Library of Clean Reads: business

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Thursday, October 4, 2018

Joy to You and Me (at Work!) by Amy Thornton (Book Spotlight, Author Interview and Giveaway!)

Today, I'm spotlighting a book that I think is needed in the workforce. It's filled with advice that the reader can implement quickly to start making a positive difference in the workplace. I had the chance to interview the author and she also offered to give away copies of her book. Check it out!

Book Details:

Book Title: Joy to You and Me (at Work!) by Amy Thornton
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 179 pages
Genre: Self-help, Business
Publisher: Tell-Tale Publishing Group, LLC
Release date: June 5, 2018
Tour dates: Oct 1 to 19, 2018
Content Rating: PG (This book is for ages 16+, so there is the occasional "damn", "hell", and "ass" thrown in as far as language, but nothing worse than that.)

Book Description:

Are you one of the 48% of employees worldwide who doesn't like their jobs? Do you feel constantly stressed at the office? Or maybe you're just feeling "blah" about your job and want to bring some life back into your workplace. If you talk to anyone about their careers or jobs these days, most of the time you won't hear positive stories or excitement. You'll probably hear words like "busy", "stressed", "exhausting", and "mind-numbing." And with the good old 40-hour workweek becoming a distant memory for many of us, this reality is just plain sad.

Joy to You and Me (At Work!) helps turn these situations around by giving the reader easy tips they can implement quickly to start making a positive difference in the workplace. Being joyful isn't just a "fluffy-cutesy-nice" thing to do each day - it actually increases productivity and is good for any company or organization. The book helps anyone learn how to:

- Be a more joyful person
- Bring joy to co-workers
- Bring joy to customers
- Bring joy to networking

This fun, easy-to-read guide shows people of all ages and personalities how to make a difference immediately to make not only themselves happier, but to spread that happiness throughout the workplace - and beyond!

By sharing stories from the author's 25+ years of making a joyful difference in the workplace and examples from truly kick-ass companies, Joy to You and Me (At Work!) is a life-changing, fun read for anyone who wants to improve their work life.

My Interview with Amy Thornton:

LCR: Amy, thank you for joining us on Library of Clean Reads! Can you describe your book in 20 words or less?

AT: Thank you for having me! My book shows people how to be more joyful in their workplaces so they can spread that joy to co-workers, customers, and while networking.

LCR: Why did you decide to write a book about joy in the workplace?

AT: Whenever I’ve left a job, people have gotten quite upset. It’s not that I’m some super-genius or anything, but I would lead and implement so many joyful practices that my former co-workers were always sad to see them end. I got to thinking, “What if I could create a guide on how to bring joy to the workplace?” to help people enjoy their jobs more and increase their productivity. I know from my own experience that being positive at work helps people accomplish more and reduce their stress.

LCR: How did you go about gathering your information?

AT: Some of the information I share in the book comes from the Dale Carnegie principles. Carnegie was the author of the How to Win Friends and Influence People and other books. Today there are courses based on these books being taught all over the world.

I conducted interviews with people from all types of positions and researched some joyful practices conducted in small, medium, and large companies. I relied on publications such as Forbes and the Harvard Business Review to show why being joyful at work is so important. Finally, I often shared my own experiences.

LCR: Can you tell me more about your work as a former Dale Carnegie instructor?

AT: I was fortunate to be a Dale Carnegie instructor from 1998 – 2008. I was already a fairly positive person, but this course helped me become even more enthusiastic. It was a joy to help people from all walks of life learn how to relate better with others, become strong leaders, improve their communication skills, and reduce their worry and stress.

It was hard to leave, but I wanted to pursue other interests. I’ll always recommend the course to anyone wanting to change his or her life for the better!

LCR: If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

AT: I would go to early 1926 to see my grandmother when she was a senior in high school in Mishawaka, IN. I was incredibly close to her and I’ve always been intrigued by her senior picture. It would be wonderful to see her as a girl and to experience that simpler time in life.

LCR: Are you working on another book project?

AT: Yes, my next book will be a novel about two best friends that encounter a huge wedge in their relationship. Even I don’t know yet if this wedge will be permanent or how greatly it will affect their friendship, but it will be a thought-provoking, emotional read.

LCR: Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now, both in your professional and personal life?

AT: I want to be a full-time author! Right now I’m an author/grant consultant. I enjoy consulting, but being an author has been my dream since I was eight. I finally feel like I’m on the path to making that dream come true.

Personally, my husband and I will be “empty nesters” in five years. We want to travel more. I’d also like to volunteer at a therapeutic horseback-riding center where I used to work. I love horses and miss them being in my life.

LCR: Any advice for writers who want to write a non-fiction self-help or business book?

AT: It sounds cliché, but write what you know. I never imagined writing a self-help/business book. I’m more of a fiction writer. But as soon as this topic hit me, I knew it was perfect because bringing joy to others is my life’s mission. Make sure you’re passionate about your topic and you’ll do well!

LCR: Thank you so much for chatting with me, Amy!

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Tell-Tale Publishing

Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Amy Thornton Shankland, GPC, has been bringing joy to her workplaces for over 25 years thanks to her innate enthusiasm. She is a former Dale Carnegie instructor, has been a grant professional for 17 years, is a former columnist for the Noblesville Daily Times, and is a current board member of Noblesville Main Street.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends Oct 27, 2018

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Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Speaking with Strategic Impact by Kate LeVan (Book Spotlight, Author Interview & Giveaway!)

The business woman in me will always be attracted to books that help with communicating better, along with having presence and persuasion. Today, I'm spotlighting this new book by Kate Levan. Check out my interview with her and enter to win a signed copy of Speaking with Strategic Impact, a $20 Amazon gift card, and an optional coaching call with the author!

Book Details:

Book Title: Speaking with Strategic Impact: Four Steps to Extraordinary Presence & Persuasion
Author: Kate LeVan
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 152 pages
Genre: Business
Publisher: Delton Press
Release date: May 24, 2017
Tour dates: June 12 to 30, 2017
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

Speaking with Strategic Impact is for business people who make their living—or their mark—through presentations long and short.

It’s a must-read if you’re a consultant, analyst, pitch team leader, roadshow executive, technology specialist, project manager, internal or external marketer, sales rep, subject matter expert or innovator.

Do your presentations unexpectedly fall flat? Do others hijack your meetings? Do you spend more time compiling slide decks than actually influencing decision-makers? Has someone vaguely told you that you “should look more confident up there” or that you “lack gravitas”? Have you watched TED Talks but wonder how you can bring that level of effectiveness into real business presentations?

Speaking with Strategic Impact gives you the key to leadership presence and persuasion. More than just tips and tricks, it outlines a discipline for navigating real business situations with consistently superior outcomes that’s favored by top business schools and Fortune 500 companies. You’ll get specific strategic and tactical advice to keep you on the mark in your presentations and meetings—and differentiate you from the vast majority of business presenters.

Read Speaking with Strategic Impact to master the means by which you make a living and a difference in the world!

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads

Interview with Kate LeVan

LCR: Welcome to Library of Clean Reads, Kate! Can you describe your book in 20 words or less?

KL: Thanks Laura! Okay, here goes:

Contents: One simple communication process for handling high stakes interactions that make or break careers.

Directions: Add discipline. Learn. Repeat.

LCR: That a creative and succinct way to describe your book. What motivated you to write it?

KL: I’m basically a teacher. I enjoy seeing light bulbs go on over people’s heads.

I’m also a liberal arts generalist. But I greatly admire—and am a bit envious of—people who have deep knowledge and passion about their “one thing.” I always wished I had that. On some level though, I also knew that I could get promoted or recognized over others with deeper knowledge because I knew how to be seen and heard. It gave me an edge.

In my training/coaching—and now in my book too, I try to give that same “edge” to all the people who know their stuff and who aspire to lead: the subject matter experts, analysts, physicians, business developers, engineers, technologists, scientists, project managers, innovators, etc. By doing so, I also found my passion.

LCR: There are many books on public speaking and presentation. What makes yours different or unique?

KL: Tell me about it! Everyone wants to be seen and heard, and everyone seems to have advice.

