Under Armour's Kevin Plank: "We're Fueling Our Own Fire"

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Kevin Plank, the president and CEO of Baltimore-basedUnder Armour, was recently interviewed by washingtonpost.com.

Among other things, he says the company focuses on "competing with ourselves" rather than focusing on what the competition is up to. He also uses the metaphor of a book to describe his brand—each new product Under Armour launches is another "chapter" in the book, and it's important for the story to make sense. Plank says that he thinks about whether the progression of launches makes sense: Does the latest product logically follow the last release? And what should logically come next? One product leads to the next, just like the chapters in a book.

Another choice quote:

"This year we're closing in on a $800 million business," he says. "And the only statement... the only words that will get you fired at Under Armour is 'That's the way we've always done it."

To read a "How I Did It" column on Plank from 2003, click here

Mike Hofman

Mike Hofman was previously editor of Inc.com and a deputy editor at Inc. magazine, which he joined in 1996. The site was nominated for a National Magazine Award for Digital Media in 2010, and was named the best business website by Folio Magazine. In 2006, Hofman was part of a team of writers nominated for a Webby Award for best business blog. He lives in New York City.