Mission, Inc.

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

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Letter from the Editor of the Social Venture Network Series
  5. Preface
    1. Kevin Lynch’s Story
    2. Julius Walls, Jr.’s Story
  6. Acknowledgments
    1. From Both of Us
    2. From Kevin Lynch
    3. From Julius Walls
  7. Introduction: The Most Successful Business on Earth
    1. The Power of Business
    2. Business for the Common Good
    3. The Practitioners
  8. 1: The ten paradoxes of social enterprise
    1. What’s on Your Mind?
    2. Take Every Word of This with a Grain of Salt
    3. Putting Yourself out of Business
  9. 2: Doing good versus doing well: BALANCING IMPACT AND PROFIT
    1. Guiding Principles
    2. Practicalities Beyond Principles
    3. Mission Leverage
  10. 3: Form versus function: CHOOSING THE RIGHT STRUCTURE
    1. Why Form Matters
    2. Form, Function, and Finance
    3. The Final Implication of Form
  11. 4: Planning versus practice: WORKING WITH DISCIPLINE
    1. Planning Well
    2. Executive Summary
    3. Background
    4. Products or Services
    5. Operations
    6. Market
    7. Strategy
    8. Management
    9. Financial Information
    10. Summary
    11. Adjusting Better
    12. Have a Big Vision and Small Plans
    13. Coordinate
    14. Inform
    15. Learn
    16. Depart, Don’t Drift
    17. Roll
  12. 5: Debits versus credits: CREATING FINANCIAL HEALTH
    1. Counting Money
    2. The Money Model
    3. Having Money ≠ Making Money
    4. Making Money ≠ Making Sales
    5. Spending Money
    6. Talking About Money
    7. Watching the Money
    8. Getting Good at Money
  13. 6: Do-gooders versus good doers: HIRING THE BEST PEOPLE
    1. Table Stakes
    2. You Can Find Them
    3. What a Deal You Have for Them
    4. Aspiration
    5. Say
    6. Voice
    7. Ritual
    8. A Fine Line
  14. 7: Perception versus reality: MARKETING ON HIGHER GROUND
    1. More Than Cause Marketing
    2. Be Good
    3. The Mission Advantage
    4. Creating Connection
    5. Live by Marketing, Die by Marketing
  15. 8: Value versus waste: LEANING THE ENTERPRISE
    1. Enter Lean
    2. The Lean Tool Belt
    3. Value-Stream Mapping
    4. Kaizen
    5. The Lean Social Enterprise
  16. 9: Metrics versus instinct: MEASURING SUCCESS
    1. Why Bother?
    2. If a Tree Falls in the Woods but There’s No One Around to Hear It
    3. Outputs to Outcomes
    4. Build It In
  17. 10: Growth versus focus: EXPANDING SENSIBLY
    1. Grow What?
    2. Mission Creep
    3. One Basket, Too Many Eggs
    4. What It Takes to Grow and Expand
    5. Market Opportunity
    6. Resources, Financing, and Capacity
    7. Culture
    8. Discipline
    9. Leadership
  18. 11: Sweat equity versus blood equity: CARING FOR YOURSELF
    1. The Right Stuff
    2. Thirteen Tips for Taking Care of Yourself
  19. Epilogue
  20. Contacts
  21. Notes
    1. Preface
    2. Introduction
    3. Chapter 1
    4. Chapter 2
    5. Chapter 3
    6. Chapter 4
    7. Chapter 5
    8. Chapter 6
    9. Chapter 7
    10. Chapter 8
    11. Chapter 9
    12. Chapter 10
    13. Chapter 11
  22. Index
  23. About Social Venture Network
  24. About the Authors
  25. Other Titles in the Social Venture Network Series

Product information

  • Title: Mission, Inc.
  • Author(s): Kevin Lynch, Julius Walls
  • Release date: January 2009
  • Publisher(s): Berrett-Koehler Publishers
  • ISBN: 9781576756188