For anyone looking to be inspired in a business venture, Venessa Moss's new book She Made It Happen is a must-read. Bringing together the collective wisdom of a range of successful female entrepreneurs from around the world such as internationally acclaimed music director Deborah Hurwitz, UK business coach extraordinaire Lisa Johnson and Australian Body Transformation Coach Linda Morrison, the book is packed full of inspirational success stories.
The women profiled in this book have come from all walks of life. What's really inspiring is learning about how, almost without exception, every one of them faced challenges, or struggled with confidence, or even faced personal breakdowns - as in the case of Positive Psychology coach Mel Deague. By following the key moments in the lives of female entrepreneurs, throughout the book we learn how they turned around their fortunes, and are able to live their best lives.
The book is not just about material success stories - although there are plenty of them, like Abigail Horne, who increased her annual earnings from £23k to £230k in just two years of determination and hard work. By understanding the challenges our entrepreneurs have faced, the book shows how for many, the very definition of entrepreneurial success can also include personal fulfilment, time for family, or simply just the peace of mind which comes from having found your true calling in life.
Reading Emma Stirk's story of how she overcame her suicidal feelings to build a vibrant business is a clear case in point. Frustrated and directionless in a corporate career, her story is an inspiration to women everywhere on how to find your true passions in life. Every entrepreneur, whether established or new will recognise some of the hurdles and challenges involved with building a business from the pages of this book.
Like Emma, many of the women in this book have children and families. This book is invaluable for women in similar situations, many of whom will have begun their entrepreneurial journey after maternity leave, like BizMums founder Michelle Childs. Or perhaps those who like Georgina Graham, founder of The Rich Mum Society, who began her business before childbirth and somehow managed to sustain and grow it through the challenging years with a young baby in tow.
All of these women know what it is like to succeed despite all the odds being stacked against them. In the words of Bunmi Aboaba, "Sometimes it takes rock bottom to help you realise what you are really made of. To truly believe that everything will be okay and all you have to do is hang on to your boot straps and soar." This book explores a real range of what that rock bottom can look like - from poverty, illness, sexual abuse, addiction and low self-esteem, and challenges the reader to take the lessons learnt into their own lives.
She Made It Happen is broken down into easily readable chapters, one for each female entrepreneur. We learn from business women like Eirian Cohen, Holly Matthews, Jennifer Hardie and Danielle Canty how their entrepreneurial journey began, and what the pivotal moments were for them which set them on the path to where they are today.
For those who are unsure of how to take the next step in their personal or business lives, this book is a great way to re-charge your entrepreneurial batteries. It's hard not to feel inspired after hearing the stories of brilliant women like Dr Anna May Terry, who despite feeling like she never really had a clue which direction her career should be heading, managed to build her own empire from scratch, AND acquire a phd along the way!
Many of the entrepreneurs have had a truly global upbringing. Melissa Marie Lowndes tells of her experiences building success in countries all over the world, whilst for others like best selling author Helen Reed, or 'Badass' empire creator Sabrina Müller, travelling far from home could just have been the emotional catalyst needed to see disfunctional elements in their lives clearly, and regain the sense of control needed to build lasting happiness.
Whether or not you recognise some of the names in this book from your own entrepreneurial journey, there's no doubt that by the end, you'll be rooting for these women, and itching to work on your own dreams the same way.
Remember these names: Rebecca Lockwood. Nadine Crespo. Jennifer Duffee. Lindsay Van Zuidam. Denise Mortimer. They all have a thing or two to teach us about success, and this book is the clearest way yet to benefit from their collected wisdom.