Scott Harrison is the founder and CEO of one of my favorite non-profits:  charity:water which has brought clean water to 8.49 million people around the world. They’ve raised $320 million to date—and put it to good work. Scott just released his first book Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World and it’s about time. He’s an incredible storyteller and, both in his book and in this episode of the podcast, he shares stories of personal struggles, vices, darkest times and their ensuing transformation with vulnerability and openness.

This episode is also a crash course in marketing through story. Scott’s rowdy past as a nightclub promoter taught him how to get people excited about joining his party, and he brought those skills to charity: water. He shares many of his tactics, and foundational frameworks about how to reinvent an industry through language and transparency.

In this episode, you'll also be glad to know:

• If you feel lost, morally bankrupt, or you’re on the wrong path, ask yourself what it would look like if you did the exact opposite of what you’re doing now. Sometimes bouncing between extremes helps us find our way.
• There is a difference between mission and vision and succeeding in both areas requires different approaches.
• There is opportunity in any market if you can find a different way to look at it. It used to be common practice for charities to use guilt based marketing; i.e. you should feel bad for what you have, so donate some of it. Scott saw this as an opportunity to get people excited about donating their resources, which was a huge part of charity: water’s success.

For more on Scott's story, visit thirstbook.com. 100% of the net proceeds from his book go to charity: water.

Enjoy!

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