What happens when a founder steps away from their life’s work? For John Abrams, the answer was simple, if not entirely smooth: you write a book to change how the world does business.

Abrams, the founder of South Mountain Company and author of From Founder to Future: A Business Roadmap to Impact, Longevity, and Employee Ownership, has spent decades proofing a thesis that many traditional capitalists still view with skepticism—that a business can prioritize people, planet, and profit all at once.

But as Abrams discovered, putting those principles into practice, and later onto the page, requires a masterclass in patience, collaborative leadership, and a healthy dose of humility.

For John, it was the sabbatical that tanked (and the one that succeeded). The itch to write had always been there for Abrams. In 2003, three decades after founding South Mountain Company, he decided to test both his writing chops and his company’s independence by taking a six-month sabbatical.

The goals were ambitious: see if the company could survive without him, and pen a book about an alternative way to do business. The initial result? A reality check.

Without his daily leadership, company morale tanked, and the book remained unfinished. Undeterred, Abrams spent the next six months reassessing, restructuring, and leaning heavily into collaborative management. When he took a second sabbatical, the groundwork paid off. The company thrived, the collaborative management model took root, and his first book was finally completed.

Fifteen years later, as he prepared to hand over the reins of South Mountain Company to a second generation of leaders, Abrams knew his next chapter would involve another book. He also knew exactly who he wanted to partner with: Berrett-Koehler (BK) Publishers, a house whose values mirrored his own.

The partnership culminated in From Founder to Future, which recently saw a definitive second edition release.

"I am thrilled to have this opportunity," Abrams says of the updated edition. "It feels like the first edition was the practice run, and I’m ready for the real deal."

To understand Abrams’ business philosophy, you have to look back at the forces that shaped him. Coming of age during the turbulent 1960s, Abrams found his true college education not in a lecture hall, but within the pages of Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog.

The iconic publication served as his window into new worlds, supporting his back-to-the-land adventures and ultimately laying the philosophical bricks for his career in sustainable building and employee ownership.

But if Brand provided the roadmap for his career, a late friend named Lee Halprin provided the compass for his writing. Halprin, who passed away at the age of 97, left Abrams with a piece of advice that continues to color every page he writes:

"All true writing names only a little of what’s true. Some writing somehow knows that, and somehow shows that... I think it is good to consider this relation between what one knows and what one doesn’t, between what is known and what isn’t, and between what’s knowable and what isn’t. It’s good to think hard enough about this for it to somehow color one’s writing, somehow to seep into it."

This profound humility, the practice of acknowledging the vast ocean of what remains unknown, is what keeps Abrams' writing grounded, authentic, and strikingly honest.

When asked to distill the essence of his work into a single sentence, Abrams doesn't hide behind dense corporate jargon or lofty academic theories. His mission is straightforward:

"I try to craft a compelling message—in an accessible, story-based way—about a fundamentally different way to do business."

In a corporate landscape often obsessed with short-term gains and top-heavy hierarchies, From Founder to Future stands as a narrative-driven blueprint for longevity. By sharing his own missteps, successes, and the quiet wisdom of those who influenced him, Abrams isn't just telling leaders how to build a better business—he’s showing them how to write a better future.