How to create a successful and profitable business, but give back to your community as well.

Blake Mycoskie, the CEO of TOMS Shoes has a new book, Start Something That Matters, that looks at the success of Social Entrepreneurs. As an accomplished Social Entrepreneur himself, he explores why it is not only possible, but beneficial to create a business model that is purposeful in its philanthropy. This review comes on the heels of another Click. Buy. Help. post about the Social Entrepreneur definition which was an observation of the Social Entrepreneurial spirit that lives at Click. Buy. Help.

First some background.

In just five years, Blake Mycoskie has built substantial success with his company, TOMS Shoes, that has philanthropy at its very core: for every pair of shoes he sells, he gives one pair away.  He calls it “One for One.”  To date, he has helped over 1 million people with the free pairs generated from a like number of sales.

In addition to TOMS Shoes, Mycoskie has launched TOMS Glasses using the same philosophy.  One could argue that shoes and eyeglasses are two of the most basic needs we all have.  His passion and successful business acumen are helping those most in need acquire those items. There is a certain Zen-like quality to the balance he has struck in his business model. In college, I had a Business Ethics professor that defined ethical as, “doing more More >