"What I Have Learned That You Might Like To Know" - Reflections of Alex Tilley
HOW TILLEY ENDURABLES CAME ABOUT
I worked mostly mornings in my previous business. This gave me time to sail my wonderful sloop on Lake Ontario in the afternoons. I’m good at varnishing; the yacht looked great!
In winter, I still had time off so I decided, as a kind of hobby, to oversee the making of a hat worthy of my sailboat. I knew what I wanted in a hat.
I was able to develop the Hat because I had TIME to do it well.
In 1980, I knew nothing about hat making then; I simply asked (and paid) others to do it for me, and worked with them to get it right.
Is everything we make the best of its type in the world? NO. It’s just that we don’t know what of our items (we don’t make ‘products’) aren’t. Did you notice that we Deify our Hats? That’s because we think so highly of them.
What do you deify in yours? If what you do isn’t worth deifying, why would I want to be your client (note: not ‘customer’).
Why do we make nearly all our ‘stuff’ in Canada? Because I’m a Canadian. Also, we can keep a watchful eye on it.
We make the best in the world. THEN WE MAKE IT BETTER! (‘Dear Lord, help me do this one thing right!’)Constant improvement! Hey, it’s fun!
Forbidden Words in our catalogue (unless we quote someone else)
Those words are ‘perfect’ and ‘ultimate’ – because nothing is, and to use them is to lie.
TIPS ON STARTING A BUSINESS
The odds are that it will fail. My first (of 3) did! Recognizing this, figure out how you can TEST your product or service for $500.
Invest nearly nothing. Learn what you can provide to your customers, how much it will cost you to make, then bring a sample (or a drawing of it!) to your would-be customers.
“I can provide you with this wonderful item for (say) $20 and you can resell it for $45. How many would you like me to make for you?”
His/her answer, plus those of a few others, will tell the tale.
To avoid business failure, get a MENTOR. Someone, probably retired, who knows the ropes, has been very successful, and has the desire to help. NO charge.Your local Rotary Club (as an example of one such organization) is filled with them. They’d be pleased to have you sit in on a meeting!
My last mentor was in his mid-eighties, and I in my 60’s. Jack Parker had been the world-wide president of Thermos, and when he visited us twice a week, was the smartest person in the building. He liked mentoring us so much that he arranged to have some of his ashes scattered on our lawn. And yes, I met him at Rotary.
Probably no one will heed this advice. Ah well…
WHAT'S MY FAVOURITE COUNTRY TO VISIT?
Guatemala – because it’s so wonderfully different. The villagers are Mayan; they speak about 18 languages (Spanish is the 2nd language); each village has its own unique apparel so you identify a stranger (a Spanish idea!), and the twice-weekly market in Chichicastenango is a wonder!! I’ve visited about 6 times.
My favourite people to visit, because of their friendliness, is the Balinese, the Bhutanese, and the people of Newfoundland.
TRAVEL SUGGESTIONS:
Pack 1 of your 2 or more extra outfits (socks too) in your travel partner’s luggage – and vice versa. In case your luggage doesn’t arrive, you’ll survive comfortably. All clothing should colour coordinate.
Wear essentials (hiking boots, for instance) on board. Use your INTREPID Shoulder Bag for meds, shaving stuff, book, cameras, Tilley Hat….
Always use the secret pocket in your Tilley Pants for large bills, passport, and spare credit card.
Once I was at a fine lodge in the mountains of Chile. Hmm: water from mountain streams, well-run establishment… Being occasionally reckless (or stronger words) I drank it and found it to be a very unpleasant way to lose weight over nearly a week.
For more Travel Tips and Checklists: