I almost didn’t make it through the first few chapters of The Girls’ Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business by Susan Wilson Solovic because I have no tolerance for books that waste valuable space telling women that it’s OK to have a million-dollar business. Of course it’s OK to have a million-dollar business. And if that’s what you’re worried about, then maybe you shouldn’t be launching a business in the first place.
Sidebar: When I was reading the beginning of the book, I kept having flashbacks to a golf seminar for women I sat through (barely sat through, actually). They spent the whole time telling women that it’s OK to be competitive on the golf course. You think? (Insert sarcasm here.) I walked out because it was clear I wasn’t going to get help with my chipping. While a few of my colleagues followed me out the door, the rest of the women were laughing and nodding knowingly. Maybe it was a generational thing?
Anyhow, if you can stomach the opening, the book does deliver some good stuff. Some of it is female-centric, but good. Here are some points I liked:
- p. 39. Solovic mentions how being an entrepreneur can alter your relationships, meaning that you won’t have time to socialize or that others might not appreciate the new you. I admit, I go through phases such as now, where I only want to talk to people about social media. Sometimes I have to remind myself that no one else cares about this stuff as much as I do.
- p. 41. Create a peer network. This is what I liked. She mentions a problem (altered relationships) and provides a solution. Personally, peer networks focused around a targeted issue work better for me than any random networking or mentor situation.
- p. 75. Hire the best candidate, not the best job seeker. That’s a great point.
- p. 83. Take emotions out of the workplace. She has a good discussion about how loyalty to original employees, etc. can harm your business plan, especially if they are no longer of value.
- p. 108-109. I liked the sections on media pitches and the importance of applying for awards (there’s some good basic advice here).
- p. 129-131. She offer tips about being strategic with banks and credit lines.
- p. 140. An interesting discussion about gender bias by venture capital firms.
Top Shelf Bottom Line: If you can get past the early fluff, it’s a good guide to read either before starting a business or when you need to take your business to the next step. This is why I wish she would have just stuck to the business advice.Besides, if you need the pep talk, there are other books that accomplish this, like the one below.
Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Journey to Business Success by Dr. Susan L. Reid. I preface this review with the fact that “motivational” and “new age-y” books are so not my style. But once in a while we all have to step out of our comfort zone. I have to admit, I did find some interesting ideas in here, although would’ve liked more discussion of samurais (somehow they’re much more appealing than the geisha discussion in Rules for Renegades). I thought the discussion of Miyamoto Musashi’s The Book of Five Rings (a book that she claims Japanese businessmen used for centuries) was interesting. That book has nine rules:
- Do not think dishonestly.
- The Way (path) is in training.
- Become acquainted with every art.
- Know the Ways of all professions.
- Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters.
- Develop intuitive judgment and understanding for everything.
- Perceive those things that cannot be seen.
- Pay attention even to trifles.
- Do nothing that is of no use.
While Reid gives an overview of each rule, I would’ve been interested to learn even more. I also liked the section on working with, not against, your multiple streams of passion; left and right brain thinking; and the Planets and Moon test (a test that can help make sense of your various passions. For more on that, you should also check out Marci Alboher’s One Person/Multiple Careers).
Another interesting section talked about how many times women would come to her because they have problems with their businesses. She would listen to their stories and show them that their issues were “resistance” and not always an indicator to throw in the towel (i.e. shades of Seth Godin’s The Dip).
Top Shelf Bottom Line: It’s an interesting motivational book. Not my norm, but while I would’ve wanted more stuff about samurais and Japanese business philosophy, it still had some interesting takes on becoming an entrepreneur.
This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2008 at 9:19 pm and is filed under Nonfiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.9 Responses to “From “Girls’ Guide” to Samurais”
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January 26th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Thank you, Diane, for reviewing and endorsing my book. One of my favorite chapters is the one on “Tao,” where I talk about “The Book of Five Rings” from a female warrior’s perspective. This female warrior perspective is one I equate to the female entrepreneur’s journey to business success. Musashi’s nine rules are rich with symbolism and meaning for both business women and business men.
