Do Purpose: Why brands with a purpose do better and matter more. (Mindfulness Books, Empowering Books, Self Help Books)

by David Hieatt

This empowering handbook delivers authoritative advice on how to build a purpose-driven company, motivate employees, and connect with consumers. Written by entrepreneur and marketing expert David Hieatt, these pages offer an engaging combination of practical tips, rousing quotes from business leaders across industries, and illuminating anecdotes. Full of enlightening wisdom on how to define a company's central purpose (beyond profit), foster a strong company culture that attracts talented staff, and develop a brand story that resonates with consumers, Do Purpose is an invaluable resource for anyone with a desire to start or grow their own business.

Genres: Business, Design, Nonfiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Sustainability

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2014

Reviews

[Luca · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason I thought that this book would be written from a ‘consumer perspective’ when I first saw the book. Turned out it is not, since it focuses on how your business can make a difference, or put differently how you can become a brand with a purpose.

Now, I do not currently own a business, nor is that something I aspire to do in the near future. Yet, this book gave some food for thought. For example, I could not help but reflect the ideas of Chapter 5 ‘People’ to my own work situation, and how it is to be an employee for my employer.

It is short, to the point, and it has a lot of nice quotes. This made it a quick read, but unlike other quick reads I think this is a book you will want to go back to. Whether it is because you are looking for inspiration, or are just unsure if you are still on the track you envisioned for your business, I think that this book will keep you satisfied over time.

I rated this book with 4 out of 5 stars. If you are running your own business I would say this is a must, but even if your not quite the entrepreneur yourself, it has some interesting insights to offer.

[Fab · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short, easy read with helpful tidbits for business owners. Most of the insights I was aware of already but this served as a good reminder. Here were my biggest takeaways:

- Define your enemy. It doesn’t have to be another company, it can be bad design, pollution, bad service, complexity. This provides your purpose and the extra fuel to keep going.
- Aim to be a brand that knows what change it wants to make in the world.
- Write your business plan on a doormat because the constrained space helps you get to the clearest explanation of your purpose.
- Self-imposed insanely impossible deadlines often help. If you want to achieve amazing things quickly set yourself tough, almost impossible deadlines. Otherwise Parkinson's law will come into play: "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion".

[Megan Hillen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for a few reasons: it’s a quick read; it’s packed with helpful, concise advice. However, the advice is not what I anticipated. The title is a bit of a misnomer. This book lends great advice to startup founders, but not to brands looking for ways to identify and craft their purpose.

[Paityn Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A succinct and inspiring - quick read

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Hieatt presents the principles of a purpose driven brand and shows you how you can apply them to your own by building your culture, defining your purpose, and doing one thing really well. This book has jumped right to the top of my list of books every creative should read. Do Purpose reinvigorated my passion for cultivating a purpose for my brand and expressing it clearly through all my actions. It's a quick read yet intensely powerful and I urge you to get a copy now.

[Rosanna Highton]

For some reason I thought this book was going to be about impact and changing the world, and how to help brands do that. But in fact it is mainly a how-to guide for setting up a business. Of course, it is insightful, and I’m sure anyone using it as a manual/bible would find it useful. For me though, I was slightly mislead by the title and was left a little confused about why I was reading it...

[Kilian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kort, simpel boekje over branding. Lijkt vooral gericht lijkt op start-up founders, maar er staan ook goede tips in voor marketeers, directeuren en andere mensen die zich bezighouden met de cultuur, producten en diensten van een bedrijf. Geen literair hoogstandje en hier en daar wat generiek, maar al met al een aanrader voor iedereen die iets met branding heeft en even wat (snelle) inspiratie zoekt. Paar voorbeelden:

- The best business models become role models - veel gevestigde bedrijven kijken naar de bedrijfsmodellen en innovatieve cultuur van hippe, relatief jonge Silicon Valley start-ups en scale-ups. Men gaat hier boeken over kopen en wil de successen doorvoeren in eigen bedrijven.

