The Big Enough Company: How Women Can Build Great Businesses and Happier Lives
All entrepreneurs start their companies because they think it will give them freedom-freedom to work on their own terms, be their own bosses, and create a company that meets their needs. But so often the opposite happens, and they end up encumbered by businesses that bear little to no resemblance to those they had envisioned. They wind up working for their companies, but their companies don't work for them.

Despite the freedom that striking out on your own promises, most of the accepted wisdom on how to build a small business advocates a one- size-fits-all approach. So-called experts-and sometimes just well-meaning friends-urge business owners to grow fast, be more profitable, and imitate other successful start-ups. And while these tips may work for some, they fail to consider the astounding variety of values and motivations that individuals have for starting a business. Too often, owners sacrifice their personal satisfaction in order to conform to unnecessary (and often unworkable) standards.

Adelaide Lancaster and Amy Abrams have seen this problem for years when working with women entrepreneurs like themselves. They set out to explore how successful female business owners have grown their enterprises in a way that sustains their own personal goals and needs, not someone else's standards.

Drawing on the true stories of nearly 100 entrepreneurs, as well as their own experiences, Abrams and Lancaster guide readers through the best principles that really matter when you work for yourself. For instance:

  • Figure out what's in it for you: Clarify why you started your business and what you want to get out of it over the long haul.
  • Find a role that suits your strengths: Identify where you add the most value and can have the most impact.
  • Embrace experimentation: Trying new things gives you the opportunity to see what works and what doesn't and opens up unseen possibilities.

This book empowers entrepreneurs to ignore popular "wisdom" and peer pressure to take charge of their businesses in a way that will help them succeed on their own terms.

1101076671
The Big Enough Company: How Women Can Build Great Businesses and Happier Lives
All entrepreneurs start their companies because they think it will give them freedom-freedom to work on their own terms, be their own bosses, and create a company that meets their needs. But so often the opposite happens, and they end up encumbered by businesses that bear little to no resemblance to those they had envisioned. They wind up working for their companies, but their companies don't work for them.

Despite the freedom that striking out on your own promises, most of the accepted wisdom on how to build a small business advocates a one- size-fits-all approach. So-called experts-and sometimes just well-meaning friends-urge business owners to grow fast, be more profitable, and imitate other successful start-ups. And while these tips may work for some, they fail to consider the astounding variety of values and motivations that individuals have for starting a business. Too often, owners sacrifice their personal satisfaction in order to conform to unnecessary (and often unworkable) standards.

Adelaide Lancaster and Amy Abrams have seen this problem for years when working with women entrepreneurs like themselves. They set out to explore how successful female business owners have grown their enterprises in a way that sustains their own personal goals and needs, not someone else's standards.

Drawing on the true stories of nearly 100 entrepreneurs, as well as their own experiences, Abrams and Lancaster guide readers through the best principles that really matter when you work for yourself. For instance:

  • Figure out what's in it for you: Clarify why you started your business and what you want to get out of it over the long haul.
  • Find a role that suits your strengths: Identify where you add the most value and can have the most impact.
  • Embrace experimentation: Trying new things gives you the opportunity to see what works and what doesn't and opens up unseen possibilities.

This book empowers entrepreneurs to ignore popular "wisdom" and peer pressure to take charge of their businesses in a way that will help them succeed on their own terms.

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The Big Enough Company: How Women Can Build Great Businesses and Happier Lives

The Big Enough Company: How Women Can Build Great Businesses and Happier Lives

by Adelaide Lancaster, Amy Abrams
The Big Enough Company: How Women Can Build Great Businesses and Happier Lives

The Big Enough Company: How Women Can Build Great Businesses and Happier Lives

by Adelaide Lancaster, Amy Abrams

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Overview

All entrepreneurs start their companies because they think it will give them freedom-freedom to work on their own terms, be their own bosses, and create a company that meets their needs. But so often the opposite happens, and they end up encumbered by businesses that bear little to no resemblance to those they had envisioned. They wind up working for their companies, but their companies don't work for them.

Despite the freedom that striking out on your own promises, most of the accepted wisdom on how to build a small business advocates a one- size-fits-all approach. So-called experts-and sometimes just well-meaning friends-urge business owners to grow fast, be more profitable, and imitate other successful start-ups. And while these tips may work for some, they fail to consider the astounding variety of values and motivations that individuals have for starting a business. Too often, owners sacrifice their personal satisfaction in order to conform to unnecessary (and often unworkable) standards.

Adelaide Lancaster and Amy Abrams have seen this problem for years when working with women entrepreneurs like themselves. They set out to explore how successful female business owners have grown their enterprises in a way that sustains their own personal goals and needs, not someone else's standards.

Drawing on the true stories of nearly 100 entrepreneurs, as well as their own experiences, Abrams and Lancaster guide readers through the best principles that really matter when you work for yourself. For instance:

  • Figure out what's in it for you: Clarify why you started your business and what you want to get out of it over the long haul.
  • Find a role that suits your strengths: Identify where you add the most value and can have the most impact.
  • Embrace experimentation: Trying new things gives you the opportunity to see what works and what doesn't and opens up unseen possibilities.

This book empowers entrepreneurs to ignore popular "wisdom" and peer pressure to take charge of their businesses in a way that will help them succeed on their own terms.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781101544297
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date: 09/15/2011
Sold by: Penguin Group
Format: eBook
Pages: 288
File size: 307 KB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Amy Abrams and Adelaide Lancaster are the founders of In Good Company, a collaborative workspace for women business owners in New York City. In addition to their entrepreneurial ventures, they also work as consultants and career advisers, and their work has been featured in The New York Times and on MSNBC. Visit ingoodcompany.com.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction: The Promise of Entrepreneurship 1

Part 1 The Big Questions: Building Your Business from the Inside Out

1 What's in it for You? Clarify What You Want from Your Business 13

Business Spotlight: Trish Karter, Dancing Deer Baking Company 43

2 What Will Your Business Be Known For? Provide Your Business with a Purpose 47

Business Spotlight: Shobha Tummala, Shobha 75

3 What Do You Do Best? Give Yourself a Job You Enjoy 78

Business Spotlight: Barbara Lynch, Barbara Lynch Gruppo 113

4 Where Do You Go from Here? Define a Successful Future for Your Business 116

Business Spotlight: Teresa Chang, Teresa Chang Ceramics 144

Part 2 The Critical Skills: Mastering Everyday Actions for Business Success

5 Progress Makes Perfect: Recognize the Value of Doing Less 149

Business Spotlight: Claudia Hanlin, Claudia Hanlin's Wedding Library 167

6 Perfection is a Trap: Embrace Experimentation 171

Business Spotlight: Rebecca Kousky, Nest 188

7 Enough is Enough: Learn to Say No 192

Business Spotlight: Jen Mankins, Bird 214

8 Don't Go it Alone: Leverage the Power of Community 217

Postscript 241

In Good Company: Advice from Entrepreneurs Included in The Big Enough Company 243

Acknowledgments 263

About In Good Company Workplaces 267

Index 268

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