Book Recommendation: Working to Restore by Essha Chabra
Dr. Tiffany Vora recommends the book Working to Restore: Harnessing the Power of Regenerative Business to Heal the World by Esha Chhabra
How can businesses deliver benefits to both people and our planet while remaining profitable? That’s the trillion-dollar question that journalist Esha Chhabra explores in her 2023 book Working to Restore: Harnessing the Power of Regenerative Business to Heal the World.
I had the wonderful good fortune to meet the author at the TEDxGateway event in Mumbai in early 2024. There, she wowed the audience by telling stories about regenerative businesses in India. She kicked off her talk by drawing an important distinction that is the core of her book. “To regenerate” means “to breathe life into” something. Contrast that with “sustainable”, which refers to “sustaining the status quo.”
Global Insights: Stories of Regenerative Businesses
Working to Restore zooms out to the global stage, taking us on deep dives into organizations around the world that are experimenting with—and then committing to—business models that go beyond a status-quo focus on profit. We hear from founders and workers about the challenges and benefits that such approaches entail. That’s a spectrum encompassing hiring, funding, distribution, manufacturing, branding, growth, customer interactions and more.
The table of contents reveals that Working to Restore crosses industries (Soil; Travel; Health; Energy), business fundamentals (Waste; Supply Chains; Workforce; Finance), and broader issues (Women). The circular economy is a recurring theme: if you can change outputs into inputs, isn’t that a win-win-win-win-win?
Inspiring Exploration for Business Leaders and Changemakers
Chhabra never promises that every strategy or tactic in this book will work for every business. That would be impossible! Rather, I found Working to Restore to be an inspiring exploration of what can be possible when we broaden our view. When we go from “something’s wrong with this system” to “I have an idea” to “would you work with me on this?”
As Chhabra concludes, “It’s not as simple as duplicating these companies and entrepreneurs but cultivating a new era of what it means to do business: to put the needs of humans and the planet at the heart of a business, not as an afterthought.”
This is a great read for anyone looking for the next generation of business models and business leadership. And as an added bonus, the book is chock full of companies whose products and services you may need. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if your spending aligned with your values? Working to Restore is an excellent place to start.
About Tiffany
Dr. Tiffany Vora speaks, writes, and advises on how to harness technology to build the best possible future(s). She is an expert in biotech, health, & innovation.
For a full list of topics and ways to collaborate, visit Tiffany’s Work Together webpage.
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