What do you think?
Rate this book
Ben & Jerry's Double Dip: Lead with Your Values and Make Money, Too
If it's not fun, why do it?" For many years Ben & Jerry's has donated 7.5 percent of its annual pretax profits to charitable causes -- the highest percentage of any publicly-held company. Yet the company has become an even more powerful agent for social change by embracing a "values-led" business philosophy. Values-led business is based on the idea that business, which has become the most powerful force in society, has to accept responsibility for the welfare of that society and the people in it. Values-led business is more encompassing and therefore more effective than philosophy alone. It also seeks to maximize its impact by integrating socially beneficial actions into as many of its day-to-day activities as possible from raw materials to retailing. In order to do that, values must guide a company's mission statement, strategy and operating plan.
Ben and Jerry write: "When we first decided to open an ice cream parlor, our goals were pretty modest. With this book we admit to having greater aspirations. We're hoping that reading it will free up a lot of people to do what their hearts and souls have been aching to do -- integrate social values into their daily business activities. If you're a business person reading this book, we hope to demonstrate that there's an alternative to the status quo. We hope you'll see that it's possible to run a business in a way that proactively supports society, and that as you integrate your values more and more, you'll be just as profitable., if not more so. If you're a shareholder, an employee, or a customer, we hope to convince you to bring those values to your interactions with business. We hope to help you to become aware that there's adifferent, more caring way for business to be -- and as employees, customers, and shareholders, to demand that business be that way.
Ben and Jerry write: "When we first decided to open an ice cream parlor, our goals were pretty modest. With this book we admit to having greater aspirations. We're hoping that reading it will free up a lot of people to do what their hearts and souls have been aching to do -- integrate social values into their daily business activities. If you're a business person reading this book, we hope to demonstrate that there's an alternative to the status quo. We hope you'll see that it's possible to run a business in a way that proactively supports society, and that as you integrate your values more and more, you'll be just as profitable., if not more so. If you're a shareholder, an employee, or a customer, we hope to convince you to bring those values to your interactions with business. We hope to help you to become aware that there's adifferent, more caring way for business to be -- and as employees, customers, and shareholders, to demand that business be that way.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1997
9 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
Ben Cohen
39 books6 followersThere is more than one Ben Cohen in the GR database. This is Ben^Cohen.
Bennett Cohen is an American businessman, activist, and philanthropist, and co-founder of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream company.
Bennett Cohen is an American businessman, activist, and philanthropist, and co-founder of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream company.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 19, 2019
"We see business as the most powerful force in society. Therefore, business has a responsibility for the welfare of the society as a whole." (Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry's Double-Dip Capitalism)
At one point both of the authors were billionaires; therefore, I am adding this book to my books by billionaires shelf on Goodreads.
Have you ever had Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream? (My favourite is Chunky Monkey) These are the founders of this company. They tell the story of starting their business in order to provide incomes for their families. With a few thousand dollars of their own, family, and a very small loan from the bank, they started an ice cream shop. They sent away for some cheap brochures that taught them how to make ice cream, invested in the equipment, leased a building that was previously used for a gas station, and the rest is history. They say that their main goals for starting their ice cream shop were:
(1) To have fun;
(2) To make a living; and
(3) To give something back to the community.
This book is part autobiographical and part of it is the authors' business philosophy on how a business can be values-led, rather than only a profit-based. They say, "When people are aware that there is a company that wants to support their community, they want to support that company. They want to buy their goods and services from that company. They want to be associated with that company."
They define Values Based Business as "based on the idea that business has a responsibility to the people and society that makes its existence possible. It's all encompassing and therefore, more effective than philanthropy alone."
Basically, Values Based Businesses use their influence to effect change in their communities, their nations, and around the world. A company must define their values. Some of the causes that the authors' mentioned they supported were: Instead of building up the military, to use this money to support poor children; using environmental materials in their products; HeadStart (a education program for children); sourcing products from places that will make a difference; making products where they could source materials from poor places, an example of this is an ice cream called Rainforest Crunch, where they sourced nuts from the Rainforest and support the local community and provide a better standard of life for them.
I concur with them that companies should be values-based; however, we need to be careful not to embrace socialism, as we know that socialism doesn't work, as proven in history. I thought they leaned a little bit to the left in their values, but nonetheless, it is up to you as a company to define your own values, so it does not matter which way you lean. The main thing is communities, people and the nation are considered when companies are making decisions.
At one point both of the authors were billionaires; therefore, I am adding this book to my books by billionaires shelf on Goodreads.
