The Stewardship Advantage: Building a Profitable and Principled Small Business
Formats: E-Book, Audio, Paperback
Ages: 18+
The Stewardship Advantage is a purpose-driven strategy for small business owners who want more—more meaning, more loyalty, more growth, and more enduring value.
This isn’t a feel-good, theoretical philosophy book. It’s a practical, market-smart model for running a business that thrives because it puts stakeholders first. When your employees, customers, suppliers, and community do better, you do better too.
Note: While the word “stewardship” can carry religious or philosophical associations, this book is not faith-based. It’s grounded in real-world business leadership—practical, inclusive, and built specifically for small business owners around the world ready to make a difference.
Across industries, customer expectations are clearly shifting. People are seeking values-driven alternatives to big, impersonal corporations. They want transparency, trust, and businesses they can believe in. This creates a powerful tailwind for small business owners willing to lead with principle and purpose.
Drawing on real-world insights and Stewardship Spotlights from around the globe, author David Grau Sr. shows how stewardship drives performance, strengthens teams, deepens trust, and creates legacy-level value. Whether you're building, scaling, or preparing for succession, this book offers a strategy and the plans to do well—and do good.
Because stewardship isn’t just the right way to run a business—it’s the advantage that sets you apart.
Reviews
A love letter to small businesses everywhere and a playbook for meaningful profitability Like author David Grau Sr., I’ve had the pleasure of looking behind the curtain at many businesses, both small and large. From the generational family business to the partnership shared and earned over the years. But never have I seen an approach to ownership quite like the way Grau Sr. presents it. Having spent more than 30 years working with small businesses, Grau Sr. brings a unique perspective to this book. Setting “The Stewardship Advantage” apart from other business books, this read is more than succession planning and running a successful business. “The Stewardship Advantage” is about building something that makes a difference, is driven by purpose, and creates profitability that lasts. Beginning by building a business case for doing good, Grau Sr. defines stewardship as a mindset. Rather than maximizing value, stewardship takes the approach of sustainability, a strategy in responsibility, and a practice that integrates seamlessly into the business. Ending each chapter with a stewardship spotlight, Grau Sr. provides readers with tangible success stories of businesses all across the world, successfully integrating stewardship into their business’ purpose. Whether the popular Bombas Company, committed to helping those experiencing homelessness, or Laude the Label founded with a commitment to empowering and employing women while preserving livable wages, education, and safe environments, the companies spotlighted within show the deep purpose embedded into their business operations. Part one of “The Stewardship Advantage” lays the foundation of defining stewardship. Stewardship isn’t good deeds, but rather the long term, foundations of the business, comprised of focus, consistency, and duration. Part two exposes the meat of financial success as small businesses incorporate stewardship into their operating model. And finally, part three sets the brickwork for developing a stewardship plan in your own business. In his book “The Stewardship Advantage,” Grau Sr. pulls back the curtain, exposing the power of small businesses and the impact they hold in their grasp. While we may not always associate stewardship with small organizations, given corporate social responsibility has become synonymous with large organizations, Grau Sr. shows us the flaws in these assumptions. Doing more with more, this book lays out the pillars for understanding the role small businesses can play, from the mission statement to their ability to give back to their communities. This book is a love letter to small businesses everywhere and a playbook for meaningful profitability.
The Stewardship Advantage by David Grau Sr. is a really well-written deep dive into how small businesses can achieve lasting impact through thoughtful leadership and stewardship. Grau Sr. teaches on the balance between building a profitable business and caring for stakeholders, and I appreciate the use of real-world examples, like Patagonia’s commitment to environmental values and ownership transfer, to make it relatable. Grau Sr.'s practical advice on driving loyalty, culture, and fair compensation, while leaning into transparency and accountability in stewardship, goes a long way in providing the framework to implement what he shares. The writing style is authoritative, intelligent, and comfortable enough for readers with less experience to understand, while still having the teeth for readers who are more so. Overall, with strategies for employees, owners, and managers, this book is a valuable resource for small business leaders aiming to create positive change in their communities and industries. Very highly recommended. - Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite
