RAINBOW GOLD

Aviation insurance executive Hampson writes about the “butterfly effect” of thoughtful, community-minded entrepreneurship.

The author offers his perspective on starting a business by delving into his own varied experiences as an owner of different kinds of businesses. At one time, he writes, the New Hampshire native owned a restaurant in South Africa; today, he’s the head of a large firm, Schrager Hampson Aviation Insurance Group, in his home state. The author is very much a believer in building a business around one’s passions, noting that “This passion will fuel you through the tough times.” For example, Hampson’s deep love of flying informed his present career choice, which combines the practical need for pilot insurance and his personal desire to both be his own boss and work in an industry that means a great deal to him. He believes that employers gain a competitive advantage by taking time to figure out which job applicants share their enthusiasm for the work. These employees will help the company develop niche expertise, he notes, which can help it stand out from others in the field. Hampson asserts that building responsible companies through this method helps to cultivate a more general social civility. As such, he doesn’t advocate for a cutthroat, survival-of-the-fittest vision of the economy; instead, Hampson believes that entrepreneurs should be focused on sustainability. Rather than going for a quick buck in the vein of private equity, Hampson encourages entrepreneurs to “be the tortoise” and focus on creating a business for the future.

Hampson doesn’t offer a playbook of specifics for building a company in these pages. Instead, his text is more of an odds-and-ends collection of entrepreneurial wisdom drawn from a successful career. Intriguingly, the author notes that he didn’t come by this wisdom through college-level business coursework. He’s someone who learned how to run a business by doing it and shares what he’s learned in these pages. That said, much of the book will feel like familiar advice to regular readers of entrepreneurship guides that use the language of self-help and self-actualization, as this volume does. Some of the tips Hampson offers, such as “develop your team” and “continue learning,” are certainly solid, but they won’t be news to many readers. Still, he does present some information that readers won’t find elsewhere, particularly due to his significant focus on his own personal life and on the role that family plays in his business; indeed, the fact that family is a central aspect of the author’s life comes across clearly. In certain respects, this aspect effectively helps to personalize the work, but the many pictures of Hampson’s friends and family, particularly from the recent past, add little to the book. Overall, though, this work collects the stories of a thoughtful businessperson in a highly readable package. Although some readers will find some elements predictable, it’s a fine, forward-looking overview of the ups and downs of creating a sustainable company.

Familiar but sound advice on building a business for the long haul.