Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! REVIEW!

Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! REVIEW!

Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! REVIEW!

Today I want to tell you guys about a terrific read – Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! by Jenn Aubert. Jenn is an entrepreneur herself, running a successful acupuncture business in San Francisco. While building that business she realized there was a big gaping hole where female role models for entrepreneurs should be. She then spent a year researching why role models matter and writing this great and easy to read book to encourage any would-be female entrepreneurs out there that their dreams can be accomplished!

Jenn starts out strong by stating that any ladies reading the book should already consider themselves role models. From the very get-go of starting your own business, you should consider the need for female role models – not only that you need one yourself at that point, but that someday some other woman might need you.

I don’t know about you, but that’s an awfully empowering statement to me. It’s really lodged in my brain. As a female, whenever I worked as a stagehand, I knew I had to be excellent. Not just good, I had to be as good as every guy on that crew. I had to make sure there was no reason for that company to not want to hire a woman whenever one applied. It’s not fair, but it’s a fact of life in male dominated careers – ladies, sometimes you’re representing more than just yourself.

It was weird to me though to think of that in this entrepreneurial light. To begin with, I don’t consider myself an entrepreneur. I’ve done some stuff and have some interests that are definitely entrepreneurial, but I never really characterized myself that way. One of the great things about Jenn’s book is that there are lots of little checkpoints as you read – asking you questions, making you pause to think and giving you baby step prompts to get you moving.

As I came across those, I realized that my blog really is sort of a business venture, but more because I do have a vision for it – one I never even fully realized until reading this book.

Can you think of 3 female role models right now?

It’s harder than you thought, isn’t it? And if we don’t include Oprah, how many of you just lost one of the 3? It took me longer than it should’ve, but eventually I came up with:

My 3 Female Role Models:

  1. My Mom –life and everything in general
  2. Kylie Ofiu –successful and profitable blogging
  3. Cathy of BubbleandGeek – running a successful Etsy shop

 You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life? -Rumi

Now that we’ve found some role models, what’s stopping us? A key aspect is often fear. Fear of every kind you can imagine, but in another little gem, Jenn points out “often the best antidote for fear is action (41),” and I couldn’t agree more.

I loved the story of Sara Blakely, found of Spanx, who had to share something that she’d failed at that week at the dinner table while growing up. Her dad taught her that if you weren’t failing at something regularly, you weren’t trying, and not trying was the real failure.

Another neat little aspect of the book was the “Success” playlist – in a whimsical touch, Jenn included an assortment of inspirational tunes like Roar, Shake It Out and Applause.

I could also write an entire article on how much I loved her take on “being fine.” I loved the whole book with its different inspirational stories, especially the gems of wisdom from successful women, and great tips to keep moving towards your goals, but since this paragraph was my favorite, I’m going to finish up by sharing it with you and then telling you to go and buy this book! Especially if you’re trying to get your own business off the ground.

When the word fine enters your vocabulary – look out. Fine is such an emotionless reaction to being asked, “How are you?” Quite frankly, what is fine, anyway? It isn’t good, it surely isn’t great, but it is neither bad nor crappy, either. Fine is the response one gives you while also flashing that plastic smile resembling someone who’s heavily sedated. Trust me, you don’t want to go through life one more day just being fine (68).

Actually, one final thing, Jenn summed up her book herself with “Be inspired. Commit. Act.”

Actually, one final thing, Jenn summed up her book herself with “Be inspired. Commit. Act.”

What are you waiting for?

 

*Please note that I was provided with a copy of this book for free in order to provide this review, but all opinions are my own. And legit. It’s a good read.*

*Part of Financially Savvy Saturdays on Femme Frugality and brokeGIRLrich*

17 thoughts on “Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! REVIEW!

  1. I haven’t heard about this book, but it sounds awesome! I recently did a top ten inspirational woman post and I knew my mom was at the top and I knew about 3-4 others, but I had a tough time thinking of ten and I thought that was really sad. As soon as I was “old enough” to become a mentor at the bank and now at my own company, I made it a life goal to be the inspirational woman that I would have wanted to inspire me through my career. I support, encourage and inspire women in careers in finance and beyond. When women work together and support each other, amazing things happen!
    Shannon @ Financially Blonde recently posted…Music Mondays – We Are OneMy Profile

    • Isn’t that crazy when you stop to jot down women who inspire you, it’s easy to stop around 3-4? However when you ask the question and really begin to keep an eye out, more people begin to surface.

      Women’s moms came up over and over during my interviews which I loved. In fact, the book is dedicated to my mom who passed away 11 years ago. She had a quiet strength and even though she wasn’t an entrepreneur her view of living life without regrets is always present in my mind as I start new projects and ventures.

      I love that you have made it your mission to inspire and support others! That in itself is inspiring. Thank you.
      Jenn Aubert recently posted…Interview with Wendy HernandezMy Profile

  2. You know they always push getting a mentor at work. They’re hard to find sometimes. Some are okay but it’s like you only want to eat part of their cake, not the whole cake because there are some habits that they may have that you’re not too keen about. Therefore I find I take the best of the best and try to mimic that. Thanks for the review, Mel!
    debt debs recently posted…Top Ten Reasons You Need to Manage Your FinancesMy Profile

    • Yeah, finding mentors is definitely tougher than it should be! I’ve always felt that way about finding stage managers who are more experienced too. It’s very odd and difficult to find the right relationship to make the mentorship thing work out.

  3. Becoming an entrepreneur means becoming a leader. A leader will always be looked up to by people. So yes, that’s excellent to always be a role model. Even if some female entrepreneurs don’t realize it, I bet they are role models for someone. That someone just may be too shy to say something. My first boss was a huge role model for me but I never directly said that… I feel he knows it now though.

    I’m a guy but dang it if I wasn’t gonna leave my $.02! 🙂
    Will recently posted…How to Avoid a Financial HangoverMy Profile

    • LOL – male $.02 are always welcome! And while I do agree there’s a surprising silence from women on the entrepreneur front, I don’t always like the distinction between trying to empower women more or trying to empower men more. I think we’ll really have gotten somewhere when no one cares exactly who is saying what but what it is they’re saying.

  4. I work largely in a female dominated field lately, so listing 3 wasn’t quite as difficult. (Kylie is one of mine, too!) But I totally love this and realize my situation is the opposite of the norm. Sometimes when we are watching TV, the husband will say, “Oh, I hear she’s a bitch.” Which gets me on this rant about how women of that age had to be more confident and forceful to make it, and even with that, if a MSN exemplified the same behaviors we’d be using a whole different set of positive adjectives for them.
    femmefrugality recently posted…Tips for Living in an Apartment with Young ChildrenMy Profile

    • I couldn’t agree more. Real failing is never trying at all. We need to reframe how we view failing and stop thinking that it defines you as a “failure”. Failing is simply taking risks, making mistakes, learning experiences and opportunities for growth.
      Jenn Aubert recently posted…Interview with Wendy HernandezMy Profile

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