Not all of Freeplay's partners feel as good about the company's social vision as the company's co-CEOs do. Indeed, Stear worries that, to some people, Freeplay's values come off as soft-headed -- or worse, as calculated self-promotion. That's why he is now working so hard to get through to Freeplay's distributors and retailers that are in wealthy countries. These are the places that he hopes will not only buy the company's products but also buy into its worldview.

Back in Las Vegas, Stear hosts a dinner during the International Consumer Electronics Show. His guest of honor is one of the company's most important U.S. reps. This rep has owned a distribution network on the West Coast for more than 20 years. He's the guy who put Freeplay in the Sharper Image, and he's one of the people who will help the company to expand into sports retailers. He knows his business. But he does not know Freeplay -- not really. Looking very much the part of the tough businessman, he lays out Freeplay's challenge as he sees it. "What it comes down to, Rory," he says, gesturing with his bread roll, "is that if you want three feet of shelf space in sporting goods departments, you have to knock someone else out of the way. It's all about killing the competition and ripping their livers out."

One of Stear's young salespeople savors the phrase. "Rip their livers out!" he repeats, "like Hannibal the Cannibal." He waggles his tongue and slurps loudly, mimicking the character from The Silence of the Lambs. The people at the table shriek with laughter. Stear laughs too, but hesitantly. The man is a great partner, but Stear feels that he doesn't "get" what the company is about. "The opportunity to learn from him is immense," Stear confides. "He's got 20 years of experience in retail, and he knows what he's doing. But we won't ever be about profit at all costs. It's hard to get that through to some people."

Later that night after the dinner has been eaten, the wine drunk, and the whiskey poured, the rep stands up to say good-bye. He extends his hand to Stear and smiles. "It's been a pleasure," the rep says. "I look forward to furthering your education." Stear shakes his hand. "Thank you," he says graciously. "And I look forward to furthering yours."

Sidebar

The Freeplay Group is setting the agenda for how to combine the quest for innovation with a commitment to social justice. Its cochairmen and co-CEOs, Rory Stear and Christopher Staines, don't apologize for their ambitious business plans and savvy approaches to marketing. Nor will they compromise on their goal to make a difference as well as to make money for their shareholders. Here are some of the principles that are guiding the company's growth.

1. Big problems demand big ambitions.

"We're not just in the radio business," insists Rory Stear. "We are in the energy business." The company's self-powered radios and flashlights are hits, but it keeps searching for new ways to apply its proprietary technology -- even when there's no immediate demand for it. Freeplay engineers are experimenting with everything from wind-up laptops to global-positioning systems.

2. Mission matters.

"We're not just a business," says Stear. "We're a business with a soul." It would be easy for Freeplay to leverage its popularity with First World consumers by postponing its plans to distribute radios throughout the Third World. If it did, the company would be more profitable -- and even more attractive to investors. But it would lose something valuable as a result -- its mission. That's why the young company has already established the Freeplay Foundation, which supplies radios at steep discounts and works with broadcasters to create educational and instructional programming. "We are investing in the future," says Staines. "Not everyone may understand some of the decisions we have made, but those choices will bear fruit in the long term."

3. Small companies need big-name supporters.

With revenues of $20 million as of March 1999, Freeplay is an entrepreneurial success -- and still a pip-squeak by most standards. But the company's influence and visibility far exceed its current size. One reason is that it has managed to affiliate itself with big companies, such as General Electric, as well as with big-name humanitarians, such as Terry Waite. "We have gathered the most powerful people we know," says Staines. "It's impossible to measure the value of their contributions."

4. Companies that do good works attract great talent.

"Whether you're running a company with 3 people or 300,000 people," says Stear, "you have to hire the best engineers, the best marketers, the best production workers. The products we make, the programs we have, the mission we espouse make people feel good about working here. Our values become a motivator."