Recently, I listened to a podcast called “How Built This” that focuses on different entrepreneurs that built successful businesses with various backgrounds. The episode that I was interested in centered around an Individual named Jake Burton Carpenter. I was very inspired by his story of success and thought that it related to this class particularly well. Jake Burton Carpenter is the founder of the snowboard company, Burton Snowboards. Jake started the company in 1977 by basically going out on a whim. The concept of riding a board down the snow was one that was very unfamiliar with the general population. People thought venturing away from ski’s and riding these “snowboards” down a hill was a preposterous idea. Something this innovative had never been done before in the world of snow sports. This is where Jake Burton Carpenter’s ability to sell came into play. He convinced the world that snowboarding was extremely fun, different, and the future of snow sports. Burton’s job was to ensure people that their snowboards were safe and sturdy, which allowed people to build trust with the company. This reminded me of our lectures with Professor Sweet because it our job to create a healthy selling environment for exchange with the customer to meet a specific need that they are experiencing. Part of Jake’s job was selling the idea of a snowboard in a non-selling atmosphere. The final step after building trust with His customers was getting them to part with their resources in exchange for the thrill of riding one of these boards.
- “How I Built This” with Guy Raz is a great podcast by NPR. It is free through the Apple podcast app, so if this kind of stuff interests you, definitely check it out!
BoweryJE22
Great blog Christian! I believe this a great example of pushing past the “no’s”. As you said, the idea of “snowboards” was very unfamiliar to many people. I bet when he first started making snowboards and tried selling them, he heard a lot of the word “no”. But his ability to shake off these rejections led to one of the most (if not the most) well known snowboarding brand in the world!