The advice that’s out there now for business people seems to fall into two categories: 1. general compilations of tips and tricks (Be animated! Tell a story! Be passionate! Be yourself!) that can discourage those who are not born “life-of-the-party” people, or 2. elaborate systems of templates, charts and checklists that experts are often drawn to, but that keep them in their own heads and disconnected from their audiences.

There’s nothing new per se about audience-centered communication. In my previous life, I was in advertising and marketing which is all about targeting and being strategic in your messaging. So, what I do is apply this discipline to interpersonal communication. I’m told I do it in a way that is “elastic” enough for those who “wing it” and need just a little more structure to rein themselves in and connect the dots adequately for an audience. But it’s also “prescriptive” enough for those who “data dump” and need the dots connected for them, so that presenting doesn’t feel so risky. I like to think of it more as a professional discipline around communication that propels careers.

LCR: In all your work experience, what was the toughest situation you found yourself in when it came to doing a presentation.

KL: That’s a tough one. It’s either the time I disregarded the president of my agency’s instruction and presented the way I wanted to during a high-stakes pitch (when he couldn’t do anything about it) or when the technology went down right before I had to address 50 senior business leaders in Chicago who were guests of my banking client.

Both situations were nerve-wracking and nothing I’d wish to relive. But I also learned things I’d never forget from each. In the pitch, I learned that being just as straightforward and gutsy as the decision-maker was a way of building rapport with that type of person. In the other situation, I learned how having a good structure or map for what you intend to say in a presentation can help you look brilliant when you only have a flip chart and markers left to save you. Other than that, I’d only recommend insubordination if you have a very good chance of winning.

LCR: How did you come up with your book’s title?

KL: At the last minute. Speaking with Strategic Impact—as straight out of the text as it is—was NOT my original title. The cover was approved and the interior text was formatted when we had to stop the presses, as they say. This was due to some testing of the title that happened at a networking event. Colleagues there slapped me upside the head with the realization that I wasn’t following my own advice: to make what you’re saying about the audience as quickly as possible! I had become enamored of a thematic title with a play on words that only people who knew my emphasis on smart planning might understand (Before I Begin). What can I say? I have a degree in literary criticism. But the audience I’m trying to reach with this book—the experts who want and need to be seen and heard as “strategic”—would never have even found me on Amazon with that one!

LCR: As a trainer, what is the most challenging element in teaching people to speak with strategic impact?

KL: Getting them to not worry so much about creating those darn slides! When you start with the slides, you are starting with the tactical—not the strategic.

LCR: Finally, if you could travel back in time, where would you go?

KL: Back when I was in high school, I would have picked the late 19th or early 20th century decades when a lady of high society would host a soiree in her Parisian salon for artists, writers and philosophers who entertained her with their sparkling conversation in return for her patronage. Since then, I’ve grown fonder of becoming a woman of substance (if not great means) in 21st century Western society who can be seen and heard for who she is—wherever and however she wishes!

LCR: Thanks so much, Kate! And best wishes for the launch of your new book.

Meet the Author:

Kate LeVan trains, coaches and collaborates on business communication effectiveness with major corporations worldwide and as an instructor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Her training consistently receives top ratings from executive development program participants for its simplicity, applicability and career-changing impact.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends July 8

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Friday, December 23, 2016

Killing It: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Keeping Your Head Without Losing Your Heart by Sheryl O'Loughlin (Review)

Killing It is one of those books that you should read if you are thinking of launching a business and then once again after you've launched the business and every year after that.

Book Details:

Title: Killing It: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Keeping Your Head Without Losing Your Heart

Author: Sheryl O'Loughlin

Publisher: HarperBusiness

Published: December 6, 2016
Hardcover: 304 pages

Content Rating: G

Book Description:

The former CEO of Clif Bar, Co-founder of Plum, and serial entrepreneur offers insights about launching and growing a business while maintaining a fulfilled life in this practical guide filled with hard-won advice culled from the author’s own sometimes dark, raw experiences. With a foreword by Steve Blank.

Aspiring entrepreneurs are told that to launch a business, you must go all in, devoting every resource and moment to making it work. But following this advice comes at an enormous personal cost: divorce, addiction, even suicide. It means sacrificing the intangibles that make life worth living.

