The Inside Scoop: How Two Real Guys Built a Business with a Social Conscience and a Sense of Humor
May 2, 1994
In keeping with the spirit of its subject, this is one of the most unbusinesslike business books one can read, but that's what makes it such fun. Unlike most of its breed that document complex, multimillion-dollar deals or the rise and/or collapse of giant corporations, this is a simple story of how hard work and commitment built Ben & Jerry's into one of the country's best-known businesses. Entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs will especially appreciate reading about the many obstacles Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield and Lager (Ben & Jerry's former CEO) overcame to move the company through its various stages of growth. Highlights include descriptions of the launch of the first Ben & Jerry's ice cream store in Burlington, Vt., in 1978, the company's two public stock offerings, and its fight against Haagen-Dazs and Haagen-Dazs's parent company, Pillsbury, over attempts to freeze Ben & Jerry's out of certain markets. Lager also provides a first-hand account of the growing pains the company experienced as it tried to integrate the concerns of the founders to run a socially responsible business that would give something back to the community with the economic realities of running a fast-growing public company. Happily, Ben & Jerry's was able to concoct a recipe for developing a conscientious business that has proved as successful as the recipes for the ice cream itself.