Aaron Hurst - The Purpose Economy: How Your Desire for Impact, Personal Growth and Community Is Changing the World

Advance Acclaim

Aaron Hurst powerfully sums up in The Purpose Economy
the fundamental changes taking place in the business world.

Arianna Huffington

Chair, President and Editor-in-Chief
Huffington Post Media Group

Here is that rare animal, a business book grounded in compassion. The Purpose Economy taps into our deep craving for meaning in our life and work. If Aaron Hurst is right, and I think he is, we are on the threshhold of a new, more value-rich era in business. This book will help you find your place in it.

Daniel H. Pink

Author, To Sell is Human and Drive

After building the largest nonprofit consultancy in the nation and changing the role of professionals in society, Aaron Hurst takes aim at his next target, the global economy.

Chan Suh

Founder, Agency.com

Writing with the fierceness and intelligence of one who has been on the front lines of creating the Purpose Economy, Aaron Hurst pulls together a seemingly disparate collection of trends and multi-generational yearnings into a cohesive argument that our economy is entering a new period where meaning is, perhaps, the ultimate capital. The Purpose Economy is at once both a description of profound changes and a call to action to make those changes a part of our society.

Jerry Colonna
Chair of the Board, Naropa University | Co-Founder, Flatiron Partners

Author, The Monster in Your Head

The Purpose Economy eloquently sums up what we have seen around the world over the last ten years. Aaron Hurst is a rare visionary with the talent to see the future but also find a way to bring us all along on the journey to realize its potential.

Markus Hipp

Executive Director, BMW Foundation

The Purpose Economy is required reading for anyone interested in social innovation and frankly anyone who is working with Millennials.

Michele Kahane

Professor of Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, The New School

Aaron is one of the most thoughtful analysts working at the intersection of business and society interests today. He has a deep, intuitive understanding of people, and the different forces that are affecting their social, economic, and life decisions. If you are interested in understanding where we might be headed and what it might mean for your job, career, or enterprise, you need to read this book.

Stephen Jordan

Founder, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center

The Purpose Economy is a must-have on any reading list about economics, social innovation, Millennials, marketing, or leadership.

Jim Schorr
Senior Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship

UC Berkeley Haas School of Business

The Purpose Economy is brilliant. It is both an unlock for finding purpose in your career as well as for adapting your organization to meet the shifting priorities of new generations and communities.

Roberto Orci

President, Acento Advertising

Chairman, Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies

Aaron Hurst has captured an immensely important change in todays consumer and talent economies. The Purpose Economy explains why a growing desire for authentic purpose in the work we do and the choices we make is redefining what it takes to lead successful organizations.

Fabio Rosati

CEO, Elance / oDesk

For those wondering whats coming around the corner economically and sociallydriven by the energy and dynamism of Millennials The Purpose Economy provides some compelling ideas and early clues.

Phillip Henderson

President, Surdna Foundation

This important book provides important insight into the changing motivations and drive of the powerful Millennial Generation. This thesis can be (and hopefully will be) transformative to a variety of sectors, as we adjust to the new currency of the largest generation in historyMillennials.

Maya Enista Smith

Advisor, Lady Gagas BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION

THE PURPOSE ECONOMY

How Your Desire for Impact,

Personal Growth and Community

Is Changing the World

AARON HURST

Elevate, USA

Copyright 2014 by Aaron Hurst

Cover design: Franziska Veh and Arthur Cherry

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Boise, Idaho by Elevate, a Russell Media company

This book may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, organizational, or promotional use.

