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Established: Lessons from the World's Oldest Companies
Heritage. Adaptation. Values. Flexibility.
From the oldest pub in the world to the Liberty Bell and the origins of a nation, Lessons from the World’s Oldest Companies tells the stories of twelve businesses with a combined age of almost 5,000 years. They’ve survived war, plague, rebellion, boom, bust, depression and strange twists of fate. But how and what can we learn from them.
Spanning the local and the global, family businesses and household names such as Guinness and Wrigley, Established seeks to uncover the secrets behind the longevity of these twelve remarkable institutions. This is a book with points to make through stories told; all reinforced by photographs, many of them historic. Today the average lifespan of a business seems shorter than ever. The companies included here stand as living testaments to the value of rich, compelling stories in a world of quick-fix branding.
From the oldest pub in the world to the Liberty Bell and the origins of a nation, Lessons from the World’s Oldest Companies tells the stories of twelve businesses with a combined age of almost 5,000 years. They’ve survived war, plague, rebellion, boom, bust, depression and strange twists of fate. But how and what can we learn from them.
Spanning the local and the global, family businesses and household names such as Guinness and Wrigley, Established seeks to uncover the secrets behind the longevity of these twelve remarkable institutions. This is a book with points to make through stories told; all reinforced by photographs, many of them historic. Today the average lifespan of a business seems shorter than ever. The companies included here stand as living testaments to the value of rich, compelling stories in a world of quick-fix branding.
- GenresNonfiction
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 22, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 5, 2018
Established is written by Dark Angels – a writers collective dedicated to creative wirting for business, allowing business writers and communication professionals to improve their writing skills and escape the clichés of business writing.
http://www.dark-angels.org.uk/
It was published by Unbound using their crowd-sourcing funding model, and I was one of those who pre-funded this book. As an aside it is perhaps appropriate for this book, that Unbound’s publishing model actually goes back to the late eighteenth century.
https://unbound.com/
Superficially the set-up of this book is similar to Jim Collins's highly influential business book Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, in that it examines the story of long established companies and what lessons can be drawn from them. Perhaps not surprisingly given the aims of Dark Angels, the resemblance largely ends there. Whereas Built To Last focused on firms established for 50+ years but at the time of publication, influential market leaders (many of whom infamously have suffered hubris-fueled falls since the book was written); this book seeks out the Oldest Companies in the English speaking world – many of whose longevity can probably be traced to the modesty of their ambition. Further, again as can be expected given Dark Angels credo, the writing is far removed from the dry, pseudo-intellectual tone of business books, and genuinely concentrates on the stories around and behind each company with each chapter having a different author, each with their own styles. Some of the firms were at least known to me – Cambridge University Press (one of the least well executed chapters), Berry Brothers Wine Merchants – and two Wrigley and Guinness are household names. One could quibble over the first two choices – a Dublin pub which has stood on the same spot since 1198 and whose chapter is more of an Irish history, and a Thames Ferry operating since 1514 but whose daily takings are around £5 but nevertheless this was a fascinating read.
The book concludes with a discursive attempt to draw some broad lessons and includes a review from the head of a similar business Storytellers
http://www.dark-angels.org.uk/
It was published by Unbound using their crowd-sourcing funding model, and I was one of those who pre-funded this book. As an aside it is perhaps appropriate for this book, that Unbound’s publishing model actually goes back to the late eighteenth century.
https://unbound.com/
Superficially the set-up of this book is similar to Jim Collins's highly influential business book Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, in that it examines the story of long established companies and what lessons can be drawn from them. Perhaps not surprisingly given the aims of Dark Angels, the resemblance largely ends there. Whereas Built To Last focused on firms established for 50+ years but at the time of publication, influential market leaders (many of whom infamously have suffered hubris-fueled falls since the book was written); this book seeks out the Oldest Companies in the English speaking world – many of whose longevity can probably be traced to the modesty of their ambition. Further, again as can be expected given Dark Angels credo, the writing is far removed from the dry, pseudo-intellectual tone of business books, and genuinely concentrates on the stories around and behind each company with each chapter having a different author, each with their own styles. Some of the firms were at least known to me – Cambridge University Press (one of the least well executed chapters), Berry Brothers Wine Merchants – and two Wrigley and Guinness are household names. One could quibble over the first two choices – a Dublin pub which has stood on the same spot since 1198 and whose chapter is more of an Irish history, and a Thames Ferry operating since 1514 but whose daily takings are around £5 but nevertheless this was a fascinating read.
The book concludes with a discursive attempt to draw some broad lessons and includes a review from the head of a similar business Storytellers
It’s not a book for the businessman in a hurry, wanting the six steps to success. The lessons are hidden. It’s a book to be read at leisure and I think anyone in business who reads the book, feet up and glass of wine in hand, will find it charmingly reassuring. The lessons they draw from the stories will be the ones most pertinent to them. This is a book high in entertainment value and there’s a lot of information in the detail. The educational element is hidden through. It’s a book of discovery
February 22, 2024
3.5/5
It’s a book about some of oldest English companies which includes big names such as Wrigleys and Guinness that are still functioning till date that withstood war, plague, rebellions and depression.
This book is more to “things to think about” than “things to do”. The lessons seemed hidden and not direct. To read at leisure and not at hurry.
Sometimes the secret to business longevity is not about profitability, but finding the right torch bearer to continue the established business DNA that will be carried on for generations.
Liked the qoute “Be content with a living not fortune”.
It’s a book about some of oldest English companies which includes big names such as Wrigleys and Guinness that are still functioning till date that withstood war, plague, rebellions and depression.
This book is more to “things to think about” than “things to do”. The lessons seemed hidden and not direct. To read at leisure and not at hurry.
Sometimes the secret to business longevity is not about profitability, but finding the right torch bearer to continue the established business DNA that will be carried on for generations.
Liked the qoute “Be content with a living not fortune”.
August 25, 2018
Very very educational. I would highly welcome a follow-on focusing on different business in other parts of the world!
I very much enjoyed the essay format and even more the different styles each author applied to the same format.
I very much enjoyed the essay format and even more the different styles each author applied to the same format.
August 30, 2019
Some lovely human stories, stories of generations, and of some interesting businesses that have survived longer than any internet company today
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May 1, 2019Коллектив авторов Dark Angels написал серию репортажей, которые можно назвать «куриным бульоном» для души предпринимателя. В безжалостном мире бизнеса, и тем более стартапов выживают лишь считанные проценты начинаний, а звезды списков Fortune и S&P закатываются с постоянством метеоров. Тем приятнее почитать о компаниях, существующих не смотря ни на что столетия, и поверить, что и ваша фирма сможет проработать поколения. В этот сборник, она, впрочем, все равно бы не попала, так как он ограничен только англоговорящими компаниями, но это единственное его ограничение – размеры и род деятельности тут на любой вкус. Здоровое долголетие приятно во всем. Даже в сигнале клиента о том, что ваши «косорукие» маркетологи перепутали местами цифры в году основания – на ваших грузовиках вместо 1948 написано 1498. Полагаю, на это глава абердинской логистической фирмы Shore Porters Society лишь довольно улыбнулся.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews