G.O.A.T. Wisdom for a New Era
Building a Great Business with Backbone and Soul
Let’s cut through the noise: G.O.A.T. Wisdom isn’t your typical business book. It doesn’t pretend to be a TED Talk wrapped in a spreadsheet. It doesn’t flex VC jargon or peddle overnight success fantasies.
What Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell give us instead is something far rarer in today’s marketplace of hustle — namely, a book with heart, grit and grounded guidance for building a truly great business rooted in values that matter.
And here’s the kicker: It aligns perfectly with everything we stand for at the Dave Alexander Center for Social Capital.
We believe in businesses that put people first. We champion leaders who build with purpose, not ego. We honor companies that see their employees, customers and communities not as line items but as the very soul of the enterprise.
G.O.A.T. Wisdom is a celebration of that kind of capitalism.
Soap, Soul and Scrappy Smarts
The origin story of Beekman 1802 reads like a fable fit for our post-recession, post-influencer, post-BS economy. Two New Yorkers — one a former Martha Stewart VP and physician, the other a former advertising hotshot turned bestselling author — lose their jobs during the 2008 financial crash and decide to make goat milk soap on a farm in one of New York’s poorest counties.
Let that sink in: no funding, no fanfare, just a belief in each other; their goats; and the kind of old-school wisdom passed down from the mouths of grandmothers, uncles and next-door neighbors who knew how to stretch a dollar and keep their dignity intact.
The result? A multimillion-dollar company with a fiercely loyal customer base — what they call their “neighbors” — and, now, a handbook of the 12 timeless principles that got them there.
The G.O.A.T. Code: It’s Not Just Cute Sayings. It’s a Philosophy of How to Live and Lead
Each principle in G.O.A.T. Wisdom hits harder than you’d expect because it feels familiar. Why? Because it’s based on shared human truths that business school often forgets:
“Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice” — a lesson in delegation and ownership.
“A bad workman blames his tools” — a masterclass in self-accountability.
“Many hands make light work” — a shoutout to real employee care, not performative perks.
“Love thy neighbor” — kindness as a growth strategy.
This isn’t theory. It’s action. Brent and Josh didn’t invent these sayings — they lived them. And they don’t teach you how to build a unicorn. They teach you how to build something far more important: a business with staying power, soul and story.
This Is What Social Capital Looks Like in Action
At the Dave Alexander Center, we often talk about “people-centric business.” But G.O.A.T. Wisdom shows what that looks like on the ground — muddy boots and all.
Social capital isn’t abstract. It’s trusting your neighbor to milk the goats while you’re at the farmer’s market.
It’s not virtue signaling. It’s checking in on your warehouse team the same way you’d check in on your best friend.
It’s not a PR strategy. It’s baked in, not slapped on.
Beekman 1802 didn’t scale because of a viral TikTok or a Shark Tank cameo (though they did appear on The Amazing Race — go figure). They scaled because they built trust, consistency and real community. That’s the gold standard for any Social Capital enterprise.
Business Built on Grit, Not Glamour
Let’s be honest: Business culture is tired of the fake-it-‘til-you-make-it nonsense. Founders are craving real talk. Employees want real leadership. Customers want real values.
That’s what G.O.A.T. Wisdom delivers. It doesn’t preach. It reminds. Of what you already know in your gut but maybe forgot:
You don’t need to be flashy to be phenomenal.
There’s power in smallness, slowness and sincerity.
Your purpose isn’t a line in your investor deck. It’s what wakes you up when the alarm goes off and makes you want to keep going.
Why Every Emerging Leader Should Read This Book
Because it doesn’t just teach what to do — it helps you remember who you are. Whether you’re a startup founder grinding in a co-working space, a middle manager trying to shift culture or an entrapreneur building bridges in a Fortune 500 … this book is your compass.
You’ll walk away with …
Permission to be kind and competitive.
Encouragement to budget like a boss without losing your humanity.
A toolkit of principles that will never go out of style, no matter how fast tech moves or the market shifts.
Bottom Line: This Book is a Love Letter to Better Business
To anyone who has ever felt too soft for the startup world, too broke to launch or too values-driven to play the corporate game — G.O.A.T. Wisdom says this: You are not the problem. You are the future.
At the Dave Alexander Center for Social Capital, we’re proud to shine a light on founders like Brent and Josh. Not because they’re perfect. But because they’re real, intentional and radically human.
They didn’t just build a brand. They built a bond — with their customers, their goats and, most of all, with the belief that business can be a force for good without losing its edge.