What If Business Had a Beating Heart?
A preview of Jet Swain’s upcoming book:
The Affection Economy
There’s a quiet revolution happening.
It’s not loud or performative. It doesn’t shout over others or polish itself for palatability. But it’s powerful. It’s growing. And it’s fuelled by something so often dismissed as soft: affection.
The Affection Economy is a book for our time — and just ahead of its time. Written for leaders, individuals, communities, and organisations alike, it explores what happens when we choose to structure our lives, work, and systems around what truly matters: people, values, connection, and courage.
This isn’t a memoir (though the roots are deeply personal).
It’s not a leadership textbook (though you’ll want to take notes).
And it’s certainly not another corporate culture blueprint filled with jargon and quarterly fluff.
This is a values-first playbook.
A recalibration.
A new kind of growth strategy, one that doesn’t ask us to choose between profit and principles.
The Structure: A Compass, Not a Rulebook
The book is organised around 30 core values — each forming a standalone chapter and a lens through which to see the world. From Human-Centredness and Kindness to Courage, Equity, Belonging, and Accountability, these are not ideals floating in abstraction. They’re daily practices. Hard-won truths. Anchors for decision-making in times of complexity.
Each chapter opens with a Sanskrit word, a gentle nod to breath, consciousness, and the human spirit.
Why Sanskrit? Because it reminds us that ancient wisdom still holds weight. That our inner lives matter just as much as our outer impact. That business can be sacred and strategic.
The Activation: This Isn’t Just Theory
This book doesn’t stop at insight; it moves us to action.
Each value includes practical strategies for activating it at three levels:
Individual – how we show up in our lives, relationships, and leadership.
Community – how we belong to something bigger and contribute meaningfully.
Organisation – how systems can be reshaped from the inside out, led by values rather than vanity metrics.
Whether you’re a founder, team leader, teacher, parent, policymaker, or creative, there’s something here for you. Something actionable. Something human.
The Stories: Real Change, Real People
Forget the glossy case studies of billion-dollar brands.
This book draws from entrepreneurs, creatives, not-for-profits, purpose-led small businesses, and community leaders.
It lifts the lid on what’s possible when values lead — when kindness and capitalism walk hand-in-hand. (Yes, it’s possible. And no, there are no Stepford Wives in sight.)
You’ll meet people who have chosen slower growth over exploitation. Leaders who have prioritised care alongside innovation. Communities that have redesigned systems to work for people, not just profit.
These aren’t utopian tales.
They’re blueprints of hope.
Why This Book Matters
In a world where trust is fractured, burnout is worn as a badge of honour, and performance is often mistaken for connection, The Affection Economy dares to ask:
What if we built systems around love, not just logic?
What if we measured success by the strength of our relationships, not just revenue?
What if business had a beating heart?
Because the truth is, affection is not a weakness.
It’s a strategy.
It’s how we build trust, shape culture, and make capitalism conscious again.
It’s how we grow without compromise.
What’s Next?
In the lead-up to publication, I’ll be sharing excerpts from the book, one value at a time, right here on the blog.
Think of it as an invitation into the movement.
A space to reflect, realign, and reimagine what’s possible.
Because the Affection Economy isn’t coming.
It’s already here.
And you’re already part of it.
Author’s Note:
This piece was originally published here on The Story Maker. It is available for republication, syndication, or editorial adaptation.
For commissions or licensing, please contact Jet Swain.