Sheryl O’Loughlin knows there is a better way. In Killing It, she shares the wisdom she’s gained from her successful experiences launching a company from the ground up (Plum), running two fast-growing companies (Clif Bar and REBBL), and mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs (Stanford University). She tells it like it is: If you don’t invest in your wellbeing, your business will not succeed, nor will you.

Sheryl knows firsthand the difficulty of balancing the needs of her growing family with her physical and mental health, while managing other work and life challenges. In this warm, honest, and wise handbook, she gives you the essentials for killing it in business—without killing the rest of your life.

Filled with real-life examples and anecdotes, Killing It addresses common questions including:
How do you prepare your significant other for your business venture?
How do you time launching and growing your business with the ebb and flow of family life?
How do you find joy in the day-to-day?
How do you maintain meaningful, supportive friendships?
How do you walk away and start again?

The ultimate life and business course, Killing It gives entrepreneurs the tools they need to start their enterprise and thrive—both in the office and at home.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

It's been three years this month since I launched my business and it has been full speed ahead since then. In Killing It, the author states the fact (taken from Deborah Gage's The Venture Capital Secret: 3 out of 4 Start-Ups Fail) that 95% of startups fail. Yeah...that's because being an entrepreneur is HARD work, requiring skills in many areas.

So when I read the full title of Killing It, I knew I wanted to read it. And I like what Sheryl had to say right from the very beginning. She addresses that being an entrepreneur is a calling, driven by passion, and because of this a lot of entrepreneurs get driven to the ground. Their health and relationships can suffer. So she tackles topics that business books don't. She helps you navigate the waters of launching and keeping a business when you have a significant other in your life as well as children.

It made me understand that a lot of my success was the unwavering support of my husband, his timely advice when I was stumped with a problem or racking my brain on how to handle a situation. Thinking back, he's been my faithful adviser and the voice of reason when I was too emotionally invested.

This year has been tough on my health. Anyone who knows me knows I am dedicated, driven and determined to establish a good business model with excellent customer service at its core. I've succeeded, but the time and the energy has also drained me. Sheryl knows what that's like, she gets it. And for this reason, as I was reading this book, I felt that she was my guide and a wake up call to take better care of myself so that I can continue to be successful without killing myself. I need to start investing in my well-being. It's a learning curve, that's for sure.

Sheryl's business experience, her woman's perspective and the many anecdotes she includes in this book are strong points for me. This book is far from dry or boring. Sheryl is honest and forthright, using examples of her own past mistakes, fears and insecurities. This resulted in my feeling reassured that I'm not alone in feeling this way, in having self-doubts or berating myself when I feel I messed up.

Killing It is one of those books that you should read if you are thinking of launching a business and then once again after you've launched the business and every year after that. Why? Because her advice will make sense during the different phases of your business' growth. And isn't that book cover clever? It looks like a post-it note, drawing one's eye to it. Simple and effective. I highly recommend this book for entrepreneurs and artists.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

About the Author:

Sheryl O’Loughlin earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She is the CEO of REBBL super-herb beverages, and she previously served as the CEO of Clif Bar, where she led the concept development and introduction of Luna Bars, and was the cofounder and CEO of Plum Organics. She is the former executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She lives in Santa Rosa, California, with her husband, Patrick, and her two sons.

Friday, November 18, 2016

SCREW YOU! Startup Business Tips to Destroy Doubt, Especially Inside You (Book Spotlight & Giveaway!)

Today I'm spotlighting a book that can make a difference if you are thinking of starting your own business but have your doubts, are told you will not be able to do it or need some tips to get you going. Youth advocate, teacher and educator Tim Carthon has just released his new book perfect for the new entrepreneur. Make sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win your own copy!

Book Details:

Book Title: SCREW YOU! Startup Business Tips to Destroy Doubt, Especially Inside You (Tips 1-20)
Author: Tim Carthon
Category: Adult non-fiction, 156 pages
Genre: Business & Economics / Entrepreneurship
Publisher: CreateSpace®
Release date: Nov 7, 2016
Tour dates: Nov 7 to 25, 2016
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

How many times in your life have you been dissuaded from following your entrepreneurial dreams due to either fear of failure (be that fear from yourself or others) or doubt due to the unknown?

