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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