What will drive our next economy?

The agrarian economy lasted 8,000 years. The industrial economy dominated for 150 years. The information economy emerged 50 years ago. What will be next? In his new book, The Purpose Economy, leading social entrepreneur Aaron Hurst predicts that purpose will supplant information as the core driver of our economy, exploring everything from how to move markets in the Purpose Economy to maximizing purpose in your career.

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The Latest on Purpose

Sneak Preview

We are working on video about the Purpose Economy but in the interim wanted to share with you the highlights of a recent town hall on the book.

Early Reviews

Venture Capitalists

"Over the last 50 years I have seen the “information economy” transform business and society. The Purpose Economy is a well written description of a new force that is likely to create a similar seismic shift. Those who embrace it early should have a considerable advantage going forward. No one knows that better than Aaron Hurst who has been a pioneer in this new economy."

Bill Draper, III

Pioneer Venture Capitalist and Venture Philanthropist

Author, The Start-Up Game

"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, Naropa University | Co-Founder, Flatiron Partners

Author, The Monster in Your Head

"Purpose is the Holy Grail for organizations. Those that understand and create Purpose will be the leaders of the next economic era."

Courtney Hall

Managing Director, Hillcrest Venture Partners

Former Captain, San Diego Chargers

Academic Leaders

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

Jim Schorr

Professor

UC Berkeley Haas School of Business

"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

Entrepreneurs

"Building on his experience as the founder of Taproot, which connects commerce with social good, 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 of the Huffington Post Media Group

"As people start to think more entrepreneurially about their careers, they look for opportunities where they can make a difference, not just a living. In The Purpose Economy, Aaron Hurst shows how this mass quest for self-expression in the workplace is reshaping corporate behavior and creating new economic opportunities. Filled with insights, this book helps clarify how technology is changing not only how we work but what we want from work."

Reid Hoffman

Co-founder/Chair of LinkedIn

Co-author of the #1 NYT bestseller "The Start-up of You"

"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

"I need meaning in my life as much as I need air. So when I started my company, I built a sense of purpose into its DNA. I'm 100% convinced that a big part of Josie Maran Cosmetics' success is that everyone is encouraged to bring their whole selves to work, and we're unified by our passion for taking care of the world as one way to take care of our company and ourselves."

Josie Maran

Chief Eco Officer

Josie Maran Cosmetics

"The secret to our success is simple - purpose. It is what attracts the best talent and inspires them to do work that sets us apart from rest of the field. It has made us one of the fastest growing companies not only in San Francisco but across the country."

Jennifer Benz

Founder and CEO

Benz Communications

"Purpose is the currency of the new economy."

Ryan Scott

Founder and CEO

Causecast

“Recent graduates want purpose more than money, more than anything. It's amazing how employees rise to the challenge when you give them the chance to change the world -- or even a single life. If you run a company, you need to realize how to harness this precious energy source. Aaron Hurst provides a blueprint.”

Matt Flannery

Co-founder

Kiva

Corporate Leaders

"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 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

Chair, Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies

"The economy is evolving and those that do not want to get left behind need to understand the incredible power of purpose in the lives of employees, family and all consumers. Aaron creatively and compellingly shows us the sea change that is upon us."

Jeffrey C. Walker

Retired Vice Chair, JPMorgan Chase

Co-Author – "The Generosity Network"

“In The Purpose Economy, Aaron Hurst shows us a compelling vision of the future. The stories he tells will improve every job, career, business, and non-profit. The Purpose Economy is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand – or better yet, create – an economy that will enable us all to thrive.”

Aron Cramer

President and CEO

Business for Social Responsibility

"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’s Business Civic Leadership Center

"This book it spot on – exactly what companies need to understand about how the world is changing around them."

Edward Martin

Director Mobile Marketing

The Hershey Company

“The Purpose Economy captures the career challenge faced by professionals and organizations, providing practical guidance to individuals and organizations seeking ways to create and achieve fulfilling work. It serves as a bellwether for the millennial workforce where professional competence and personal contentment combine to form an integrated life. Hurst’s work provides an answer to a question that thousands of leaders, HR professionals, career coaches and universities have sought for decades – how to engage employees and build careers with meaning and purpose –a path to the Noble You.”

Elaine Mason

Former VP Planning and Education

Viacom

“Aaron Hurst has tapped into a powerful and emotionally resonant idea that increasingly is animating how people behave as consumers, employees and citizens. In my experience, “purpose” really has become the essential driver of people’s wants and needs in the newly emerging economy. For today’s generation of young people, mindless consumption and careerism no longer hold much appeal. Smart companies and brands are recognizing these dramatic shifts, and starting to make some positive changes. It’s about time. With the bitter memories of the recession and financial crisis still fresh in people’s minds, businesses would do well to take Aaron’s advice and start to align their actions with the purpose-driven interests of their stakeholders.”

Patrick Di Chiro

Founder and CEO

Thunder Factory and MONDO Money

"Designing for purpose has become the core mandate for a whole new generation of designers. They are focused on the public interest as well as how to create products, environments, and services with social value. This work not only gives these designers a powerful sense of purpose, but also brings dignity and purpose to those whose lives are impacted."

John Cary

Founder, Public Interest Design

Executive Director, Autodesk Foundation

"Aaron Hurst has captured an immensely important change in today's 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

Government and Community Leaders

"San Francisco, and cities like it, will succeed in the Purpose Economy because of the heart and spirit of its people and sense of purpose and social commitment."

Mayor Ed Lee

City and County of San Francisco

“Aaron Hurst’s entrepreneurial spirit, his willingness to challenge the status quo, and his attraction to big ideas are evident throughout The Purpose Economy. For those wondering what’s coming around the corner economically and socially-- driven by the energy and dynamism of Millennials -- The Purpose Economy provides some compelling ideas and early clues.”

Phillip Henderson

President, Surdna Foundation

"The Purpose Economy" perfectly sums up what I have seen as the Secretary of State in Minnesota. More and more business are getting started with social missions and the purpose economy is rapidly expanding beyond the nonprofit sector to become a core driver of the overall economy."

Mark Ritchie

Minnesota Secretary of State

"Aaron Hurst is uniquely positioned to write Purpose Economy. This important book provides important insight into the changing motivations and drive of the powerful Millennial Generation. I've had the privilege of working with Millennials for the past decade and I couldn't agree more with Aaron's belief that our new currency is purpose, and doing good while doing well. 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 history – Millennials."

Maya Enista Smith

Advisor

Lady Gaga’s BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION

“There’s no denying that purpose drives our economy today and will continue to shape it for years to come.”

Daniel Lurie

CEO and Founder

Tipping Point Community

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