Paying It Forward

How to Be a Social Entrepreneur

By: Josh Littlejohn MBE, Sir Bob Geldof - foreword

Narrated by: Josh Littlejohn MBE, Stuart ‘Sonny’ Murray

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

* With a Foreword by Sir Bob Geldof *
'Essential: full of heart, honesty, humour and helpful advice' - Sir Richard Curtis CBE
'Josh Littlejohn is a rockstar of social impact' - Irvine Welsh

When Josh Littlejohn started a small sandwich shop in his home city of Edinburgh, he would never have thought that, within ten years' time, it would be frequented by Hollywood megastars, that he would have opened a string of successful cafés across the UK, and that he would be honoured with an MBE by the Queen. Not to mention raising over £25 million to combat homelessness around the world. And all set in motion by a person in a situation of homelessness, named Pete, walking into his café one day and sheepishly asking for a job.

Paying It Forward is part memoir, part manifesto for social entrepreneurship, and part manual for putting purpose ahead of profit. It reveals what social entrepreneurship is and how it can make a difference. How if only 20% of entrepreneurs became social entrepreneurs our world would be in a much better state. How we can 'Calculate Risks', why we should 'Help Just One Person' every day, and that 'If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get'.

The path to being social entrepreneur is never a smooth one: Paying it Forward is the compass for finding your own path and making a difference in the world.

©2023 Josh Littlejohn (P)2023 Bonnier Books UK

Critic reviews

'Josh Littlejohn is a remarkable man - who has achieved extraordinary things in a really short time. PAYING IT FORWARD is his inspirational manifesto for social change and an important practical manual for living a life filled with purpose. Josh reveals what it takes to be a social entrepreneur and how we can all use our skills and energy to change lives rather than just chase profits.' (Richard Curtis CBE)

'Josh Littlejohn is a rockstar of social impact. From opening a local coffee shop in Edinburgh to staging The World's Big Sleepout in New York, he has helped countless people. In an era where businesses put profit over people, and politicians offer platitudes but no real change to this system, PAYING IT FORWARD is a much-needed reminder about what is really important. Much more than an appeal to truly value each other - it's a manifesto for practical steps we need to take to enable this to happen.' (Irvine Welsh)

'Josh Littlejohn is a brilliant entrepreneur who has poured his heart, soul and energy into helping others - with remarkable results. I have personally slept out for four years running as part of Josh's Big Sleep Out campaigns and in doing so got a tiny glimpse into the harsh realities of homelessness.' (Sir Chris Hoy)