- Speed matters in a digital world, patience matters in the analogue world - in dit huidige tijdperk is er niet veel nodig om een bedrijf te beginnen. Je hebt niet veel nodig om. Kleine teams kunnen veel teweegbrengen. Pioniers kunnen de tools aanpakken. Maar het kost ook tijd om een goed bedrijf te bouwen. In deze snelle 'one-click' wereld wordt dat wel eens vergeten.

En meer van dat soort snackable leuzen.

Deed me trouwens denken aan 'Whatever you think, think the opposite' van Paul Arden. Niet heel gek, omdat David Hiaat net als Arden voor reclamebureau Saatchi en Saatchi heeft gewerkt. Een boekje om zo nu en dan even open te klappen.

[Semi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku yang bisa dibaca dengan sekali duduk dan ditampilkan dengan ilustrasi yang ciamik. Banyak sekali pembelajaran bisnis secara ‘general’ dan cenderung lebih ke wisdom aja not how to run bisnis sesungguhnya sampai ada strategi gitu, engga. Dari awal pembukuan, buku ini dibuka dengan hal yang menarik “no one sane people do business” dilanjutkan dengan bahasan soal ide, waktu, failure, dan people.

Dari buku ini juga aku menydari satu hal yang ga bisa dan ga semua orang sama adalah ide. Lalu bahasan tentang fast-paced in digital world dan patience di dunia analog bikin kaya “oh ya ya” jadi relate juga dengan perkataan “bisnis tuh soal siapa yang paling cepat” yaa karena ide kita tanpa dilaksanaiin in a someday mungkin bisa dicuri. Jadi, do business with purpose~ karena bukan kita aja yang jadi punya arah, tetapi juga bagaimana pelanggan kita melihat ke passionate pada bisnis kita.

[Víctor López ~ vdl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno de los mejores libros sobre emprendimiento y negocios que he leído. Pequeño, conciso, directo. A través de pequeños capítulos, e ilustrados, David Hieatt nos presenta su filosofía empresarial para construir un proyecto con sentido. ¿Cómo crear una marca con conciencia, que esté direccionada, no sólo a obtener ganancias, sino a generar un impacto positivo (interna y externamente)? Encontrar la pasión de uno, desarrollarla, y comunicarla. Trazar una estrategia clara capaz de llegar a los corazones de otros, capaz de impulsarnos a hacer las cosas porque creemos que tiene un fin social. Tener en cuenta los valores, y la gente. Cuidarse uno, y nunca traicionarse. Un claro ejemplo de cómo algunas marcas llegan a posicionarse muy alto.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing groundbreaking in this book. Nothing particularly new or innovative, but I'm still giving it 5 stars because I believe it accomplished what it set out to do. It is inspiring. It won't help you put together a business plan but it will give you the kick in the butt that you need to push forward with that idea you've been noodling on. I find it particularly useful when I'm feeling unmotivated or defeated. It's helpful for getting me back on track, and the juxtoposition of the letters and words, the layouts of the book and the quotes throughout make it a handle little guide for a quick hit of inspiration when needed.

You can do this, it says.

[Niels Philbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good sign, when a book leaves you wishing it was longer. That's how I felt about this book.

And then again it's a great size, because it doesn't rob you of the time you could use to start implementing ideas and attitudes from the book.

My recommendation is to just read until you find an idea that resonates with you business or situation and then close the book and take the first action in implementing. "Define your enemy" seems like a great place to start.

So read it slow, eventhough it's short - and focus on implementing.

[Poonam · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will feel most alive if you create where your love, skill and the zeitgeist meet.

Define your enemy. A way of getting at purpose.

The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates and a monthly salary.

Write your business plan on a doormat some every word costs and it will be concise.

Rule 1: Make a great product. Rule 2: Don't forget rule number 1.

Your time is limited. Remember that. Start today on your idea. Self-imposed insanely impossible deadlines often help.

[Yunis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that this type of style of presentation is great to read. One could get into the rhythm of the author and feel inspired by the ideas. I feel that sometimes writer’s are pressured to increase there word count. There work complicates an idea to the point that one could make his own assumption about the meaning of the writer. This type of book is harder to write because the author is limited to how much he could say. The author must presented his idea clearly and simply.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

i definitely was influenced into buying this book after seeing it on instagram. in my opinion, this book is ok. nothing i’d recommend. i’m not sure if it’s because i already know the importance of purpose when starting a company or project, but everything said felt obvious to me — why purpose is mandatory when starting anything, why company culture is so important, why rest is necessary to thriving.

[Karolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smagi, puikaus dizaino įkvepianti knygutė su trumpomis įžvalgomis tiek verslų kūrėjams, tiek svajojantiems jais tapti. Nuo verslo vadybos triukų iki priminimų pirmiausia pasirūpinti savimi ir žmonėmis, dirbančiais kartu.

Puikiai tarnavo kaip knygutė "ant kavos staliuko" (o tiksliau vonios kambaryje) trumpiems atsivertimams kelių puslapių paskaitymui.
Tikrai po kiekvieno tokio paskaitymo viduje kažkas vis nubusdavo įkvėptas veikti.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this view of branding and using more of a purpose in getting the formula right. While some branding can happen accidentally, there is a drive to be more conscious of where we are spending our time, and making sure that we are doing it properly.

Great read, and very well laid out. It was a very driving and an easy to understand model. I really enjoyed it, and was able to take several pieces that can be used pretty quickly.

[Kae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book because I was facing dilemma within my own brand. I can say this book is exactly what I'm looking for. I feel it's more of an encouragement to keep going than a "how to", but it's a good one if you need a little push. Definitely easy to read because I finished this in less than 6 hours. It did boost my confidence, knowing what I'm doing is right. So overall, I'm very satisfied with this book. Will come back to it when needed :D

[Mel Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not a long read but it is an important one and something I keep coming back to. Insightful and inspiring. Simple but powerful. If you are considering starting your own business or looking at turning round an old out of date giant this will help. I’m looking for a new career move and it has given me focus on my purpose and what I can bring to an organisation.

[Adelita Rismawardani · Rating 5 out of 5]

As expected from the Do Book Series, it's always simple and practical. The book basically contains how we must create a purpose before creating a business and several important matters to think about and to work on our ideas. Also, it reminds us to take rest and sleep well during our busy lives and it is as important as our work.

[Pepe.Pangloss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Todos los libros de esta colección coinciden en que son fáciles de leer, concretos y lindos.

Acá se habla del propósito, esa cosa que mueve a los emprendedores y los negocios más allá de las transacciones comerciales que les permiten seguir.

Un mimo para la cotidianidad, un recordatorio de que la rutina no nos debe pasar por arriba.

Es inspirador, motivador y creativo.

[Korianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read and a very useful read. I liked that the points were concise, memorable and something that o will definitely refer back to in the future. It’s something you can read in one sitting and has some moments that have you thinking aha. I enjoyed it

[Adam Sojka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't expect from this book a scientific or technical explanation how to create the best brand or product. But the book does sum up some important points and ideas. It also provides a list of usefull books to read next.

[tracy s irons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but not what I expected
Its written from the perspective of someone creating a brand, not something I have considered doing. It has some ideas you can apply to life and has made me think about who I am shopping with and why

[Gaia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but nothing really actionable in there. It’s more like a series of motivational quotes. Useful if you’re really at the beginning, just thinking about starting a business - but not if you’re already doing it and looking at ways to improve

[Gabriel Cárdenas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asombroso, de inicio se me hizo un libro caro y pensé que era por el formato, pero es por el contenido que es 100/10, breve pero conciso. Súper facil de leer y verdaderamente valioso. Llegó en el momento perfecto.

[Wookiee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not an entrepreneur… or maybe not yet, haha. I just work with one, so that’s why I’m reading this book. Cocok juga buat nge-lead diri sendiri dulu dari semua pembahasan buku ini. Singkat dan fun 🪅

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, simple and to the point. Nothing really new but good to be reminded of the info in the tiny book every once and awhile. There were a few quotes I've written down since they jumped out at me.

[Jarkko Laine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, inspiring read. Very visual and full of quote-worthy one liners on the different aspects of running a business with a purpose.

[Malte Höltken · Rating 5 out of 5]

No new Ideas but compact, to the point and motivating.

[Natpat Mon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new but provides good reminders of important concepts.