When Democracy Inherits the Business: John Abrams and the Blueprint for the CommonWealth Company
John Abrams is a business leader, author, and longtime advocate for using business as a force for good.
He co-founded South Mountain Company in 1973 and spent 50 years turning it into one of the nation’s first worker-owned B Corps—at one point, the highest-scoring B Corp in the world. Under John’s leadership, South Mountain became a model for participatory management, shared ownership, and triple-bottom-line success.
Today, John helps other founders pursue similar transitions through Abrams+Angell, the consulting firm he runs with his partner, Kim Angell. Together, they support values-driven businesses exploring employee ownership and long-term impact.
He is the author of From Founder to Future: A Business Roadmap to Impact, Longevity, and Employee Ownership (Berrett-Koehler, 2025), a forthcoming guide to building what he calls “CommonWealth Companies”—organizations that combine profit with purpose, ownership with accountability, and scale with soul.
John also writes the blog The Companies We Keep, and is the author of two earlier books: The Company We Keep (2005) and Companies We Keep (2008), both still widely read in the EO community.
When he’s not writing or advising, John continues to support cooperative conversions, sustainable building practices, and a more democratic economy for all.
To learn more about John and his incredible work, visit Abramsangell.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.
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At Ethical Exits, we champion profit-for-purpose capitalism—leveraging business as a force for scaling philanthropy and creating meaningful change.
In every episode, we invite our guests to highlight a charity or organization that holds special significance to them and is making a real impact in solving global challenges.
John supports the Kachuwa Impact Fund, a mission-driven investment fund that backs businesses and organizations building a more just, sustainable, and inclusive economy. Focused on long-term impact over short-term gain, Kachuwa invests in companies that prioritize social and environmental returns—proving that capital can serve community, not just shareholders.