January 27th, 2008 at 10:58 am
I agree that Susan’s book is inspirational, especially if you’re a woman considering starting her own business. Successful women from Jane Goodall to Helen Thomas have spoken openly about trusting their inner wisdom when faced with obstacles, namely in a male-dominated corporate world. Susan encourages all women to look within for the wisdom they seek, and to be courageous in stepping out into the world with that knowledge.
January 27th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Motivational books may not be Danielson’s style but they are mine. DISCOVER YOUR INNER SAMURAI isn’t just a nuts-and-bolts book but really one that deals with your emotional intelligence. Real success comes from the affective aspect of any situation: passion, drive, inspiration, commitment, sensitivity to self and others. The first assessment in business success, indeed, any success, is self assessment: weaknesses as well as strengths in the four aspects of self–physical, emotional and spiritual, intellectual, and social. This book is your guide to all of these–and more!
January 29th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I loved Diane’s thought about stepping out of our comfort zone occasionaly. A popular behavior style assessment I do with groups and individuals heightens awareness of how behavior prefernces can be different withing four style groups. While some prefer logic and reason, others are more attracted to emotion and spirit. As Frank’s note stated, Susan’s book is wonderful mix of all of these and reflects a well rounded approach in her writing… and with her clients. Stretching comfort zones is a necessary step with any change…and it takes change to move us towards our dreams. I think Susan’s book can speak to everyone, regardless of style preference, who is starting a new business.
January 30th, 2008 at 10:43 am
For a business to succeed the owner must be motivated to take the actions necessary to build and run it. For some the motivation comes from tracking the numbers and wanting to grow. For others the motivation comes from an internal place. This is especially true for business owners who have a creative/intuitive focus to their business. For these business owner feeling aligned with your business vision is critical to your success. If your logical mind and your intuitive mind are on different pages, it’s like having one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake. You don’t go very far. Susan Reid’s book gives us the practical tools to get behind our businesses 100% from a logical standpoint and an intuitive standpoint. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Susan.
February 1st, 2008 at 8:01 am
I loved Diane’s willingness to go outside of her comfort zone to read and comment about Susan’s book. This book has something for everyone. It provides tools for discovering what is at the core of one’s motivation for starting a business (discovering your inner voice) as well as nuts and bolts techniques such as time management and brain storming ideas. I think Susan’s book reflects the change towards being more conscience in doing business. And that, I feel, certainly translates to being successful.
February 1st, 2008 at 8:50 am
As others have already reflected, “Discovering Your Inner Samurai” is a whole brain business book. It encourages women to get in touch with their inner wisdom — what I like to call their Inner Samurai. It teaches women how to trust their inner knowing and take aligned action steps leading to business success.
That, takes a willingness to step out of the comfort zone of either right-brain or left-brain thinking, into a more “whole-istic” way of being that combines savvy business acumen with inner wisdom. This book was written with the intention of being on the forward-edge platform of conscious business creation.
February 3rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
As they say, I am “of the male persuasion,” and I would like to note that Susan Reid’s book is just as useful for us males as it seems to be for females. I would characterize some of the utility of the book is that it stresses “whole brain” thinking and “whole person” thinking; I have had my best successes both in the classroom (I have taught in business schools, psychology departments, and computer science departments) and in the so-called “real world” (I have been an active consultant for 40+ years) in applying both sides of my brain and exhibiting supposed feminine characteristics when appropriate (I listen a lot; I emphasize a lot; I worry about people’s spiritual development; etc.). Having read her book, Susan Reid’s book is now a constantly used reference manual for me.
February 7th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Agreed Doug, all of us, men and women, have our best successes when we are applying both sides of our brain. For what other purpose would we have the amazing corpus callosum that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres of our brains, if not for whole brain thinking?