Leon L. Bean was born on October 13, 1872, in Greenwood, Maine. At the time, industrialization already in full force, but Maine was a little more rustic than the rest of New England. Bean grew up in climate that was cold (and often damp) nine months of the year, in a heavily wooded environment, in a society that found hunting to be a recreational staple. These factors helped to make L. L. Bean a very successful businessman.
          Some of his early business ventures involved hunting and the soap business. Early in his life, Bean trapped and hunted game, which he then sold to prospective buyers. He was able to make money in this way, sometimes intentionally, sometime by chance. His soap scheme was much more deliberate. During the summer of 1892, he united buyers, retailers, and wholesalers of one product, soap. By collecting orders from customers he was able to convince retailers to place orders, which convinced wholesalers to fill his orders. This plan represents the marketing process that is so important in any business, and which helped L. L. Bean to later become such a success.

          Leather on top and rubber on the bottom: the shoe with which, in 1911, L. L. Bean started it all. The problem he was trying to solve was related to the climate, environment, and society of Maine, as mentioned earlier. Hunters lacked a protective shoe that could be easily walked in. Bean developed a crude shoe, with the help of a local cobbler, and he sold them to hunters through the mail. The problem was they fell apart. According to the story, 90 out of 100 orders were returned to him, of which he refunded their money. This L. L. Bean guarantee continues today, and gives the company's products a reputable name, which is key in remaining successful.

          The original shoe was made from the bottoms of rubber galoshes, which proved unsatisfactory in its fit to the rest of the shoe. L. L. Bean made the shoe custom designed after making arrangements with the U.S. Rubber Company of Boston. With his improved shoe, Bean continued to sell his product through direct selling. His market included hunters outside of Maine, because the native residents had real stores to go to for their needs. (This was only true at first, of course. The L. L. Bean name has almost become synonymous with Maine, and residents take great pride in this.) He had plenty of business outside of the state, and during the Second World War he received business filling orders for the military.
          Once he established direct mail around the country, L. L. Bean did little to expand his sales. What did he do to lead his business into such success? The whole persona of his business is represented in the catalog. It had separately placed items of similar genre to encourage browsing by the reader. Although the company did not produce some of its goods, the style of the catalog was to refer to everything as "our" product. This personal quality of L. L. Bean is also associated with quality. An attitude of quality has always permeated the catalog.

          Having established a brief background of L. L. Bean's inception of his catalog, it is worthy to list some facts about the man and his company. The company is privately held with L. L.'s grandson, Leon A. Gorman, holding the CEO position since 1967. The company is around $1 billion for its annual sales, which will only grow further as L. L. Bean expands into other countries. (It already has retail stores established in Japan.) The heart of the company is in its catalog, which is already sent all over the world.
          What else did L. L. create for his company? He made a few products other than the famous Maine Hunting Shoe. He invented a cotton cloth simulating the leather made from chamois (sham´ee). He originally called his product "Leatherette Shirt," but it now shares the name of the animal. Bean also developed canvas boat and tote bags (originally intended to carry block ice). Warnie Bean, L. L's son, invented a zipper duffle bag in 1934. Aside from these products, the company still produces a majority of its goods.
          Where is L. L. Bean? The company is still headquartered in Freeport, Maine. They produce what they can within the state of Maine, and have advanced to more sophisticated methods. The use of computer-assisted processes helps to make manufacturing more efficient. Like other manufacturers today, L. L. Bean's processes make use of a modified assembly line. Workers are grouped into teams, in which each member can do the others' jobs. This allows them to vary their work to increase overall skill and limit redundancy. Even before the days of Frederick Winslow Taylor, tasks have been customized (through ergonomics) for each worker to eliminate wasted time. As is the standard today, Bean's makes use of mechanized labor for extremely redundant tasks. All of this makes for a better product and safer conditions for the workers at L. L. Bean.

For additonal information visit the L. L. Bean FAQ at www.llbean.com.

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