Over 40 years ago, and long before my move to Maine, I became acquainted with the story of the beginning of a great company.

It wasn't a great company in the beginning. In fact, way back before my time, its product (there was only one) had a 90% failure rate. That kind of track record would put most companies out of business, or send shade tree entrepreneurs packing. But there was something unique about this particular company because of the man who started it. He knew he had a great idea, and he decided, all by himself, to offer a guarantee. No problems, no questions: If you don't like the product or it doesn't work for you, just being it back and retrieve your money.

Well, a 90% failure rate wasn't a great start, especially when he refunded all the money he'd collected from buyers. But it sent him back to the drawing board to make the product better. When he was convinced he had it right, he offered it again, and people bought it, knowing they had absolutely nothing to lose if it failed again. It did not fail, and people loved it.

The man went on to produce many more of that product, to expand his product line, and to begin to build a very successful enterprise. He kept that guarantee, so people had no fear of buying his goods. He integrated customer service into the whole outlook of the growing company so that people would feel confident and comfortable doing business there. He knew that many of his customers were fishermen and hunters, so he kept his store open 24 hours, 365 days a year to accommodate their schedules. He didn't have to do this, but he knew he'd be serving his customers better. He was meeting their needs.

That company was started 100 years ago, and today turns nearly $1.5 billion per year in sales. It is still family-owned. The man was Leon Leonwood Bean, and L.L. Bean is consistently one of the top brands for customer service. In tthe 2011 Customers Choice Awards, L.L. Bean came it at number 2, between Amazon and Zappos.

Not bad for a company that started off with a "crummy product" but a complete commitment to customer service.

Happy 100th Birthday, L.L. Bean!

Note: I am not affiliated in any way with L.L. Bean, other than being a customer who wears their products every day. I am a lifetime customer.