Book Description
A new breed of business is springing up across the land: social enterprises, whose primary purpose is to support the common good. Organized as for-profits, nonprofits, and everything in between, they see businesses as the means to a better world for all.
In this groundbreaking guide, Kevin Lynch and Julius Walls, Jr. draw on their own hard-won experiences and those of twenty other social enterprise leaders. Exploring ten key paradoxes of social enterprises, they show how to navigate the extreme challenges and seize the tremendous opportunities these organizations present. Whether you're looking for guidance on choosing a structure, finding and hiring talent, marketing, finances, operations, or scaling, this practical, accessible guide offers clear and compelling answers that light the way.
Table of Contents
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Letter from the Editor of the Social Venture Network Series
- Preface
- Kevin Lynch’s Story
- Julius Walls, Jr.’s Story
- Acknowledgments
- From Both of Us
- From Kevin Lynch
- From Julius Walls
- Introduction: The Most Successful Business on Earth
- The Power of Business
- Business for the Common Good
- The Practitioners
- 1: The ten paradoxes of social enterprise
- What’s on Your Mind?
- Take Every Word of This with a Grain of Salt
- Putting Yourself out of Business
- 2: Doing good versus doing well: BALANCING IMPACT AND PROFIT
- Guiding Principles
- Practicalities Beyond Principles
- Mission Leverage
- 3: Form versus function: CHOOSING THE RIGHT STRUCTURE
- Why Form Matters
- Form, Function, and Finance
- The Final Implication of Form
- 4: Planning versus practice: WORKING WITH DISCIPLINE
- Planning Well
- Executive Summary
- Background
- Products or Services
- Operations
- Market
- Strategy
- Management
- Financial Information
- Summary
- Adjusting Better
- Have a Big Vision and Small Plans
- Coordinate
- Inform
- Learn
- Depart, Don’t Drift
- Roll
- 5: Debits versus credits: CREATING FINANCIAL HEALTH
- Counting Money
- The Money Model
- Having Money ≠ Making Money
- Making Money ≠ Making Sales
- Spending Money
- Talking About Money
- Watching the Money
- Getting Good at Money
- 6: Do-gooders versus good doers: HIRING THE BEST PEOPLE
- Table Stakes
- You Can Find Them
- What a Deal You Have for Them
- Aspiration
- Say
- Voice
- Ritual
- A Fine Line
- 7: Perception versus reality: MARKETING ON HIGHER GROUND
- More Than Cause Marketing
- Be Good
- The Mission Advantage
- Creating Connection
- Live by Marketing, Die by Marketing
- 8: Value versus waste: LEANING THE ENTERPRISE
- Enter Lean
- The Lean Tool Belt
- Value-Stream Mapping
- Kaizen
- The Lean Social Enterprise
- 9: Metrics versus instinct: MEASURING SUCCESS
- Why Bother?
- If a Tree Falls in the Woods but There’s No One Around to Hear It
- Outputs to Outcomes
- Build It In
- 10: Growth versus focus: EXPANDING SENSIBLY
- Grow What?
- Mission Creep
- One Basket, Too Many Eggs
- What It Takes to Grow and Expand
- Market Opportunity
- Resources, Financing, and Capacity
- Culture
- Discipline
- Leadership
- 11: Sweat equity versus blood equity: CARING FOR YOURSELF
- The Right Stuff
- Thirteen Tips for Taking Care of Yourself
- Epilogue
- Contacts
- Notes
- Preface
- Introduction
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Index
- About Social Venture Network
- About the Authors
- Other Titles in the Social Venture Network Series