core customers were serious outdoors people, and made it a company for anyone who fancies a fleece vest: students, suburbanites, babies. The message has been carried since 1984 by Columbia's "tough mother" advertising campaign, whose highlights have included Gert forcing her son Tim--now the company's CEO--through a car wash to test a parka. Her little family business is now a $1.2 billion public company.
(From Inc.com The Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs)
Quotes from Boyle
“You never get yesterday back. So do better tomorrow and trust your instincts.”
“Self-examination is better than criticism, and the success of a business sometimes lies in the faults of the person who is running it.”
“You have to realize that in some areas experience is a better teacher than instinct.”
Whats stopping you?
Saturday 6 September 2008
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