Amazon Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review to be helpful:
Inspiring and Practical - for starting or growing your social enterprise, January 26, 2009
By Marc Lesser
Like an experienced consultant, coach, or good friend, Mission, Inc. tells it like it is -- in the trenches, difficult, and, at the same time -- what could be more worthwhile then to make a difference, doing what you love, and what is most needed. By addressing the paradoxes of business, and of life, Lynch and Walls integrate brutal honesty with a "can-do/must do" spirit that is rare, and I believe essential! Practical and poetic, inspiring and grounded.
3 of 3 people found the following review to be helpful:
Very worthwhile, January 5, 2009
By Kris Prendergast
I enjoyed this book tremendously. I thought it would be a dry book about the dry subject of operations, but the tone of the writing makes it feel like the authors are having a conversation with you in your living room. As for the subject, it packs precise punches at the most critical things to keep in mind as you deal with daily operational challenges in a social enterpise. Easy and enjoyable to read, and very worthwhile advice from experienced practitioners.
3 of 3 people found the following review to be helpful:
20 for the price of one, January 17, 2009
By T. E. Eckstein
In this book, you are able to get the ideas, suggestions and advice from 20 successful social enterprise entreprenuirs in one place. It condenses their years of learning into digestable tidbits that you can grasp and use well beyond the social enterprise world that is the source of the information. It combines the mechanical, must-do, analytical requirements with the affection, desire and vision drivers that make these people a success. Thanks for sharing these stories.
2 of 2 people found the following review to be helpful:
Trustworthy, practical AND fun advice for any business person, January 16, 2009
By Leslie J. Wilson
Reading this book was like having a privileged front row seat to view the heart and soul of actual social enterprises. There were many examples of real businesses dealing with real time issues - sage insights placed right where you hoped for more information. There was nothing dry about reading this book and in fact, I came away inspired by what business can do. Why aren't all businesses this way? You will find more than the practical advice you're looking for - you'll find your passion for this work and how to let it keep leading you. A very important read.
2 of 2 people found the following review to be helpful:
Practical advice inside principles wrapped in stories, January 12, 2009
By Tony Deifell
This book is very helpful for leaders and managers who want to the tackle the dual purpose of growing a business and having an impact in the world -- regardless of whether you're organized as a not-for-profit such as "KaBOOM!" or or a for-profit business such as Ben & Jerry's (both of which are examples in the book).
It starts out with the two authors' stories, which gives it such credibility. You know that you can trust the advice that follows like you can trust a well-trodden path in the woods.
At one point, they warn "Never give or take 'expert advice' too seriously," so they are aware that their aphorisms are to be taken with a grain of salt -- as interesting as they are. For example, one I liked was, "Most daily decisions aren't made in perfect mission-margin balance. They will tip in one direction."
They don't leave their advice at pithy statements, they go on to give lists (for example, a sample table of contents for a social enterprise business plan) and in-the-trenches stories from current social enterprisers, which I found most interesting.
One story emphasizes the importance of measuring your impact, but cautions the reader on the drawbacks of overshooting what an organization can measure:
"... if we were constantly trying to measure outcomes, it would take seven to ten years for us to be looking at what those outcomes are..." said KaBOOM! CEO Darell Hammond referring to the outcome of reducing childhood obesity. (KaBOOM! is the market leader for community-built playgrounds.) He points out that,"by the time we tried to have process improvement, . . . it would be five years into a cycle."
This isn't a dense manual for how to run a social enterprise, but that is what is appealing about it. I found it very accessible and insightful at the same time.
At a time when the social and financial missions of businesses are increasingly intertwined, this is a useful read.
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