G.O.A.T. Wisdom: How to Build a Truly Great Business from the Founders of Beekman 1802

“While this is a business book, it’s also a book about love.... And most of all, Kindness,” write Ridge and Kilmer-Purcell, founders of goat-milk-based skincare brand Beekman 1802, in this hit-or-miss guide. The authors present 12 principles of success with down-home flair, promising that they’re “not outdated, old-fashioned clichés.” These include “chop your own wood and it will warm you twice,” which pertains to how to delegate (be careful not to micromanage, the authors advise) and “an empty vessel makes the most noise,” which guides readers through staying focused (“ignore both the good publicity and the bad”). Beekman 1802 is named after the farm in Upstate New York where the authors launched the business, and their attempts at on-theme bucolic charm can wear a bit thin (readers are frequently asked to “chew on this” and frugality is called “scraptitude”). But their chronicle of the missteps and growing pains that accompanied expansion is both vulnerable and informative, as when they recount having purchased $5 million of product they couldn’t sell on QVC during the pandemic and nearly going bankrupt. Readers willing to look past the “aw shucks” tone will find plenty of solid tips. (July)