For information, please email info@elevatepub.com

ISBN-10: 1937498298

ISBN-13: 978-1937498290

Printed in the United States of America

The Purpose Economy is dedicated to the amazing women in my family who have taught me nearly everything I know. Kara Hartnett Hurst, my muse and wife. Lola B. Hurst, my daughter and the closest thing to perfection on this planet. Tera Pierce, my sister and hero. Sandra Slater, my rock and aunt. Bonnie Slater Hurst, my departed mother, whose disdain for the ordinary lives with me to this day.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Robert Acton, Clem Auyeung, Jesse Bania, Caroline Barlerin, Nate Bear, Jonathan Becker, Jennifer Benz, Paula J. Beugen, Ruth Blatt, Sierra Brand, Mischa Byruck, Stuart Bunderson, John Cary, Chris Chavez, Samuel Chen, Arthur Cherry, Josh Cohen, Jerry Colonna, Chip Conley, Alana Corbett, Cody Cowan, Suzanne Craig, Will Denton, Bill Draper III, Leandra Elberger, Jason Elliott, Liana Elliott, Peter Esser, Tatiana Figueiredo, Lindsay Firestone, Lance Fors, Oliver Friedfeld, Kyla Fullenwider, Lisa Gans, Meg Garlinghouse, Sheryle Gillihan, Mirta Gilson, Kimberly Gim, Per Grankvist, Adam Grant, Gabriel Grant, Marine Grodzin, Phi-Hong Ha, Alethea Hanneman, Carol Harnett, Jessica Harris, Meira Harris, R. Christine Hershey, Markus Hipp, Jeff Hirsch, Elizabeth Horwitz, Rachel Hutchinson, Robert Hunter, Shawn Hunter, Noah Isaacs, Luciana Jaburl, Amel Karboul, Meghana Khandekar, Steve Kirmse, Acha Konat, Adriana Krasniansky, Bobby Kuber, Adam Lashinsky, Tracy Lawrence, Chelsea LeMar, Stephanie Lepp, Leonardo Letelier, Julie Lewit-Nirenberg, Josh Linkner, Emily Loose, Christos Makridis, Elaine Mason, David B. McGinty, Denise McMahan, Jeff Nedler, Mark Newall, Frances Nguyen, Joy Nuga, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, McVal Osborne, Kelli Peterson, Eric Phillips-Horst, Armin Pialek, Marc Porat, Damon Shelby Porter, Julian Posada, Camille Preston, Tom and Kathy Raffa, Eric Ries, Fabio Rosati, Jeff Russell, Mark Russell, Alexandra Santiago, Frank Santoni, David Sasson, Nina Schneider, Elizabeth Schwan-Rosenwald, Jimena Ryan, Emily Sarver, Steve Schloss, Ryan Scott, Meaghan Scribner, Mariana Serra, Neil Shah, Shally Shanker, Dr. Shikha Sharma, Alex Simon, Aman Singh, Sandra Slater, Adam Spence, Sophie Stenbeck, Jay Arthur Sterrenberg, Wendi Sturgis, Chan Suh, Trevor Sumner, Rich Tafel, Anna Tavis, Michael Thng, Friederike V. Tiesenhausen, Kristy Timms, Jeffery Thompson, Dar Vanderbeck, Gael Van Weyenbergh, Franziska Veh, Jeff Walker, Katherine Wang, Emma White, Arthur Woods, Kristin Woods, Amy Wrzesniewski, Pengcheng Zhu, Andrew Zolli

THE PURPOSE ECONOMY 100

The cover of this book celebrates 100 pioneers of the new economy. Their names are as follows:

Cindy Gallop, David Kelley, Marshall Ganz, Jonathan Trent, Erika Karp, Salman Khan, Michelle Long, Laura Roberts, Emily Pilloton, Antje Danielson and Robin Chase, Yvon Chouinard, Daniel Pink, Howard Gardner, Michael Porter, William McDonough, Bren Brown, Ben Nelson, Wendy Kopp, Sasha Orloff and Jacob Rosenberg, Jonathan Abrams, Dr. Eric Topol, Arianna Huffington, Pam OConnor, Dr. Peter Tuerk, Greg Berman, Marty Makary & Atul Gawande, William Rosenzweig, Carol Cone, Dr. Corey Keyes, Evan Wolfson, Howard Dean, Heather Franzese, Jeff Denby, Jonathan Rapping, Mary Bonauto, Beth Noveck, Rick Warren, R. Seth Williams, Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig, Chad Dickerson and Matt Stinchcomb, Daniel Rosen, Billy Parish, Steve Richmond, Joshua David and Robert Hammond, Joshua Mailman and Wayne Silby, Amy Wrzesniewski and Jane E. Dutton, Rick Fedrizzi, Mike Italiano, and David Gottfried, Jay Coen Gilbert, Bart Houlahan, and Andrew Kassoy, Dr. Melissa Kearney, Dr. Peter Tufano, Dr. Jonathan Guryan, Dr. Erik Hurst, Bob Epstein and Nicole Lederer, Ryan Gravel, Cathy Woolard, Tom Cousins, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Craig Jelinek, Bernie Glassman, Juliet Ellis, Freelancers Union, Paul Rice, Charles Montgomery, Jacob Wood & William McNulty, Jennifer Pahlka, Melinda Gates, Jeffrey Stewart, Indra Nooyi, Ryan Howard, Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, Steve Ells, Ray Oldenburg, Vivek Kundra, Tony Hsieh, Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk, John Tolva, Rob Spiro and Alon Salant, Yancey Strickler, Charles Adler, Perry Chen, Meg Garlinghouse, Mitchell Baker, Dr. Tom X. Lee, Elon Musk, Peter Koechley & Eli Pariser, David Payne and Michael Tavani, Michael Bloomberg, Rachel Kleinfeld, John Mackey, Michael Pollan, Brad Neuberg, Chris Anderson, David Edinger, Scotty Martin, Dr. Regina Benjamin, Frank Perez, Al Gore, Zack Exley and Judith Freeman, Ben Goldhirsh, Adam Grant, David Javerbaum, Dr. Jon Kingsdale, Jane Jacobs, Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, Jorge Montalvo, Judge Jonathan Lippman, Justin Hall, Molla S. Donaldson, Karl D. Yordy, Kathleen N. Lohr, and Neal A. Vanselow, Peter Block