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Introduction

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

—Margaret Mead

On November 26, 2001, I was well on my way to becoming one of the 79,000 people that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say die each year from excessive alcohol use. I had come home that morning after a three-day bender, my depression and insecurity a raging inferno fueled by alcohol, and found myself staring down the barrel of my AR-15 Bushmaster 223 assault rifle, contemplating how much of my wife Lisa’s misery and mine I could end by firing the gun.

Shame over what that would do to Lisa, a Las Vegas Metro law enforcement officer who had been cleaning up my messes for years and who would be returning any moment from her 12-hour shift, kept me from pulling the trigger that day. But, ironically, it was the hallucinations that had plagued and terrified me for months that ultimately saved my life. Because on that morning, a vision came to me and whispered the words that changed my life forever: “No … Not yet. There’s more work to do.”

Over the course of the next year, I began that work. When Lisa gave me an ultimatum between our marriage or my addiction, I entered drug rehab and sobered up, broke away from my family business and a lifestyle that were killing me, discovered my life’s passion, became a father, and laid the groundwork on the first Journey Healing Center (JHC), one of six addiction recovery and rehabilitation healing centers that Lisa and I founded.

When we formed the idea for JHC, we had two goals in mind: No matter what, I must stay sober, and we would, together, build a sustainable business. What occurred over the course of that year – the lessons we learned, the decisions we made, the steps we took that enabled Lisa and me to make the jump from being an officer and a nightclub general manager to owners of a socially conscious business that has given us both financial freedom and a deep sense of personal satisfaction – is the foundation of this book.

The words “sustainable business” are particularly important here, and were the distinctive guiding principle behind the writing of these pages. Because back in early 2002, we had no idea that what we were planning would make us part of a growing tidal wave, a surge of private enterprises focused on bettering the world that had begun to be coined “social entrepreneurship,” “conscious capitalism” and “social capitalism.” A tidal wave it absolutely has been. Over the last decade, social entrepreneurship has grown exponentially, due to a number of factors. First, funding and resources for this particular brand of entrepreneurship have sprung up, providing greater opportunities where before there were few besides banks. Second, faith in Corporate America at large, and in its concern for our well-being in particular, have diminished. And third, social entrepreneurs’ labors can be seen bearing real fruit in terms of both doing good for the world and creating real wealth.

No longer are aspirations to saving the world relegated to the non-profit realm. In 2004, Fast Company created its Social Capitalist Awards, which honor those who use their business acumen to solve social problems. In 2010, the term “conscious capitalism” gained huge traction when it became the subject of Megatrends 2010, the third in the bestselling Megatrends series. In 2011, three of Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30” top entrepreneurs were engaged in social enterprises. And today, there are seven states that have adopted the Benefit Corporation status, a new, specially designated business entity intended to distinguish social enterprises from other businesses and non-profit organizations.

As the global economy continues to limp along, legions of downsized and disillusioned workers around the world are making their opportunities while making the world a better place, which is why the term “social entrepreneurship” seems to be a trendy new concept. But the truth is, it’s not new. As you’ll discover in the pages to come, social entrepreneurs were hard at work bringing their passions to life long before there was a name for what they did.

But what we set out to do when we started Journey Healing Centers was to serve others by working to treat substance abuse, and to build personal wealth by applying the Rich Dad principles to our lives. Social entrepreneurs have, traditionally, focused on providing products or services to the poor and under-privileged. In our experience treating addiction, we know that social problems aren’t the exclusive domain of the poor or under-privileged; they exist in all socioeconomic classes, in all races and ethnicities and age groups. We raised the capital, created new jobs, designed a business that made sense, grew a healthy bottom line, and assisted people in the process. We are Social Capitalists.

Social Capitalists have the strength to face problems that send others running. We know that the government can’t solve all our problems. We know that they can’t give our power away by becoming dependent on governments and large corporations for our well-being. We take charge of our own lives, and create our own solutions while creating a path for financial security, putting ourselves and others the fast track toward financial freedom.

And since you’ve picked up this book, we suspect that there may be a Social Capitalist lurking inside you, too. If you’ve ever thought that you might have it in you to start a business, wondered why you never felt fulfilled working for other people, asked whether there was a way to turn your passion into a profitable enterprise, wanted to add a socially conscious component to your existing business, or wanted to know how to leverage a solution you’ve found to an existing problem, this book is for you.

In the following chapters, we’ll share the story of how we went from being financially ignorant employees to financially savvy business owners and investors on the fast track, and we’ll share a few of our secrets, and the secrets of other Social Capitalists, for building a business around the heart – a business that’s financeable, leverageable, expandable, and predictable. We’ll provide you with a blueprint for becoming a Social Capitalist, highlight the new uses of the Benefit Corp, and reveal to you how a passion-driven business can have a triple-bottom line, delivering profit, social value, and freedom.

As you read this book, you will find parts of the story being told from Josh’s point of view or in first person as he is telling it and in the third person or being told from the collective “we” perspective. We chose to write this way to make it easy for you, the reader, to read. However this is both our stories, as we walked the path together, learned together, built and grew the business together, went through the good, bad, ugly and great together and have committed to this journey together. A lot of Lisa’s story and perspectives is included in the “we” portion of the book and in the “I” (Josh’s voice) portion. Lisa’s input is also included in sidebars or textboxes throughout the book.