Also in Socially Responsible Business

Finding the Sweet Spot

The Natural Entrepreneur’s Guide to Responsible, Sustainable, Joyful Work

by Dave Pollard

Foreword by Dave Smith

Table of Contents

An open letter to readers: Becoming a model Natural Enterprise for others to follow

Foreword by Dave Smith

Introduction: A Better Way to Make a Living

• Now what are you going to do?
• You’re not alone
• There is a better way
• What’s holding you back?
• Do you have what it takes?
• The six steps to Natural Entrepreneurship
• A process and a collaboration, not just a book

 

PART ONE: DISCOVERING WHAT YOU WERE MEANT TO DO

1. Finding the Sweet Spot: Where your Gift, your Passion and your Purpose intersect
   • The sweet spot, and why it’s so hard to find
   • Your Gift: What you do uniquely well
   • Your Passion: What you love doing
   • Your Purpose: What’s needed that you care about
   • Some real-life examples of Gifts, Passions, and Purposes
2. Finding the Right Partners: Discovering people whose skills complement your own
   • Seeking a shared Purpose
   • The temptation to settle for less
   • How and where to look for partners
   • Case studies: Briarpatch and MEC

 

PART TWO: FINDING AND FILLING UNMET HUMAN NEEDS

3. Finding Unmet Needs to Fill: Conducting extraordinary research
   • Find a need and fill it
   • The research process
   • Case study: Tall Grass
4. Imagining and Innovating Solutions: Offering something significantly different
   • The practice of imagining
   • The guiding principles of innovation
   • The innovation process
   • The land mines of innovation
   • Disruptive innovation: The Natural Entrepreneur’s competitive advantage
   • Case studies: WL Gore and Interface Carpets

 

PART THREE: MAKING IT SUSTAINABLE

5. The Resilience of Natural Enterprise
   • What makes Natural Enterprises different
   • Six attributes of a resilient organization: Improvisation, self-management, organic financing, viral marketing, measuring success differently, and staying small
   • The myths of entrepreneurship
   • Case studies: Good Energy and Semco
6. Responsibility, Collaboration, Relationship, Community: The Power of People
   • The power of responsibility, responsiveness, and reputation
   • The power of collaboration and cooperation
   • The power of relationships: partnership, networks, alliances, and reciprocity
   • The power of community
   • Why people would rather do business with a Natural Enterprise
   • Case Study: South Mountain

   Once You’ve Finished the Book: Next Steps

   Endnotes and Resource Guide

    

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