How To Build A Brand (Part 1) - With "The North Face" Founder Hap Klopp

08/03/2023 31 min
How To Build A Brand (Part 1) - With "The North Face" Founder Hap Klopp

Listen "How To Build A Brand (Part 1) - With "The North Face" Founder Hap Klopp"

Episode Synopsis

"The North Face" Sports Apparel Empire Founder Hap Klopp shares his insights on how to build a brand. This is what's in it for you in detail:  

00:00 - Building ‘The North Face’ Brand

07:00 - Fitness & Technology 

17:24 - COVID-19 & Future of Gyms 

20:48 - Successful Brand Building

Hap Klopp strongly believes that branding comes down to the true DNA of a business. It has nothing to do with a company’s name or logo. He describes what the  DNA of The North Face is. In order to build a long-lasting business, looking for ‘disruption’ is key. When setting off, Hap looked into other sectors and industries in order to make sports apparel more appealing, so that people would be able to stay out longer in ‘the wild’. In order to have and keep a motivated team, he strongly believes in hiring motivated people! Only motivated people are open to look for innovation. Digitalization is and will drive future trends and not only in the Fitness Industry.

More about Hap Klopp:  In 1968 when Hap Klopp traded-in his corporate aspirations for the life of an entrepreneur, the support network for such endeavors was not nearly what it is today. However, Hap knew that he had what it took to run a successful business and lead The North Face for 20 years as his CEO. He sold the company in 2020 and today The North Face is valued at 13 billion USD.  After the passing of his father, Hap Klopp ran the family business while finishing his undergraduate degree at Stanford. He then went on to complete his MBA while orchestrating the sale of the business. After graduation, he went out to interview for positions only to find that no one was willing to hire him to run something – they all wanted him to start at the bottom and work his way up – which sounded pretty boring.

Hap’s focus was on consumer goods, marketing, sales and branding; which landed him an interview at Proctor and Gamble. During the course of the interview, he was introduced to the corporate mores that have pushed so many of us to pursue the life of an entrepreneur.  In short, P&G expected each employee to wear a white shirt and tie every day, to refrain from the use of nicknames and to dutifully mind their post until an opportunity for advancement was presented. It was settled, Hap was not cutout to work for anyone else, “I didn’t want any part of it…I didn’t fit into to it” – so he embarked on his entrepreneurial journey.

Website: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_North_Face

YouTube: https://youtu.be/wyNT3H7kvQI

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Mentorit.TV Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.principle.ch/#company 

Road Trip by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud

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