A Book About Innocent: Our story and some things we've learned

I've been following the story of the Innocent Founders for a good few years now, and their story, their style and their ethos have been massive inspirations to me! Although I knew a fair bit about their journey, as well as the fact that they set up JamJar Investments to help other entrepreneurs, I could never turn down an opportunity to read a book written by the boys themselves and it didn't disappoint!Packed with the same humour that their websites/drinks etc carry and loads of business hints and tips, this is one of my go to books for inspiration and small laughs here and there. It's such an easy read and very lighthearted. But don't be fooled - while it doesn't take itself too seriously on one hand, when it comes to business and the importance of certain must-do things along that scary, uncertain entrepreneurial path, this is where it balances out. Reading the book feels more like you're having an informative chat with all three, over a cup of tea or...well, a delicious smoothie! The pride they have for the business they built, as well as visions of those early days of testing the waters leap out at you.What I love is that, like my favourite books as a child or teen, between the - at times - witty text are photos, drawings, variants of font and splashes of colour, which all market that classic innocent feel. In some ways - but all the better for it - it has an upfront child-like honesty to it. It's great if you love business, but see it from an intrinsic point of view. Yes, Innocent may be a multi-million pound company, but this isn't a 'How to get rich from business' book. It's a story about underdogs, determination, passion and having a clear cut vision and being such a believer in that vision, that seemingly all the No's from what feel like every bank or investor you know, never hold you back. A must for any budding entrepreneur - particularly if tackling an area you're unfamiliar with - or anyone curious about the humble beginnings of Innocent. I'm re-reading it as it puts a smile on my face, but also reminds me of some very core business 101 hints and tips that help keep some areas of business simple, to the point and fuss free!Different, quirky, silly, brilliant, bold, funny - not for everyone, but definitely on my list. My only concern is the price.... not so innocent when it comes to that!

This is the most enjoyable "business book" I have ever read. I've put the genre in inverted commas because the feel of it is completely different to anything I have come across before. It almost needs a new genre for itself.The book completely reflects innocent. Innocent was started by three friends in 1999 and now they have completely taken over the smoothies market in the UK and some other countries. I am a great fan of their products, they do taste yummy. They can look a little bit pricey, but having read about the manufacturing process behind them, they really should not be priced for less.Innocent is an environmentally responsible company, I would go further and say, an ethically responsible company, to the core. They REALLY practice what they preach. And if the book reflects in any way their day-to day operations (which I'm pretty sure it does), their ethos drives everything they do. Even the book itself has a completely different feel to it than most paperbacks, though published by Penguin.Back to the book. It's a great read: light, full of examples and a really good balance of things that went well and those that didn't. But what I enjoyed about it most was its honesty. Of course, the honesty contributes to the humour: I'm bound to cite many a time the fact that the guys tried to schedule their meetings with investors at lunchtime in order to get free sandwiches when their cash was running out.The book is full of advice for entrepreneurs, such as my favourite: "start small, but do start". But beyond that, it is a story about entrepreneurial success. From three guys thinking "Hey, it would be really good to go into business together" to "Hey, Coke's invested £30 million in our company and we can still run it as we want to".If you enjoy reading the labels on the innocent smoothies, you will enjoy this book. It has a story, has been written for your amusement, contains some advice (and no artificial additives) and is written by successful people who don't take themselves too seriously. What more could we possibly ask for?

This is a very refreshing book, just like the Innocent juices.It is amazing to see how difficult it was for these three friends to set-up this business. They went to see many investors and with no experience in running a business, no experience in the juices world they pulled it off.In the book they share their journey and the secrets to their success.There were on a mission and were determined to succeed. They were open minded all the way and kept improving things ion order to achieve success. I find the ideas in the book and the inspiration of the story valuable insight into creating wealth.

I wish there were more reviews on this book, this books takes you an energetic journey about the authors ventures to this global brand name, funny, tense moments about big decisions, they have lots of fun, take the risks, and you find yourself cheering for them for...

Very quick & easy to read. Once I picked it up I struggled to put it down and read it all in one day. Lots of fun pictures and illustrations. Some really good tips in there so I will need to read it over again a few times to fully digest them. A really interesting story.