Another Way (building Companies That Last...and Last...and Last)

From the inner sanctum of Silicon Valley and short-term capitalism comes the story of a VC who lived it, then left it and found a better way to build great companies.

Dave Whorton was John Doerr''s associate partner at high-flying Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers during Silicon Valley''s big shift, when 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.

For a while, Whorton took part in this whirlwind as he pursued his dream of becoming the next Hewlett or Packard, starting two companies himself. But soon 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, that 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, deeply inspiring one. Whorton 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 beyond personal wealth generation, to putting their people first, and to setting up their companies to endure. He calls these companies "Evergreen." Another Way combines Whorton''s inspiring story with his Evergreen 7Ps framework, designed to guide more entrepreneurs and business leaders to follow his path.

Full of revelations, practical advice, and real-world examples of companies going Evergreen, Another Way is as instructive as it is inspiring at showing capitalism at its best.

"Has Silicon Valley lost its soul? Another Way suggests that it has—and shows us a way back to what business, leadership, and investing can be: a way to build value for all concerned. At once heretical and old-school, simple and nuanced, personal and universal, this playbook for why and how to build companies that last (and last and last) was so good I read it cover to cover in one sitting—and then started over and read it again." — Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit

"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

"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

Advance Praise for Another Way:

"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, New York Times bestselling author, Drive, To Sell Is Human, and When

"Dave Whorton''s years immersed in the get-big-fast circles of investor financing led him to unearth seven Evergreen principles, each offering invaluable inspiration and guidance to those wanting to build an enduring enterprise. Another Way truly offers a better way!" — James H. Gilmore, coauthor, The Experience Economy