What's the fuss?

Here is what reviewers and academic peers are saying about The Profitable Good, along with the unique features that set it apart from other social enterprise books:

What Others Are Saying Reviewers consistently praise the book for being a practical, engaging, and highly structured resource that bridges the gap between complex theory and actionable business strategies.

• Practical and Fun: Drew Hession-Kunz of Boston College notes that the book avoids being a "boring recipe book for the usual startup grind," instead offering a fun, practical approach that considers community and life dimensions alongside profit.

• Pedagogically Sound: Academic peers like Dr. Glory Enyinnaya and Nicole O’Brien commend the book's logical flow and interactive design, highlighting that its exercises, diverse case studies, and clear visuals make it perfectly suited to support a flipped-classroom learning experience.

• Fresh and Invigorating: Social entrepreneurship researcher Salma Idrissi Boutaybi praises the book for using the Business Model Canvas (BMC) as a shared language and notes that its integration of paradigms like Suma Qamana and Permaculture offers a "fresh and invigorating perspective" on business growth.

• Translates Complexity: Dr. Jeanette Landin highlights the author's exceptional ability to combine rigorous research with human-centered insight, successfully translating complex sustainability concepts into empowering, real-world strategies.

What Makes It Special or Different? While many social enterprise books focus strictly on traditional corporate social responsibility, The Profitable Good differentiates itself through several unique and unconventional approaches:

• Integrates Indigenous and Ecological Paradigms: The book goes beyond the standard "Triple Bottom Line" by integrating unique paradigms into the Business Model Canvas. It applies Andean indigenous wisdom (Suma Qamana) to build harmony and emotional connection, Permaculture to model supply chain abundance and circular design, and the Solidarity Economy to diversify revenue and exchange beyond the US dollar.

• Embraces Neurodiversity: Unlike most business textbooks, it explicitly addresses how neurodivergent traits (such as ADHD, autism, or dyslexia) influence the entrepreneurial journey. Using the Dueling Banjos model, the book helps readers map their cognitive strengths and weaknesses across the seven stages of entrepreneurship, framing neurodiversity as a strategic advantage for innovation.

• The "Lemonade Stand" Metaphor: To keep complex ideas accessible and free of heavy jargon, the book uses the simple, universally understood concept of a lemonade stand. As the chapters progress, the basic lemonade stand is continually transformed to demonstrate advanced sustainability practices—from eco-ethical sourcing to pay-what-you-can revenue models.

• Gamified, Actionable Learning: The book introduces the Sustainability Lens Game, turning abstract sustainability theories into a collaborative, interactive activity. By using prompt cards and "Gold Coin Ideas," the game allows people of all backgrounds and experience levels to actively co-create sustainable business solutions.

• SDGs as Drivers of Innovation: Rather than treating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a simple moral checklist or compliance burden, the book teaches entrepreneurs to treat the SDGs as "design constraints" within the BMC. This approach shows how aligning with the SDGs can uncover unmet needs, lower long-term costs, and create entirely new revenue streams.