From Founder to Future

A Business Roadmap to Impact, Longevity, and Employee Ownership

By: John Abrams, Ari Weinzweig - foreword

Narrated by: George Newbern

This visionary but practical handbook offers mission-driven business owners a roadmap for ensuring their company's lasting impact, building leadership internally, and fostering participatory management.

Through inspiring real-world stories of B-Corps, worker co-ops, ESOPs, and employee ownership trusts, this book demonstrates how to create resilient organizations that benefit workers and communities. Drawing on his fifty-year journey with South Mountain Company and extensive research, Abrams outlines five critical transitions for mission-driven businesses to become what he calls a CommonWealth company: from founder to next-generation leadership; from sole ownership to widely shared; from hierarchical control to democratic management; from unprotected mission to preserved purpose; and from business-as-usual to B Corp force for good.

From Founder to Future is an essential guide for mission-driven leaders seeking to reshape their businesses for inclusivity, longevity, and positive impact. Whether you're a retiring owner planning your exit, a young entrepreneur building for the future, or an employee working in a purpose-driven business, this book offers a blueprint for creating enduring, values-driven enterprises in the emerging regenerative economy.

©2025 John Abrams (P)2025 Ascent Audio