The Business Romantic: Give Everything, Quantify Nothing, and Create Something Greater Than Yourself

 In this smart, playful, and provocative book, one of today’s most original business thinkers argues that we underestimate the importance of romance in our lives and that we can find it in and through business—by designing products, services, and experiences that connect us with something greater than ourselves.

Against the backdrop of eroding trust in capitalism, pervasive technology, big data, and the desire to quantify all of our behaviors, The Business Romantic makes a compelling case that we must meld the pursuit of success and achievement with romance if we want to create an economy that serves our entire selves.

A rising star in data analytics who is in love with the intrinsic beauty of spreadsheets; the mastermind behind a brand built on absence; an Argentinian couple who revolutionize shoelaces; the founder of a foodie-oriented start-up that creates intimate conversation spaces; a performance artist who offers fake corporate seminars for real professionals—these are some of the innovators readers will meet in this witty, deeply personal, and rousing ramble through the world of Business Romanticism.

The Business Romantic not only provides surprising insights into the emotional and social aspects of business but also presents “Rules of Enchantment” that will help both individuals and organizations construct more meaningful experiences for themselves and others.

The Business Romantic offers a radically different view of the good life and outlines how to better meet one’s own desires as well as those of customers, employees, and society. It encourages readers to expect more from companies, to give more of themselves, and to fall back in love with their work and their lives.  

Tim Leberecht is the chief marketing officer of NBBJ, a global design and architecture firm that helps organizations such as Amazon, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Boeing, Microsoft, Samsung, Starbucks, and Tencent create meaningful experiences. He is the former chief marketing officer of Frog Design, a product-innovation and strategy firm acclaimed for its work with Apple and many other Fortune 500 brands. His writing has appeared in publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, and Wired. He has spoken at such venues as TEDGlobal, the Economist Big Rethink, DLD, the Silicon Valley CEO Summit, and the World Economic Forum. His TED Talk "3 Ways to (Usefully) Lose Control of Your Brand" has been viewed by almost a million people to date. He was born and raised in Germany, and lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter.