The Responsible Entrepreneur: How to Make Money and Make a Difference

Using inspiring stories about his own experience and fascinating accounts of entrepreneurs throughout the world, Craig Hall explodes the myths of entrepreneurship -- myths like: an entrepreneur's only concern is making money; or nice guys finish last; or the greater the risk, the greater the reward; or that entrepreneurship is the way to get rich quick -- just to mention a few.

Hall redefines entrepreneurship and shows how anyone can be an entrepreneur while remaining a stakeholder in society. He demonstrates how entrepreneurs can exert powerful personal influence to transform for the common good and in some cases, literally change the world.

Hall uses his own story to illustrate that ethics and entrepreneurship do mix. He was a millionaire at 21, and at 36 he was worth more than $300 million and controlled $4 billion in real estate. Changes in tax laws and the savings and loan crisis created a climate in which his investors had a lot to lose. But Hall chose to contribute $175 million of his own money to make sure his investors came through the crisis with their shirts on, even though he risked losing his own.

The author's story is just one of the inspiring accounts defining responsible entrepreneurship. He also tells us about Gerry Hargitai, who helped thousands of Eastern Europeans, and Albert Black, Jr., who grew up in poverty in south Dallas, to become the first African-American president of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce. We also learn about Doraja Eberle, who brought the first train full of desperately needed food into war-weary Sarajevo, and Steve Mariotti, who has taught thousands of urban teens how to break out of misery and poverty. Here are the accounts of people who have dared to make money in this world and have made a difference, too.