What connotations do business and money have for you? Whether positive or negative, Screw Business as Usual is a book showing you how people achieve their goals and do good while making a profit in businesses they love. How did Innocent drinks come about? How does Danone sell yoghurt in Bangladesh? And who are The Elders and what do they do? Read on!
Why read Screw Business as Usual?
Branson is a great storyteller and the stories he shares are of (business) people and brands you’ve probably heard of but know little about. How is it that when something bad happens, the word spreads around at the speed of light and yet, when a company does good for the community or the environment, regardless if the good dead brings a profit or not, we hardly ever hear about it? Branson’s book shifts the balance, highlighting changes companies and business owners have implemented, either in order to serve or help stakeholders who otherwise would have been disadvantaged, or to minimise the negative impact their businesses have on the environment.
More about the book…
Educational and accessible at the same time, Screw Business as Usual is a journey opening with an emphasis on the importance to change the way we do business, namely to do business in a more ecological manner. Branson coins the term Capitalism 24902, 24902 being the circumference of planet Earth in miles. So Capitalism 24902 refers to the fact that ‘every single business person has the responsibility for taking care of the people and planet that make up our global village.’
Enforcing Branson’s thoughts is the founder of Ebay, Pierre Omidyar, who says:
Long term sustainable change happens if people discover their own power. The key is moving the center of gravity in the decision-making, moving it closer to people in the community, in the field, and so forth – and away from a centrally directed, top-down approach. For the first time in human history, technology is enabling people to really maintain their rich connections with much larger number of people than ever before. – Pierre Omidyar
It is from this outset that Branson builds his discussion, looking at the implications of building and managing a business with mindfulness at its core. From here onwards, each chapter is an argument on how mindfulness is achieved by different companies, in a way that doesn’t hinder their profits, but certainly builds on their reputation.
One of my favourite such stories is about General Electrics, who in 2005 launched Ecomagination and spent $1.5 billion annually on research and development for clean technology, for the next 5 years. The ROI of Ecomagination? GE reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 21% and improved their energy efficiency by 34% – all by generating $70 billion in revenue. (page 250)
Using lots of stories and anecdotes about himself and about his businesses, Branson also highlights the eagerness, hunger for innovation and energy young people have and how it is the responsibility of communities to stere young adults in a direction that would have them use their talents in positive ways.
There is an eagerness and an energy, a clear vision in young people that is so powerful that, if not tapped and supported by the community to point it in the right direction, can become counterproductive and disruptive, as we saw in the 2011 riots in London. Every young person is entitled to have a fair start in life – and, when they don’t, it’s up to those with good fortune to see what they can do to help out. – Richard Branson
The best bits…
I didn’t know about The Elders until I read Screw Business as Usual… The Elders, masterminded by Richard Branson and Nelson Mandela, is a way for independent global leaders to work together for peace and human rights. Chaired by Kofi Annan, the Elders get involved in projects across boundaries and cultures, where they take it to themselves to listen and promote the human rights.
The other aspect I loved is the richness of stories that Branson shares, about big and small companies like, of which I’d like to mention a few you probably haven’t heard about, such as Runa, Jempson’s, and Finisterre.
