Another Way
Building Companies That Last… and Last… and Last
About the Book
From the inner sanctum of Silicon Valley comes the story of a venture capitalist (VC) who lived it then left it to find a better way to build companies.
Dave Whorton was John Doerr’s associate partner at high flying Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers during Silicon Valley’s big shift. After Netscape’s IPO, he witnessed the VC industry pivot from a proven forty-year playbook of managing risk to something much more aggressive: Get big fast. Don’t worry about profitability. Cash out and find another venture.
And for a while, Whorton took part in this whirlwind as he pursued his dream of becoming the next Hewlett or Packard. He played an integral role in Google’s first venture capital financing and started two get-big-fast companies himself. It wasn’t long, though, before it all got to be too much. Whorton recognized that if “get big fast” was the formula for building a great technology company in the twenty-first century, he was happy to let someone else do it. It just wasn’t for him.
That could have been the end of the story, but instead it turned out to be the beginning of another, very different one. Whorton didn’t just walk away; he went on a journey to find a better way to build companies: a way focused on long-term stability and steady growth, funded through profitability; a way in which leaders were committed to a Purpose greater than personal wealth generation, to being People First, and making their companies endure. He calls these companies ‘Evergreen,’ and in Another Way: Building Companies That Last . . . and Last . . . and Last, he’s started a movement to inspire more entrepreneurs and business leaders to follow this path he’s uncovered.
Whorton’s story, combined with his Evergreen 7Ps® framework, offers practical steps to create and lead enduring businesses. Full of revelations, practical advice, and real-world examples of companies going Evergreen, Another Way is as instructive as it is inspiring.
Early Praise of Another Way
“Reading Another Way, I found myself exclaiming out loud to anyone within earshot. Dave Whorton’s vision of leadership hearkens back to the virtues of a bygone era: purpose, endurance, character, humility, integrity. He inspires by insisting on the timeless and true. This is unlike any other leadership book I’ve read.”
Susan Cain, #1 bestselling author of QUIET and BITTERSWEET, and host of The Quiet Life Substack
“Another Way is a revelatory look at how some of America’s most successful companies have stayed private, profitable, and true to their values for generations. Whorton’s analysis offers a refreshing counterpoint to today’s obsession with quick exits and fast fortunes. And his stories of these Evergreen companies will inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs.”
Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of DRIVE, TO SELL IS HUMAN, and WHEN
“Dave Whorton is a visionary whose story is nothing short of remarkable. He has transformed an idea into a movement. After tiring from the quick, get-rich-get-out mentality of tech companies that have no meaningful nucleus, Dave recognized the need for another way, a 3rd alternative, an Evergreen approach—for organizational endurance, vision and purpose. A “people first” mindset. This superb book captures his inspiring journey and shows us the principles and keys to building a company—and legacy—that endures. “
Stephen M. R. Covey, The New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Speed of Trust and Trust & Inspire
“This book provides the antithesis to the American “Big Fast mantra” and points the way to an economy where millions of small and mid-sized companies win, not just a few superstars, a correction America desperately needs.”
Hermann Simon, Founder and Honorary Chairman of Simon-Kucher.com
“What a gift Another Way is for all Leaders whose goal is to create a positive and lasting legacy. It is certain to become the “Bible” for all values driven leaders!!”
Ann Rhoades, President PeopleInk; EVP and Co-founding Exec at JetBlue Airways; Vice president Southwest Airlines
“I think the writing, candor and concreteness make this a unique and practical book that will really find its audience and advance its message. Great work by Dave and Bo!”
Dennis Jaffe, Senior Research Fellow, Banyan Global Family Business Advisors
“Another Way is a transformative guide for entrepreneurs seeking purpose beyond profit. A must-read for those wanting to build meaningful, sustainable businesses.”
Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks
About the Authors
Dave Whorton is an experienced tech investor and founder who spent twenty years of his career at the highest levels of Silicon Valley venture capital and tech startups. At the preeminent tech venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, he worked directly with chairman John Doerr for several years. He cofounded four companies, including drugstore.com and Good Technology. In 2013 he founded the Tugboat Institute to connect, support, and inspire purpose-driven leaders of Evergreen businesses—those built to adapt and grow profitably for one hundred years and more. Whorton considers Evergreen company leaders and their businesses to represent capitalism at its best.
Bo Burlingham has been writing about entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship for the past forty-five years, mostly for Inc. magazine, where he served as executive editor and then editor at large. He has also written for Forbes, Esquire, and Harper’s, among other publications. Along the way, he has authored five books, including Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, which was a finalist for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year award. He has written three other books with coauthors, including two with Jack Stack, CEO of SRC Holdings Corporation. The first of these, The Great Game of Business, is widely considered to be one of 100 best business books of all time. He also wrote Street Smarts: An All-Purpose Tool Kit for Entrepreneurs with Norm Brodsky, founder of CitiStorage and many other companies.
