I can't wait to celebrate the launch of my new book Profit & Purpose with you.... I think you're gonna like it! Heck, even if you don't it will be a fun party anyhow!
Profit & Purpose is all about how social innovation is transforming business for good. It highlights how some of your favorite organizations like Warby Parker, Etsy, Method, Charity: Water, DonorsChoose.org, Nike, IBM and others went from concept to scale while making the world a better place. (More details on the book below.)
I'm really excited that my favorite book store in the city, Powerhouse Books, will be hosting the event. If you've never been, you're in for a treat. If you have any questions, shoot me an email.
See you there!
-Kyle Westaway
P.S. If you're tweeting or instagraming about the event, feel free to use the hashtag below.
Schedule
6:45pm
Get in the door, grab a drink and prepare for what's next.
7:00pm
Presentation + Q&A with Kyle Westaway.
8:00pm
Book signing and mingling.
9:00pm
After the party is the after party. Walk over to Kyle's loft for some barbeque and bourbon.
1:00am
Leaving the party with a smile on your face, a freshly signed copy of Profit & Purpose in your hand, a belly full of BBQ ... and most likely a few new beautiful friends.
What people are saying about Profit & Purpose.
Gary Vaynerchuck
Founder, VaynerMedia
NYT Bestselling Author
Whether you’re a scrappy startup or an established Fortune 500 firm, you can reap great rewards by tapping into the power of purpose. But how do you turn purpose into profit? Kyle Westaway reveals the secrets behind the success of purpose-drive market disruptors like Method, Warby Parker, and Etsy, as well as how giants such as IBM and Nike have harnessed the power through innovative product and brand development. Profit & Purpose provides an essential roadmap for all those seeking to crush it with purpose.
Adam Braun
Founder, Pencils of Promise
NYT Bestselling Author
Kyle Westaway has the unique ability to distill complex ideas into simple authentic truths, and he's created a masterful gift in Profit & Purpose.
Jordan Kassalow
Founder, VisonSpring
On the Forbes Impact 30 List
For billions of people who live at the base of the pyramid (BoP) job opportunities and access to life enhancing products and services are top on their list of needs they value most. Social businesses are uniquely positioned to deliver these life-enhancing essentials to those the free market has traditionally left behind. Westaway's thought provoking book should be read by anyone who is interested in learning about how business can be harnessed as a force for good.
So... tell me more about this book.
Why has Warby Parker been able to make such dramatic inroads against the behemoths in the long established eyeglass market? Why were the founders of Method able to turn the company’s fortunes around after a near disastrous first product launch? Amid the cacophony of online retailers, why has Etsy seen such explosive growth, with 2013 annual sales north of $1 billion?
Because they are social enterprises, operating from a strong social / environmental purpose and that has enabled them to chart their strategies for growth, to build their brand identities, grow their bases of support, form empowering partnerships, and turn their customers into brand evangelists, all in ways that give them a distinctive competitive edge. They are but a few of the groundswell of innovative organizations that have proven the power of pursuing both profit and purpose.
THIS IS NOT A TREND. IT’S THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS.
Based on in-depth interviews with founders, Profit & Purpose profiles a number of the most successful pioneers of this new way forward, telling the stories of thirteen organizations that range from non-profits like Charity:Water and DonorsChoose.org, to for-profits, like Method and Burts Bees; from startups like Etsy and Warby Parker, to multinational corporations with market capitalizations in the hundreds of billions, like Coca-Cola, IBM and Nike. Kyle Westaway digs beneath the public stories of these organizations’ success to reveal the nuts and bolts methods they have used to design products and services that harness the power of purpose and to build on that foundation to grow their brand awareness and garner intense customer loyalty.
Taking readers behind the scenes, he shows how these leading social enterprises progressed from concept to scale, how they overcame common pitfalls, and how they managed to find an optimal balance between their mission and their business mandates. Westaway reveals that though there is no magic bullet formula that guarantees success, there are seven core practices that distinguish these market leaders from the pack of contenders. They are:
DISCOVER THROUGH CURIOSITY. How finding the right opportunity catalyzes impact.
DESIGN WITH HUMILTY. How prioritizing users creates killer products.
BUILD THROUGH HUSTLE. How rallying people creates critical momentum for launch.
FUND BY COMMITMENT. How aligning funders around a vision creates committed partners.
CONNECT WITH AUTHENTICITY. How authentic connection builds a movement.
SCALE THROUGH COMMUNITY. How focusing on culture ensures smart growth.
EVALUATE WITH HONESTY. How honest measurement ensures continual improvement.
Profit & Purpose takes the literature on social entrepreneurship an important step forward, providing the practical tools for turning good intentions into breakaway success.
And... who is this Kyle guy?
Kyle Westaway
Kyle Westaway is Founding Partner at Westaway Law - an innovative Brooklyn law firm that counsels social entrepreneurs - and a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, where he co-teaches a course on social entrepreneurship.
He is author of Profit & Purpose and writes on social innovation, entrepreneurship and emerging markets for The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Quartz. He launched socentlaw.com - a blog on the legal side of social enterprise, and careerinbeta.com - a blog on the future of work.
Kyle co-founded Biographe – a socially conscious fashion brand employing and empowering survivors of the commercial sex trade in Southeast Asia. He serves as a mentor for Harvard’s I-Lab and Praxis.
FAQs
Will there be books at the event?
Yes! But, since the book won't officially be on the market on the date of the event, there will be a limited quantity. First come, first serve.
How much do the books cost?
$50 at the event. $45 if you buy today.
Yikes... isn't that kind of expensive for a book?
I've worked really hard to make sure the content is high quality and that you'll get your $50 worth... but yes, it is expensive. Unfortunately this was one of the things that was dictated by the publisher and completely out of my control.
Is the BBQ gonna be good?
Oh yeah!
Can I bring friends?
Please do! But have them RSVP so we can plan approriately.