Startup business infrastructure specialist Tim Carthon’s new book, SCREW YOU! Startup Business Tips to Destroy Doubt, Especially Inside You (Tips 1-20); the first in his new 5-part business tips book series, gives you streamlined, powerful tips for pivotal decision points that can make all the difference in your business and its startup outcomes.

SCREW YOU! is the quintessential ‘Break glass in case of a fear and doubt emergency’ business tips book for aspiring entrepreneurs; bringing energy to your warrior and light to the unknown so that you can tell fear and doubt “SCREW YOU!” and never let either of them rule your lives again.

Buy the book: ScrewYouBook.com

Watch the trailer:

Tim Carthon in action teaching a workshop:

Meet the Author:

Known as ‘The Fiery Truth-Teller,’ Tim Carthon is a long time at-risk youth advocate, keynote teacher, author, and educator, and a proud father of his namesake TJ. Mixed with his passion for telling the “fiery truth” and helping people, he is using his extensive knowledge of and perspective on business infrastructure to ‘uniquely’ assist individuals in inner cities to remove fear and doubt and follow their business ownership dreams. Tim accomplishes this through his exclusive E2 Seminar™ (Economic Enlightenment Seminar) and SBI Workshop™ (Startup Business Infrastructure Workshop™). His saying and life’s motto: “Your life was not given to you for you. It was given to you for you to be a blessing to someone else.”

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Youtube

Enter the Giveaway!

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Thursday, November 17, 2016

Earning It by Joann S. Lublin (Review)

Ever since I launched my own business three years ago, I am drawn to business books, especially when they have words such as "trailblazing women" in the title.

Book Details:

Title: Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World

Author: Joann S. Lublin

Publisher: HarperBusiness

Published: October 18, 2016

Adult Nonfiction, 304 pages

Hardcover

Content Rating: G

Book Description:

More than fifty trailblazing executive women who broke the corporate glass ceiling offer inspiring and surprising insights and lessons in this essential, in-the-trenches career guide from Joann S. Lublin, a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and management news editor for The Wall Street Journal.

Among the first female reporters at The Wall Street Journal, Joann S. Lublin faced a number of uphill battles in her career. She became deputy bureau chief of the Journal’s important London bureau, its first run by women. Now, she and dozens of other women who successfully navigated the corporate battlefield share their valuable leadership lessons.

Lublin combines her fascinating story with insightful tales from more than fifty women who reached the highest rungs of the corporate ladder—most of whom became chief executives of public companies —in industries as diverse as retailing, manufacturing, finance, high technology, publishing, advertising, automobiles, and pharmaceuticals. Leaders like Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, as well as Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, and Brenda Barnes, former CEO of Sara Lee, were the first women to run their huge employers. Earning It reveals obstacles such women faced as they fought to make their mark, choices they made, and battles they won—and lost.

Lublin chronicles the major milestones and dilemmas of the work world unique to women, providing candid advice and practical inspiration for women of all ages and at every stage of their careers. The extraordinary women we meet in the pages of Earning It and the hard-won lessons they share provide a compelling career compass that will help all women reach their highest potential without losing a meaningful personal life.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Ever since I launched my own business three years ago, I am drawn to business books, especially when they have words such as "trailblazing women" in the title. Journalist Joann S. Lublin introduces Earning It by recounting her own experience as a woman who worked her way in a male dominant work field. It is clear her objective in writing this book is to make women who want a top level career to feel a connection and learn from female business executives who overcame obstacles to succeed.

Lublin interviewed and includes the stories of more than fifty women who have top business positions and shares what they learned as they made their way to the top. What I enjoyed about these interviews is that they were brutally honest. There is no set formula to becoming a CEO or achieving great success as a woman balancing family and a career. Some of the advice may not be what some women want to hear, but sometimes the only way to bring about big changes is to quietly persevere and ignore issues you can't control rather than making a ruckus, although sometimes one needs to make a ruckus too.

