Leon L. Bean contended that hunters cannot be successful in the sport if their feet are cold. But the sport by nature, can lead a hunter to some less than hospitable environments: swampy regions, forests, and rivers. Leon Bean himself was an avid hunter and outdoorsman, who experienced the discomfort of cold, damp feet after a hunting excursion. However, Bean used the incident to create an innovative hunting boot, which curtailed the effects of inclement weather or geographical conditions. This shoe, coupled with a policy to uphold customer satisfaction, launched one of the most successful sporting good retailers in the United States.

Bean had worked for a short duration at his brother's shoe store in Maine in 1911. Although he only acquired