chapter 1

Chapter 1 is the first book by Daniel Flynn, Co-founder of Thank You.  For those that aren’t familiar with the brand, Thank You  aims to change the way we buy, and in particular, sell stuff. The main difference to other business models is that 100% of the profits go to ethical, charitable programs to help others. Chapter 1 is about the journey it took to turn this idea into a successful business.

I have been waiting to read this. Being a book nerd LOVED the cover and the fact the pages are set in landscape, an original way to print, and it was surprisingly easy to read that way too. I was also interested in the story after seeing the segment on Australia’s current affairs and news show The Project about the brand and concept of Thank You Water.

The idea is fantastic and more businesses should be moving to this kind of model, however, I had a few issues with the book itself. Firstly, Flynn needed to use a good editor. Phrases were repeated and the timelines and stories were jumbled. You can’t do everything yourself, sometimes you gotta call in an expert. This really hindered my ability to get into the story and read some chapters.

I also felt this book was a little different to those I’ve read from other entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson, Duncan Ballantyne and Peter Jones. These guys told it how it was and gave life and business tips warts and all, but I felt Chapter 1 had a slightly preachy tone which seemed to seep into the story, if not overtly on the page.

There are some inspirational moments and I do admire the ability for Flynn and his team to keep bouncing back when the knocks came; demonstrating unwavering commitment to an idea they believed could change up the retail scene and give back positively. I love the business model and out of the box thinking, I just couldn’t feel a connection to the book, or to the author.

2.5 out of 5 from me.