G.O.A.T. wisdom

G.O.A.T. wisdom How to build a truly great business--from the founders of Beekman 1802

Brent Ridge

Book - 2025

"After growing up in rural, middle-class families in North Carolina and Wisconsin and moving to New York to scale the heights of the corporate ladders in advertising, healthcare, and media, Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell returned to their roots and launched Beekman 1802 in one of New York State's poorest counties, with no funding in the middle of a punishing recession. They didn't have much of a business plan. But they did know a few things: they wanted to build a truly good company. They wanted to sell high-quality beauty and skincare products made from goat's milk that would enrich their customers' lives. They wanted to make the world a better place by spreading kindness. And they wanted to build a business t...hat would last. Beekman 1802 is recognized as one of America's most esteemed beauty and lifestyle brands. But it wasn't built on current management fads; it was built on timeless proverbs that Brent's and Josh's parents and grandparents had taught them-the "greatest of all time" principles for good living that also can be applied to any business. For the first time, the authors present the twelve principles that made the greatest difference in the growth of Beekman 1802 and show how they are relevant for anyone seeking to run an enduring business of their own or harness the entrepreneurial spirit to rise within a big corporation. Packed with anecdotes from Brent's and Josh's own experiences, insights from other successful entrepreneurs, compelling social science research, and a lot of practical advice, GOAT Wisdom is more than a business guide-it's a source of inspiration. Part All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten and part Chicken Soup for the Soul, everyone from dreamers and humble hustlers to entrepreneurs and corporate intrapreneurs will find this wisdom to be insightful and refreshing"--

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Subjects
Dermatologic agents industry > New York (State)
Cosmetics > New York (State)
Goat milk industry > New York (State)
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economics / General.
Cosmetics
Dermatologic agents industry
Goat milk industry
Beekman 1802 Farm (N.Y.)
New York (State) > Beekman 1802 Farm
New York (State)
Published
Boston, Massachusetts : Harvard Business Review Press [2025]
Language
English
Main Author
Brent Ridge (author)
Other Authors
Josh Kilmer-Purcell, 1969- (author)
Physical Description
xv, 264 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-246) and index.
ISBN
9781647829773
  • Preface
  • Principle #1. Chop Your Own Wood and It Will Warm You Twice: How to Delegate
  • Principle #2. When The Well Is Dry, We Know the Worth of Water: How to Budget, Allocate, and Be Scrappy
  • Principle #3. A Bad Workman Blames His Tools: How to Learn and Grow
  • Principle #4. Make Hay While The Sun Shines: How to Seize Opportunities
  • Principle #5. An Empty Vessel Makes the Most Noise: How to Stay Focused
  • Principle #6. Don't Kill the Goose That Lays the Golden Egg: How to Find Your Purpose
  • Principle #7. You Can Lead a Horse to Water, but You Can't Make It Drink: How to Exert Influence
  • Principle #8. The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side: How to Use Competitive Intelligence
  • Principle #9. An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure: How to Mitigate Risk
  • Principle #10. Many Hands Make Light Work: How to Care for Your Employees
  • Principle #11. Two Heads Are Better Than One: How to Be a Partner
  • Principle #12. Love They Neighbor: How to Market Kindly
  • Conclusion
  • Epilogue
  • Recommended Reading
  • Notes
  • Index
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Authors
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

"While this is a business book, it's also a book about love.... And most of all, Kindness," write Ridge and Kilmer-Purcell, founders of goat-milk-based skincare brand Beekman 1802, in this hit-or-miss guide. The authors present 12 principles of success with down-home flair, promising that they're "not outdated, old-fashioned clichés." These include "chop your own wood and it will warm you twice," which pertains to how to delegate (be careful not to micromanage, the authors advise) and "an empty vessel makes the most noise," which guides readers through staying focused ("ignore both the good publicity and the bad"). Beekman 1802 is named after the farm in Upstate New York where the authors launched the business, and their attempts at on-theme bucolic charm can wear a bit thin (readers are frequently asked to "chew on this" and frugality is called "scraptitude"). But their chronicle of the missteps and growing pains that accompanied expansion is both vulnerable and informative, as when they recount having purchased $5 million of product they couldn't sell on QVC during the pandemic and nearly going bankrupt. Readers willing to look past the "aw shucks" tone will find plenty of solid tips. (July)

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