All of the women portrayed had different circumstances and work situations, some of which were vastly different from one another. But a common thread is that all of these women wanted to reach to a certain level in their career and they fought in their own way to attain it. Each chapter ends with a bullet point summary of the leadership lessons learned, which I thought was smart. I particularly liked the chapter on Manager Moms Are Not Acrobats.

As a woman, I feel that the corporate world is more balanced when women are on the board of directors. Women have helped to bring about positive and helpful changes for women in the work field, not just in top positions but in every position for which a woman is hired in a company. And I admire the women who have done this. Not all the stories will resonate with women in this book but I found in my case, I could glean good advice from them even though I am not a CEO or striving to become one.

The book is filled with citations and statistics (with extensive bibliography notes and an index at the back of the book) which I found interesting and which I think makes this book ideal for all business students in the college or university levels. It would also be good reading for those interested in women's studies or sociology. And of course, for any woman already in or ambitiously striving to advance in her career.

To read more reviews, please visit Joann S. Lublin's page on TLC Book Tours.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

Joann S. Lublin is management news editor for The Wall Street Journal and works with reporters in the U.S. and abroad. She frequently appears at conferences to discuss leadership, executive pay and corporate governance. She created The Journal’s first career advice column in 1993. She shared its Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for stories about corporate scandals. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with honors from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in communications from Stanford University. She lives in Ridgewood, N.J.

Find out more about Joann at her website and follow her on Twitter.

Disclosure: Thanks to TLC Book Tours for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Flight Club: Rebel, Reinvent, and Thrive: How to Launch Your Dream Business by Felena Hanson (Spotlight, Author Interview and Giveaway)

Today I am excited to be featuring Felena Hanson and her new book. I launched my own business three years ago and I love supporting organisations and authors who help women fulfil their dreams. Be sure to read my interview with Felena and enter the giveaway to win a copy of the book!

Book Details:

Book Title: Flight Club: Rebel, Reinvent, and Thrive: How to Launch Your Dream Business by Felena Hanson
Category: Adult nonfiction, 198 pages
Genre: Business
Publisher: Self-published
Release date: April 2016
Content Rating: PG + M (Book contains real life examples - infidelity)

Book Description:

Flight Club is a call to rebel, reinvent, and thrive! The book shares the journey of women who "leaned out" of corporate to launch their dream business.

Felena Hanson, founder of Hera Hub, shares her personal story and rise to entrepreneurship. The book also features the journeys of and advice from six courageous female entrepreneurs: Debby Eubank, Linda O'Keefe, Lorin Beller, Sara Clark-Williams, Deirdre Maloney, and MaryCay Durrant. Each shares an exercise to help you craft your flight path.

The final section of the book includes access to an online platform (www.StepsToStartup.com) which walks you through 17 foundational steps of launching a business. Book buyers will receive three months free access!

This book is for you if ...
You are tired of building someone else's dream
You want to pursue your passion as a career
You are over the corporate politics
You want more control of your time and life
You don't want to build your dream business alone!

Learn more at www.FlightClubBook.com and www.Facebook.com/FlightClubBook

Buy the Book : Amazon

Watch the Trailer:

My Interview with Felena Hanson

LCR: Welcome to Library of Clean Reads! If you were to describe your book in 20 words, what would you say?

FH: Flight Club is a call to women who feel “stuck” in their corporate job to “lean out” and launch their own business. The book is a combination of inspiration and guidance to help them take the leap!

LCR: How are women entrepreneurs different from men entrepreneurs? Or is there no difference?

FH: I truly believes that women, when given a chance, interact differently and are instinctively more collaborative in their approach to business. I felt it was important to create a space for female entrepreneurs that is not only beautiful, comfortable, and feminine, yet also very professional.

Women empowering women is more than just a theory. In a Kaufman Foundation study (“Are Successful Women Entrepreneurs Different from Men?” May 2010), women rated their professional and business networks as important contributors to success more highly than men did. It was also found that women especially benefit from other types of social support and encouragement beyond business.

Several of the identified gender differences in the study indicate that support and encouragement from key people can especially benefit women in their efforts to found successful companies. Many women feel more comfortable in a female-focused environment and typically get to a point of trust much quicker, especially in a safe, supportive environment like Hera Hub.

