Customer Reviews

Birthing the Elephant: The Woman's Go-For-It! Guide to Overcoming the Big Challenges of Launching a Business

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I liked this book a lot. I regularly keep my eye out for new books for women entrepreneurs. Many of them I don't particularly like. However, this one is a good one in my humble opinion. It has the following chapters:

1. Design your destiny
2. Real stories behind real startups
3. Substitute brains for bucks
4. Take the leap
5. Stage 1 - Start your startup
6. Stage 2 - Run your own show
7. Stage 3 - Turn breakdowns into break throughs
8. Stage 4 - Find your business rhythm
9. Avoid the 10 biggest pitfalls
10. Welcome to the new life

This book includes pointers and actions items to help the woman entrepreneur succeed in business. It also includes the following list of 10 regarding pitfalls women (and men) tend to fall prey to when starting their own company:

>>Romanticizing being your own boss
>>Not getting the right help early
>>Not understanding how to network
>>Running yourself ragged
>>Spending money for the wrong reasons
>>Not valuing your time highly
>>Not pricing properly
>>Spending too much on advertising
>>Not trusting your gut
>>Not thinking enough about the big picture

Most of these things can be avoided if the entrepreneur does the necessary research and planning BEFORE attempting to start their business. The author makes it clear that she believes that writing a sound business plan is a necessary step for any businessperson to do before they start their business. Since I am a firm believer in business plans, I highly recommend women entrepreneurs add this book to their reading list. 5 stars!

I really liked this book not just because it had good information and made me re-think some of my business strategies, but because the successful women the authors interviewed had such inspiring stories that they inspired *me* all over again. Starting any sort of a business is tough, as I am finding out, and sometimes you just need to be reminded that success is not just possible, but likely if you go about it the right way. Highly recommended.

My wife is currently in school to obtain her doctorate in Physical Therapy. I thought this would be an ideal book to help her understand the "ins" and "outs" of running her own business. Now I can barely pry the book out of her hands! What an ideal gift...She loves it.

I read a stack of books when starting my retail business, but there is something different (and more helpful) about Birthing the Elephant. BTE reflected exactly not only what I was going through but MY FEELINGS BEHIND IT ALL! I was on an emotional roller coaster getting my business off the ground (still am :o), and at times I felt this made me unqualified at attempting to do what I was doing. But BTE helped me see that I was not alone, and actually, I was very normal. No other book talks about this other side of self-businesshood, which in a way is a lot like parenthood. It's ok to be emotional in business, we are human after all. BTE is a wonderful guide to help you navigate through it.

I found this book to be very helpful and inspiring. After being tired of being retired, I want to begin my own business, but didn't know where to start. Birthing the elephant gave me confidence and guidelines to go ahead with my ideas. Very interesting read.

I read Bruce's weekly ask a small business professor article. I must say, each week Bruce offers fantastic information on how to successfully run and manage a small business. Naturally, when I saw his name on the book I felt inclined to read it from being a fan of his syndicated article. Boy was I happy I did. In the book Bruce does a fantastic job of encouraging women and men on how to start up a small business and successfully operate it. Keep up the good work Bruce.

This book is great because it helped inspire me to get motivated to start up my new business venture. The book has useful concrete examples, quick tips and pitfalls to avoid for new startup entrepreneurs. Well worth the small investment for good startup advice and advice while running the show!

"Birthing the Elephant" captures the essence of starting a new venture - that roller coaster ride of emotions and the exhiliration of being one's own boss. The stories that these women tell are striking in their similarity. I never realized that there was a blueprint and timetable in entrepreneurship. I wish I had had this information when I started.

Birthing the Elephant tracks the process of starting up and launching an enterprise. In doing so, the authors talked to dozens of women entrepreneurs from all over America. Being from Australia, this was not a big concern of mine because the trials, tribulations and breakthroughs faced by these women will be the same regardless of the locality of your enterprise. It was such an inspirational read and I have well and truly caught the itch to start my business as soon as possible.
Don't expect step by step instructions on writing a business plan or managing your budget - this book is more about getting the right frame of mind for dealing with the tough yet fulfilling time that is ahead for all women starting their own business.
It's a must-read.

To be able to be your own boss and follow your passion and make money is everyone's dream. Birthing the Elephant is a practical and inspirational guide not only for women but for men who would like to leave the corporate world to follow their dream. The book does not sugar coat the problems a new entrepreneur faces but gives realistic tips and guidelines of what to do and what to expect at different stages of a business venture. It encourages and cautions, providing different strategies, realizing that each endeavor is individual but there are many common threads. The real life stories make it a very interesting read.