The Boss of You

The reviews keep rolling in… Here’s what Library Journal had to say:

Abarbanel, Karin & Bruce Freeman. Birthing the Elephant: The Woman’s Go-for-It! Guide to Overcoming the Big Challenges of Launching a Business. Ten Speed: Celestial Arts. Mar. 2008. c.256p. index. ISBN 978-1-58008-887-9. pap. $15.95.

Mears, Emira & Lauren Bacon. The Boss of You: Everything a Woman Needs To Know To Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Business. Seal, dist. by Publishers Group West. May 2008. c.256p. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-58005-236-8. pap. $15.95.

Werhane, Patricia & others. Women in Business: The Changing Face of Leadership. Praeger. 2008. 208p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-275-99454-9. $39.95. BUS

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, female-owned companies account for 28 percent of all American businesses, but as Werhane (business ethics, DePaul Univ.; Moral Imagination and Management Decision-Making) and her coauthors point out, only six Fortune 500 companies are headed by women. These three titles offer much-needed advice to the thousands of women making entrepreneurial moves or to those who want a boost up the corporate ladder. Werhane et al. interviewed 22 women executives to get their thoughts on leadership styles and how they have broken through the glass ceiling. Each executive’s story focuses on one aspect of her career or management style. They share ideas on coaching, mentoring, creativity, building a culture of trust, managing reputations, social commitment, being customer-centered, being a servant-leader, and many other refreshing takes on what has made them and their companies stand out.

“Birthing the elephant” is business writer Abarbanel (The Dollar Bill Knows No Sex) and syndicated columnist Freeman’s metaphor for launching an entrepreneurial venture: both are mammoth undertakings that require around 22 months. If the venture is successful, the entrepreneur will have a healthy, thriving business to call her own. The authors admit that their breezy guide doesn’t focus on the nitty gritty of business plans and dealing with the bank, but it does show, for instance, how start-up venturers can substitute “brains for bucks.”

Canadian entrepreneurs Mears and Bacon offer their personal experiences in setting up their web-design company, as well as real-life scenarios from dozens of other women in start-up ventures. After helping readers define the vision for their business and understand why they need to be their own boss, this practical guide follows the stages of a start-up and offers down-to-earth advice backed up with real-life scenarios.

Both entrepreneurial books, with inspiration and guidance for women launching their dreams, are recommended for public library business collections. Women in Business is in the management genre, which makes it better suited for academic and larger public library business collections.

—Carol J. Elsen, Univ. of Wisconsin Libs., Whitewater
Library Journal, March 15, 2008