Ben and Jerry’s
Joel on Software’s Strategy letter I: Ben and Jerry’s vs. Amazon
On “linked prosperity” with the Ben and Jerry’s business model:
From their earliest days at the gas station, Ben and Jerry had been committed to running the business in a way that gave back to the community. Strapped as they were for cash, their efforts usually took the form of free ice cream cones or low-budget celebratory events like the movie festival and Fall Down.
….
The motivation for giving back had always been genuine. At the same time, it was proving to be an effective marketing strategy. There was no doubt that our customers were more inclined to buy our ice cream and support our business because of how we, in turn, supported the community.
In describing all of this, we began to talk about the concept of “linked prosperity,” a term coined by Dave Barash, one of our managers. What it meant was that as the company grew and prospered, the benefits would accrue not just to the shareholders, but also to our employees and the community. Each constituency’s interests were intertwined with the others’.
-from Ben and Jerry’s: The Inside Scoop p. 237
