55 Quotes by Jerry Greenfield

It’s to be expected that you make mistakes when you’re breaking new ground.

It’s pretty rare to have CEOs or high level executives at big companies who are social activists. They tend not to be drawn to those areas of life.

Businesses typically look at issues like price, quality, time of delivery. They don’t often think about social and environmental impact because they’re focused on their financial bottom line.

One out of every 100 families in Vermont was a part owner of Ben and Jerry’s.

Businesses can lead with their values and make money, too. You don’t have to simply be purely profit-driven. You can integrate social and environmental concerns into a business, be a caring business, be a generous business and still do very well financially.

Recycling, packaging, businesses are changing all of those things because that’s what consumers want.

Ice cream is the perfect buffer, because you can do things in a somewhat lighthearted way. Plus, people have an emotional response to ice cream; it’s more than just food. So I think when you combine caring, and eating wonderful food, it’s a very powerful combination.

I’m a pretty laid-back kind of guy. What I’ve always wanted to do is set up situations in our company where if people who worked there needed help, we would try to help them, and at the same token if the company needed help from people, they would help us. A kind of give and take.

Startups are often very undercapitalised, but I found that to be very beneficial because it forces you not to throw money at problems. Instead, you learn all the nuts and bolts of what you’re doing and become an expert.