This is not the post that I had planned for today.
Like many, many others, I was saddened to hear of Paul Newman's death yesterday. He touched so very many people through his work. My Paul Newman story involved lunch at a Connecticut restaurant, where I saw a handsome older man with amazing eyes. I looked over a few times, before my dining companion pointed out that it was Paul Newman. He had a home in the area, and I guess it was a fairly common occurrence to see him in this restaurant, but it was a thrill for me to get a sense of his presence by just being in the same room.
I think the Paul Newman business story is almost as fascinating as the Hollywood story. We recently published the paperback version of In Pursuit of the Common Good, by Paul Newman and A.E. Hotchner. The book recounts the founding of Newman's Own, a food company that began as 25 years ago as a joke and turned into an organization centered on marketing all-natural foods as a way to provide funding to the less fortunate. Newman's Own gives all of its profits to charity, and they are able to be philanthropic without traditional "fundraising" tactics. It is a company that was truly ahead of its time.
I believe that there are lessons in this book for all businesses, and also for individuals. It's a light and entertaining read, but also touching in some of the stories about The Hole in the Wall Gang, the organization that Newman and Hotchner founded to build camps and get-aways for children who are seriously ill. I urge you to pick up the book, and to think of ways that you can make a difference, either in your business or in your daily life.
Like many, many others, I was saddened to hear of Paul Newman's death yesterday. He touched so very many people through his work. My Paul Newman story involved lunch at a Connecticut restaurant, where I saw a handsome older man with amazing eyes. I looked over a few times, before my dining companion pointed out that it was Paul Newman. He had a home in the area, and I guess it was a fairly common occurrence to see him in this restaurant, but it was a thrill for me to get a sense of his presence by just being in the same room.
I think the Paul Newman business story is almost as fascinating as the Hollywood story. We recently published the paperback version of In Pursuit of the Common Good, by Paul Newman and A.E. Hotchner. The book recounts the founding of Newman's Own, a food company that began as 25 years ago as a joke and turned into an organization centered on marketing all-natural foods as a way to provide funding to the less fortunate. Newman's Own gives all of its profits to charity, and they are able to be philanthropic without traditional "fundraising" tactics. It is a company that was truly ahead of its time.I believe that there are lessons in this book for all businesses, and also for individuals. It's a light and entertaining read, but also touching in some of the stories about The Hole in the Wall Gang, the organization that Newman and Hotchner founded to build camps and get-aways for children who are seriously ill. I urge you to pick up the book, and to think of ways that you can make a difference, either in your business or in your daily life.
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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Wherever possible, titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:
In Pursuit of the Common Good by Paul Newman and A.E. Hotchner, Broadway Books paperback
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