Have you ever had Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream? (My favourite is Chunky Monkey) These are the founders of this company. They tell the story of starting their business in order to provide incomes for their families. With a few thousand dollars of their own, family, and a very small loan from the bank, they started an ice cream shop. They sent away for some cheap brochures that taught them how to make ice cream, invested in the equipment, leased a building that was previously used for a gas station, and the rest is history. They say that their main goals for starting their ice cream shop were:
(1) To have fun;
(2) To make a living; and
(3) To give something back to the community.
This book is part autobiographical and part of it is the authors' business philosophy on how a business can be values-led, rather than only a profit-based. They say, "When people are aware that there is a company that wants to support their community, they want to support that company. They want to buy their goods and services from that company. They want to be associated with that company."
They define Values Based Business as "based on the idea that business has a responsibility to the people and society that makes its existence possible. It's all encompassing and therefore, more effective than philanthropy alone."
Basically, Values Based Businesses use their influence to effect change in their communities, their nations, and around the world. A company must define their values. Some of the causes that the authors' mentioned they supported were: Instead of building up the military, to use this money to support poor children; using environmental materials in their products; HeadStart (a education program for children); sourcing products from places that will make a difference; making products where they could source materials from poor places, an example of this is an ice cream called Rainforest Crunch, where they sourced nuts from the Rainforest and support the local community and provide a better standard of life for them.
I concur with them that companies should be values-based; however, we need to be careful not to embrace socialism, as we know that socialism doesn't work, as proven in history. I thought they leaned a little bit to the left in their values, but nonetheless, it is up to you as a company to define your own values, so it does not matter which way you lean. The main thing is communities, people and the nation are considered when companies are making decisions.
January 26, 2021
I have no idea why this was so enjoyable.....I do not run a business, nor do I ever intend to, but I genuinely had a great time. I've always known Ben & Jerry's to be an ethically led and social justice-centered company but the lengths they go to ensure each aspect of their business is as sound and responsible as possible is truly amazing. Who would have thought I'd be so invested in the process of creating a rainforest friendly ice cream and sourcing chemical-free packaging.
Read
November 26, 2018Gym audiobook listen. Great rap at the beginning, interstitial music. One of them sounds like a real stoner but I couldn't tell you which. Not sure how relevant their "values-based business" is now that they're owned by a conglomerate. Repeats itself over and over but is an impassioned listen. Made me hungry for ice cream.
November 23, 2020
There's been a lot of talk lately about measuring corporate social impact—and while I'm too young to be an expert on the topic, I do study it full time. So when two aging ice-cream gurus not only understood, but predicted, the glory, pitfalls, and potential of social enterprise, it surprised me big time. Ben and Jerry were 20 years ahead of Larry Fink and the Business Roundtable, and their insights match point for point with data reports BCG & HBR are publishing every year.
If you care about values-led business (or any of its pseudonyms), start with "Double Dip." It's written with warmth, humor, and an honesty about mistakes I rarely find in business literature. It's way less self-serving (ha) and stale than the litany of catchup corporate value literature being published these days. And it's about really good ice cream.
If you care about values-led business (or any of its pseudonyms), start with "Double Dip." It's written with warmth, humor, and an honesty about mistakes I rarely find in business literature. It's way less self-serving (ha) and stale than the litany of catchup corporate value literature being published these days. And it's about really good ice cream.
April 15, 2020
Must-read for any social entrepreneur. Most transparent and humble account out there of a business doing their best to leverage their company for the betterment of humanity. They take about every facet of Ben & Jerry’s and its efforts towards being a positive influence in detail. They cover the wins as well as the areas where they’ve barely begun the race. Behind it all you see the determination and heart of a company committed to getting better and having an impact.
July 3, 2013
It is interesting to go back “in history” and read about one of the first socially aware companies and how it got to those values. Thankfully, a lot of these concepts have become “mainstream” as Ben & Jerry hoped. The read can be choppy with dialog from Ben & Jerry and some other socially aware entrepreneurs interspersed with the text.
January 20, 2008
a little humor, in placid days
November 24, 2017
I honestly had no idea Ben & Jerry's had such a stance on social/environment issues. Makes you feel even better about eating ice cream.
October 11, 2024
I bought this book because the writers, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield themselves, were both the founders and the owners running the business, so they should be closest to the story of creating the business, closer than anyone else at Ben & Jerry's,
The problem with the book is that it never gets into the nitty-gritty details of starting, building, marketing, and operating the business itself. The book skips the entire startup story and fast-forwards to "social mission integration" from chapter 1! Workplace values like "Open/inclusive" and environmental values like "stewardship of natural resources" ... social mission projects like "Vermont Children's Forum" and "Head Start Book Drive" ....
These efforts are admirable. I believe in their impact and reach. But they say nothing about how they found and rented their store space, how much they spent remodeling it, how they structured their business plan and company incorporation, where they got the money, how they found their first customers, how they hired their first employees, how they managed, how they spread the word beyond their initial customers, how they surveyed factories, evaluated recipes, did their taxes, ... you know, the activities that make or break so many small businesses before they even get to social mission projects.
"The halls of corporate America are full of management consultants who talk a great game. Corporate America is paying millions of dollars a day for consultants to tell them how to manage their businesses well."
No duh! Passages like these, which permeate the book from start to finish, are preaching to the choir! We already know the central tenet of your philosophy, but we want to hear about your action. This book was your chance to detail how you did things, down to the dirty detail. We didn't buy a book to read about social initiatives and mission statements. This book does nothing to move the needle or teach how to actually build the business itself. No insight about managing costs, no insight about acquiring customers, no insight about growth or pricing strategy, no insight about hiring.
Not to mention a blurry font that made me feeling like I was reading images that had been faxed or photocopied multiple times, losing some resolution with each scan.
The problem with the book is that it never gets into the nitty-gritty details of starting, building, marketing, and operating the business itself. The book skips the entire startup story and fast-forwards to "social mission integration" from chapter 1! Workplace values like "Open/inclusive" and environmental values like "stewardship of natural resources" ... social mission projects like "Vermont Children's Forum" and "Head Start Book Drive" ....
These efforts are admirable. I believe in their impact and reach. But they say nothing about how they found and rented their store space, how much they spent remodeling it, how they structured their business plan and company incorporation, where they got the money, how they found their first customers, how they hired their first employees, how they managed, how they spread the word beyond their initial customers, how they surveyed factories, evaluated recipes, did their taxes, ... you know, the activities that make or break so many small businesses before they even get to social mission projects.
"The halls of corporate America are full of management consultants who talk a great game. Corporate America is paying millions of dollars a day for consultants to tell them how to manage their businesses well."
No duh! Passages like these, which permeate the book from start to finish, are preaching to the choir! We already know the central tenet of your philosophy, but we want to hear about your action. This book was your chance to detail how you did things, down to the dirty detail. We didn't buy a book to read about social initiatives and mission statements. This book does nothing to move the needle or teach how to actually build the business itself. No insight about managing costs, no insight about acquiring customers, no insight about growth or pricing strategy, no insight about hiring.
Not to mention a blurry font that made me feeling like I was reading images that had been faxed or photocopied multiple times, losing some resolution with each scan.
November 2, 2021
This book felt a little dated. It was still an interesting read about bringing social values inside a company.
September 15, 2024
Yay 4 visiting Ben & Jerry on hunnym00n. It give me many an idea. I like this audio version so much
October 1, 2024
Interesting book-I believe this was written in the late 1990s so I need to do some more research on the company.
October 23, 2024
Though dated, this book still had good aspects on the discussion of ethics and being a value-led business. I may never plan to run a company, but I still got good information out of it and what it means to put your values first in all you do not just personally. In full disclosure I was reading this for a grad school class, but I had other options and still chose to read about the company behind some of my favorite ice cream. It was interesting, but I felt they could’ve explained sometimes with less words or crazy stories. To me it was a little drawn out and I was just ready to be done. Overall, I enjoyed the ideas presented and did feel I got something out of it. I’d say this was a 2-1/2- 3 stars for me. I’d also probably had enjoyed it more if it was an audiobook of them reading their story to me instead of a hard copy. I couldn’t find any audio on it though unfortunately.
February 9, 2013
This is the first part of Ben&Jerry's history.
In here, they explain how value-led businesses have a competitive advantage over only for profit companies.
Very easy to read, nice ideas, applicable to our time.
The sad part comes when googling for more information. At the end, UNILEVER, the monster forced the two ex-hippies to sell the company.
Now, there are not political stands on the packages or a genuine care for employees. The expansion to other countries, such as Mexico was made as any other business would've done. Just to take the money.
In here, they explain how value-led businesses have a competitive advantage over only for profit companies.
Very easy to read, nice ideas, applicable to our time.
The sad part comes when googling for more information. At the end, UNILEVER, the monster forced the two ex-hippies to sell the company.
Now, there are not political stands on the packages or a genuine care for employees. The expansion to other countries, such as Mexico was made as any other business would've done. Just to take the money.
February 7, 2013
An interesting story - I love their ethos. Unfortunately it didn't really give me the insight I had hoped for with regard to setting up a successful business. It's more of a well-told milestone journey through their success.
September 7, 2008
There wasn't much about making money in this book, it was just mostly Ben & Jerry's history and their liberal outlook on life and business.
September 11, 2008
I worked at a Ben& Jerry's scoop shop for 4 years. I even got to meet Jerry. This was interesting.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews