Ultimately, stewardship includes knowing when to step back. Yvon Chouinard’s 2022 decision to transfer Patagonia’s ownership to a trust and nonprofit preserved the company’s environmental idea beyond the founder’s tenure. Intent met mechanism: governance, capital structure, and culture aligned so the mission could continue on its own legs. In the same spirit, creators who document intent, empower successors, and accept evolution find their ideas do not just survive—they stand, adapt, and walk further than any single person could carry them. [...]
