When companies develop their hiring pipelines, they do not take into account the value that nontraditional candidates can bring to their businesses. Here, Deer and Miller describe how companies can have a significant social impact by investing in women who have historically been marginalized. Women who have overcome addiction or transitioned from sex work, for instance, bring translational skills that make them assets to businesses. The authors outline the ways that companies can encourage and support survivors, such as offering experiential learning opportunities and encouraging entrepreneurial culture. These structures allow women to gain confidence, achieve financial stability, and become leaders themselves. Deer and Miller also describe challenges and structures needed to implement different types of impact-oriented programs. Drawing on Deer’s research into survivors' experiences transitioning from the sex trade and Miller’s work in economic development for marginalized communities and restorative justice, Business Doing Good provides actionable ways that for-profit and non-profit organizations can work together to have an impact on the lives of women who are often overlooked.

Booklist

Texas A&M Business professor Deer and Miller, owner of Quantum Circles Consulting and Training, offer an eye-opening exploration of how businesses can benefit by hiring “women our society has marginalized,” including those who have been incarcerated, worked in the sex industry, and recovered from addiction. The authors offer six business concepts that leaders can foster to elevate women while at the same time benefitting the organization’s bottom line. Those principles include an experiential learning model in which employees can learn things on their own; immediate leadership opportunities in which mistakes are part of the process; entrepreneurial culture that encourages creativity; restorative justice in workplaces to address conflict and harm; partnerships between women, businesses, and nonprofit organizations; and a process they call “translation,” wherein lessons gained through “typically marginalized experiences” are translated into work skills. An insightful chapter on solutions to specific challenges in the workplace rounds things out—companies can consider hiring women with criminal backgrounds, they write, and train managers for a no-gossip policy—and powerful stories along the way illuminate how strong and resilient women can make substantial contributions to an organization when given the opportunity. The result is a survey as inspiring as it is convincing.

Publishers Weekly

This book is in a class of its own. The authors brilliantly tell the stories of six real women, the challenges they overcome, and the successes they ultimately realize as nontraditional employees. The women are those whom society often marginalizes due to their experiences with poverty, incarceration, and addiction and their engagement with the sex trade. Yet, they worked diligently to overcome previous life experiences and attained skills, knowledge, education, and training to achieve success in a business setting or nonprofit organization and—in some cases—to start their own business. Their stories depict what can happen when nonprofit organizations and companies commit to growing and developing those who on the surface they may not consider good fits for the organization.... The authors include viable solutions and tactical accountabilities for companies and nonprofit organizations, as well as the nontraditional employee—or in this case, the women themselves. Also, as a tool to promote introspection, the authors raise questions for readers to assess their organization's readiness to develop nontraditional employees

TD Magazine

This book would be an excellent addition to adult education graduate courses for students practicing in corporate or other business settings.

Adult Education Quarterly

Deer and Miller have crafted a powerful guide weaving together compelling stories of women overcomers and well-researched principles. Readers will be captivated by the real-life stories of women featured in each chapter. Through the inspiring stories, they provide readers with a path for making a significant difference like we have worked to do at Televerde by hiring formerly incarcerated women who are mothers, survivors, and overcomers who will change the world.

Michelle Cirocco, executive director of Televerde Foundation and the chief social responsibility officer for Televerde

Transformed for Impact—The authors write, “women who are overcomers can have a positive impact on your organization.” Whether you lead in a nonprofit organization, traditional business, social enterprise, church, community ministry, denomination, or para-church ministry, the management principles in this book will catapult your success in meeting your goals through investment in the professional development of women who are survivors of significant life challenges. Survivor leaders can be a significant asset in your organization, department, or ministry…this book will show you how.

Rev. Ramelia Williams, director of ministry initiatives, Evangelical Covenant Church, Love Mercy Do Justice