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.

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

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.
 




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.

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:

Enter the Giveaway!

I love the word "conscious". The dictionary defines it as: aware of and responding to one's surroundings; awake. Today, we live in a world where we are always running and at times neglect to become fully aware of what we are doing by taking the time to meditate and fully reflect on our actions. I like that author Laura C. Cannon applies consciousness to business. Today I am spotlighting The Conscious Entrepreneur. Scroll down and enter the giveaway if this book interest you!

Buy the Book: ​Amazon ~ Author Website



Laura C. Cannon is an entrepreneur, speaker, author, and coach with a deep passion for bridging the worlds of spirituality and business. In her new book, The Conscious Entrepreneur, Laura showcases a collection of practices and perspectives for entrepreneurs and business-people to change their relationship with their working life.

​A member of the prestigious National Speaker's Association with more than 15 years of experience as a professional public speaker, Laura has a knack for delivering engaging and informative presentations. She's spoken to groups ranging from 12 to 1200 on a wide range of topics, from office productivity to motivation and empowerment to mindfulness and meditation. Her true passion as an author and speaker lies in bridging the gap between business and spirituality, finding practical, down-to-earth applications for timeless universal wisdom. She has been a guest speaker for colleges, civic organizations, businesses, and associations.

Laura holds a B.S. from Towson University and an M.A. in Human Sciences (Psychology) from Hood College with a specialization in Thanatology and Grief Counseling. A lover of all things that blend the practical and the spiritual, Laura is also a 200hr RYT yoga and meditation instructor.

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

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

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.

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.

Buy the book: 

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