LCR: What is your ultimate goal in writing this book?

FH: My goal was to inspire more women to launch their own business. This can allow them to pursue their passions and be in the driver's seat as it relates to how and when they work.

LCR: What was the best advice you received when you launched your own business?

FH: My grandpa Hanson used to recite the Serenity Prayer, which basically says… "Don't worry about the things you do not control.” This has served me well to remember that, as it helps me stay focused on what I can achieve and not worry about the opinion of others.

LCR: Where do you see your business in 5 years from now?

I’m on a mission is to support over 20,000 women in the launch and growth of their business by 2020. I’m achieving this goal through our licensing expansion and the book. I believe what we're doing will continue to change the face of female entrepreneurship.

Meet the Author:

Felena is a long-time entrepreneur and marketing maven. Her latest venture, Hera Hub, is a spa-inspired shared workspace and community for female entrepreneurs. This as-needed, flexible work and meeting space provides a productive environment for growing businesses. Hera Hub members have access to a professional space to meet with clients and to connect and collaborate with like-minded business owners, thus giving them the support they need to be prosperous. The company has three locations in San Diego, one in Washington DC, and continues to grow nationally via a licensing model. Her goal is to support over 20,000 women in the launch and growth of their business by 2020. Felena and Hera Hub have been featured in Inc Magazine, the BBC News, Forbes, and the New York Times. She is a published author and international speaker. Her book, “Flight Club – Rebel, Reinvent, and Thrive: How to Launch Your Dream Business” is available on Amazon.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Enter the Giveaway!

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Friday, February 5, 2016

The Greatest Prospector in the World: A Historically Accurate Parable on Creating Success in Sales, Business & Life by Ken Dunn (Review & Giveaway)

This is a must-read for entrepreneurs who want success in their respective business.

The Greatest Prospector in the World: A Historically Accurate Parable on Creating Success in Sales, Business & Life by Ken Dunn
ISBN: 9781629030753
Published: April 26, 2016
Published by: Next Century Publishing
Hardcover, 198 pages
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

Laura Dunagan was born in the gold prospecting days of rustic Alaska in the early 1900's. When Laura was 14 years old her father was trapped under a mudslide while prospecting in a nearby river and died. Laura was forced to move to Chicago in the care of her rich Uncle Joe. Laura hated Uncle Joe because he forced her to leave the river, but also because he had left the family prospecting business to move to Chicago years before she was born. Laura discovers that Uncle Joe made his fortune selling insurance and was the owner of the largest insurance company in Illinois. While wandering through the mansion one day, she found Uncle Joe's personal den. In it she discovered an entire new life that would lead her to heights that she would never have realized panning for gold in Alaska. Uncle Joe used the 6 gold prospecting rules for safety to prospect new clients for his insurance company and in doing so, discovered the secrets to wealth in selling.

First Book Review:

Reviewed by Sandra Olshaski

This is a self-help, educational and historical fiction work that I enjoyed reading.

Laura grows from a disgruntled pre-teen to a successful businesswoman under the tutelage of her rich Uncle Joe. It's easy to like Laura and the reader is anxious to find out what kind of adult she will become. Underpinning it all are the six family secrets her grandfather and uncle used to become successful in business. It's stuff that most of us know but don't usually put into practice. Even if one isn't starting a business, the six principles apply in life also. For example, Uncle Joe tells her "You need to ask yourself: what is your desire, what outcome do you want, and why do you want it? It's not enough to set just any goal; a goal should be a tangible idea that stretches you. A goal must have a date or deadline, because a goal without a date is just a fantasy." In other words, keep prospecting!

I particularly liked the book because it follows the life of a female as she successfully makes her way in the business world, becoming the greatest prospector in the world in Uncle Joe's words.

This is a must-read for entrepreneurs who want success in their respective business.

Disclosure by Sandra: Thanks to the publisher for sending me the book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Second Book Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Ever since I started my own business two years ago I look for good books that will influence and inspire my entrepreneurial spirit. Knowing Ken Dunn is a leader in entrepreneurial information, I was curious about his latest book The Greatest Prospector in the World. It’s unlike any other business book I’ve read because it’s actually a book in the historical fiction genre.

