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The Misfit Economy: Lessons in Creativity from Pirates, Hackers, Gangsters and Other Informal Entrepreneurs by [Clay, Alexa, Phillips, Kyra Maya]

The Misfit Economy: Lessons in Creativity from Pirates, Hackers, Gangsters and Other Informal Entrepreneurs Kindle Edition

by Alexa Clay (Author), Kyra Maya Phillips (Author)

44 customer reviews

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A book that argues that lessons in creativity, innovation, salesmanship, and entrepreneurship can come from surprising places: pirates, bootleggers, counterfeiters, hustlers, and others living and working on the margins of business and society.

Who are the greatest innovators in the world? You're probably thinking Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford. The usual suspects. This book isn't about them. It's about people you've never heard of. It's about people who are just as innovative, entrepreneurial, and visionary as the Jobses, Edisons, and Fords of the world. They’re in the crowded streets of Shenzhen, the prisons of Somalia, the flooded coastal towns of Thailand. They are pirates, computer hackers, pranksters, and former gang leaders. Across the globe, diverse innovators operating in the black, grey, and informal economies are developing solutions to a myriad of challenges. Far from being "deviant entrepreneurs" that pose threats to our social and economic stability, these innovators display remarkable ingenuity, pioneering original methods and practices that we can learn from and apply to move formal markets. This book investigates the stories of underground innovation that make up the Misfit Economy. It examines the teeming genius of the underground. It asks: Who are these unknown visionaries? How do they work? How do they organize themselves? How do they catalyze innovation? And ultimately, how can you take these lessons into your own world?

Length: 257 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled

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Product details

File Size: 1808 KB
Print Length: 257 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (June 23, 2015)
Publication Date: June 23, 2015
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B00PDXSFHE
Text-to-Speech: Not enabled

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Not Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #508,080 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #95 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Management & Leadership > Knowledge Capital
- #194 in Books > Business & Money > Human Resources > Knowledge Capital
- #205 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Money > Technology > Innovation

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Customer Reviews

3.3 out of 5 stars

5 star		32%
4 star		14%
3 star		20%
2 star		18%
1 star		16%

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Top Customer Reviews

While this book is good, it fell short of my expectations

ByAdam E.on July 22, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

While this book is good, it fell short of my expectations. I was interested in reading about the innovations of a larger swath of deviants who are often neglected by society. And I did enjoy reading about the entrepreneurial attributes of the Somalian pilots, criminal offenders, and gang leaders. However, I was a bit disappointed that the authors framed the misfit economy through the values and social norms of conventional society. The book seemed to eventually skew towards portraying stories of the typical Ivy League graduate/corporate shill who decided to get a bit edgy. There are already a ton of books/news articles glorifying the rebel businessman, so I was a bit bored by these stories.

I also would have been more interested in learning about the practices of "misfits" who aren't on some sort of moralistic quest that we can easily identify as beneficial. I think the book would have been far more intriguing if the authors allowed the readers to wrestle with areas of moral ambiguity rather than attempting to shape every profile to meet society's expectations of morality. I give the book a three because I think these missed opportunities reduced the originality of this work, making this book similar to anything written by Gladwell or any CSR puff piece from corporate America.

0Comment 8 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Could have been MUCH better

ByOwenon July 16, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Let me first start off by saying that I completely agree with the concepts presented within this book. In the world we live in today, especially in the realm of business and entrepreneurship, it pays to be a misfit, to be different from the pack. I also agree with the presentation of non-unicorn businesses and entrepreneurs. In other words, not nearly as well known nor as affluent. Makes it feel truly attainable by the common person. Each of the anecdotes presented a unique character and they certainly didn't fit the mold. The skeleton was there, it was a great structure for expansion and for plenty of insight to be gained.

But after completing it, that isn't quite what I got. For the most part, it seemed like a series of bland stories that were either too vague to really push the point, or just were too in unnecessarily in-depth in areas that didn't pertain to the focus of the book. There was very little "good" meat on the bones, and it was honestly disappointing. I would've preferred some more legitimate lessons in creativity. Within the title of the book is "lessons in creativity," and despite the very interesting people and their stories, I really don't feel like I learned any lessons, or at least anything groundbreaking for that matter. Instead of just throwing out these stories, I would've liked some more application. How can we use what these people did/know to succeed in our businesses? I get that there is inference there, but the points should've been explicit.

Overall, could've been better. I wasn't too thrilled by it. If you want some real, applicable information, this might not be the book to buy. If you are looking for some stories about some very interesting people and their businesses, then pick it up.

0Comment 9 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Too much cliche, not enough meat.

ByRaphael Gangon December 27, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

While there are some interesting insights around flat organizations being succesful, the book mostly reads as a series of random stories that are cherry picked by the authors and don't provide much insight into anything. I did like the early section of the book which explained how intellectual property and those working outside traditional legal frameworks can often be the ones most likely to push innovation forward. I wish it had been the focus of the book rather than many or the other stories.

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Great idea for a book, terrible execution.

ByGabeon January 4, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The idea of gleaning the best practices of some of the more exciting subcultures like Pirates, Hackers, Gangsters sounds like a lot of fun. The authors seem to have done a moderate amount of work looking into these people groups and what they came up with was...nothing. They came up with some amusing anecdotes, but very little content leads to greater insight as to why these subcultures thrive.

I mean, maybe they thrive because they break the law, while all the rest of us choose to abide by it. Breaking the law is a pretty big barrier to entry.

0Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Not interesting and very forced

ByJon April 20, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Anecdotes weren't compelling, and often felt aimless.
This is only tied-up at the end, where the author forces the anecdote to fit the broader themes -- themes which were generic and uninsightful.

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Five Stars

ByKeith Hodgeon March 7, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Great Price

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

A good way to remember our crew ;)

ByDiego Remuson August 9, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The general idea in the book was not new to me, as I've been in this type of innovative environment, but enjoyed reading it. Not only the stories make sense as samples, they also inspire some path to action.

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Embrace imagination.

ByArthur Markon June 4, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Provocative. Imagination has no bounds.

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most Recent Customer Reviews

A Little Too Conformist for a Piece on Misfits

I met Alexa back at a New Economy Summit in Asheville in 2012, during her time researching this book.Read more

Published 4 months ago by Will Szal

Well worth the time to read.

Well researched if sometimes too apologetic book that delivers on its promise.Read more

Published 9 months ago by Kindle Customer

Five Stars

One of the most interesting research I have found. So obvious, but never thought of it.Read more

Published 1 year ago by Amazon Customer

Not really what I was expecting, it was more ...

Not really what I was expecting, it was more of some random stories of illegal businesses, also a hard read not in an academic way, but more in a awkward font and no logical path...Read more

Published 1 year ago by Xavier Larios

Economic activity in sectors outside the mainstream

This reads like a collection of vignettes from This American Life or NPR segments about economic activity amongst folks who are usually discounted.Read more

Published 1 year ago by Carolyn Kost

very interesting

Another point of view into a different way of thinking and doing things. Recommended if you're looking for something fresh!Read more

Published 1 year ago by Pato Casa

as the people profiled here could just as easily be linked by any number of characteristics

Mildly interesting book that touches upon a number of little-known "innovators" from a wide swath of society.Read more

Published 1 year ago by Rick

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