Radical Business Book

Many of our world’s problems can be addressed if we think about business and economic systems in radical ways… that, through our work - our jobs, our businesses, and the businesses we support - we can address issues like climate change, extreme poverty, access to clean drinking water, racial reconciliation, access to clean drinking water. One might say, these are radical ideas. I agree!

What if we viewed the root idea of every business to be a social endeavor - that business at its core is simply seeing a need in the market and fulfilling it in a way that brings life, where everyone wins? Businesses at their core are comprised of people serving people with a product or service that adds value to your life. 

When I hear someone talking about a “radical business idea,” I expect to hear about something no one has done before—a brand new concept, a new kind of technology, or a new way of operating. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the primary definition of “radical” is actually the opposite of cutting edge or innovative. Rather, it means “of or going to the root or origin.” It comes from the Latin word rādīcālis, meaning “having roots,” which came from the Latin rādix, or “root.” This is where we get the word for radish, the root vegetable.

For quite some time, our economy has been too transactionally focused. We’ve been operating with a zero sum mindset, and that in order for one to “win,” another has to “lose.” We’ve forgotten that businesses are made of people and that our work should be supportive of each other. Our work is highly relational, and if anyone is hurt in our endeavors, then inevitably, we all lose. 

Radical Business is about returning to the core principle of the golden rule in our work: treating other people we interact with in our organizations the way we’d want to be treated. Every organization touches seven groups of people, and I call these the Seven Seeds of Social Enterprise. The challenge is to think through how we can have a positive impact with each seed, one step at a time.