I love historical fiction and I love non-fiction books that satisfy my hunger for learning new things. The Greatest Prospector in the World managed to please me on both accounts. Dunn wrote a parable on creating success in sales, business and life through the story of young Laura Dunagan, a tough tomboy who grew up with her Dad prospecting gold in Alaska.

When her dad dies and her rich Uncle Joe arrives from Chicago to whisk her away from the only life she knew to come live with him and her aunt in the big city, Laura is resistant. She is mourning the loss of her father who she adored and she is angry with her Uncle. But eventually she learns that her Uncle is not that different from who her father was and she learns life and business lessons from him.

I was amazed at how well Dunn develops the story, characters and plot. I was easily immersed into the world of Laura Dunagan, a young woman who now has to find her place in high society while her heart yearns to do more. I loved that Dunn chose a woman, at the turn of the century no less when women still weren’t allowed to vote, to be the entrepreneurial heroine. Through Laura’s struggles to sell sewing machines, we learn what Dunn calls the six secrets to selling by applying the same six rules when prospecting for gold.

I thought the six secrets were pretty straightforward but it’s their application that is key. If young entrepreneurs can learn these six secrets early then they will be well on their way to success. Bringing out these six classic secrets through Laura’s story is a good way to remember them and to learn how to apply them. In the end, it doesn’t matter how much technology has made the world evolve. Basic business is basic business and it will always work. The Greatest Prospector in the World can easily become a classic book to be used in business schools because it’s a great way to teach life lessons and it’s far from boring.

To read more reviews, please visit Ken Dunn's page on iRead Book Tours.

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About the Author:

Ken Dunn is one of the leadership training world’s up and coming great speakers and trainers. An incredible hunger to learn and teach others has led Ken successfully through five different professional careers in the past 25 years.

Ken began a policing career at the age of 18. He was involved in the policing world’s most exhilarating and challenging disciplines, including undercover drug and surveillance work, S.W.A.T. teamwork, aggravated child abuse, frauds, aggravated assaults, illegal weapons smuggling and homicides.

Today, Ken regularly speaks to groups in the direct sales, mortgage, insurance and banking industries. He uses humor and his own experiences to inspire audiences around the world. Ken lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife, Julie, and children Matthew and Laura.

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Monday, February 1, 2016

Right or Almost Right by John Haremza (Book spotlight & Giveaway)

Right Or Almost Right: The Fine Line Between Phenomenal Success and Average Results in Network Marketing by John Haremza
ISBN: 978-1681020525
Next Century Publishing
Release date: May 2015
Paperback, 174 pages
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

Right or Almost Right is based on John Haremza’s 25 years of success in network marketing. It’s John’s answer to the questions so many ask such as, “Where’s the money? Why am I not seeing the success I expected?” As John says, “I meet so many intelligent, hard-working, dedicated network marketers who are struggling. They are not seeing the results they expected, and they always ask, “Why?”

John believes that the small subtleties of how the network marketing business is done make the big difference between making a little money versus making a lot of money, between success and struggling. He addresses many of the basics of doing “the business,” from prospecting to leading your organization, and points out what is “right” as compared to what is “almost right.”

John has lived every example contained in his book. “Network marketing changed my life beyond my wildest imagination,” says John. His story is amazing, from living in a trailer park to a well-known network marketing leader. And his story can help you to make your dreams come true too!

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To read reviews and follow the tour, please visit John Haremza's page on iRead Book Tours

About the Author:

After he graduated high school, John got a job as a machine operator at the potato chip plant. When he was promoted to maintenance manager he thought that this $22,000 a year job was the best job he could ever hope for. Then he was introduced to Network Marketing and his life changed forever.

John’s story is one of those American rags to riches, from adversity and obscurity to a life of dreams. Now after spending 23 years in network marketing John has earned over $12 million. He has been responsible for product sales of over $500 million. His teams have earned over $200 million in commissions and he is featured in numerous publications and has produced 100’s of sales tools to support his teams.

Currently, a regular speaker, consultant and author, John hopes to bring his message of Right or Almost Right to the masses.

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