The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business [Hardcover]

Susan Wilson Solovic (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2007

We've all been told that nice girls don't get the corner office. And they certainly don't strike out on their own to start a million-dollar company...Fortunately, we all know better. As the head of the highly successful SBTV.com (Small Business Television), author Susan Solovic is an authority on making money and building a thriving business. Now in "The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business", she shows women how to gain the confidence and knowledge they need to become successful entrepreneurs.Featuring interviews with daring, powerhouse women like Gayle Martz, President & CEO, Sherpa's Pet Training Company, and Taryn Rose of Taryn Rose International, Solovic offers frank advice and hard-won lessons including: Taking emotions out of the workplace - make business decisions based on what is best for the company, not on your personal feelings; Thinking big and bold - believe that you can be successful and be willing to announce your intentions to the world; and Managing for growth - hire the right people and discover the best ways to keep them. Never being afraid to take a chance. Boost profits by taking financial risks. Inspiring and unflinching, "The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business" shows women that not only do they have the power to earn more money and control their financial destinies - they deserve to.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Only 3% of women-owned businesses in the U.S. gross a million dollars or more in revenue. It doesn't have to be that way, according to Solovic (The Girls' Guide to Power and Success), CEO of SBTV.com. Women face deeply ingrained challenges on their way to wealth, from a discomfort with talking about money to a fear of success, but are also more inclined to create flexible working environments that cater to the needs of their employees as well as to the bottom line. Solovic lays out the steps to success: chutzpah, determination, managing changing relationships, keeping employees and customers happy, getting and maintaining credit, overcoming gender bias and creating a successful business plan and a solid brand. Though her cheery, can-do outlook is infectious, the lessons bog down in a plethora of quotes and personal stories from women (and a surprising number of men) who have made their financial mark. Nonetheless, this is a useful and encouraging guide, providing solid advice and resources to help women achieve and sustain entrepreneurial success. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“…a useful and encouraging guide, providing solid advice and resources to help women achieve and sustain entrepreneurial success.” - Publishers Weekly

“Solovic…is a terrific tutor on such business basics such as core values, angel investors and exit strategy."

-Sky (Delta’s inflight magazine), January 2008

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (October 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814474195
• ISBN-13: 978-0814474198
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Wilson Solovic is an award-winning small business advocate, journalist, author and entrepreneur. Solovic is CEO and co-founder of ItsYourBiz.com (formerly SBTV.com). She is a best-selling author who has completed her fifth book, Its Your Biz, launching October 2011. Solovic is also a sought-after keynote speaker, as well as a small-business contributor for ABC News, Fox Business and many more. It's Your Biz with Susan Solovic is a nationally syndicated radio program which she invites leading entrepreneurial experts from across the country to share their unique perspectives on the world of small business. In addition to television and radio appearances, Solovic is a featured blogger on numerous sites, including Huffington Post, WSJ.com, and Fast Company. She has written three additional bestselling books including: The Girls' Guide to Power and Success, Reinvent Your Career and The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business. Solovic received the Institute for Women's Entrepreneurship Leader of Distinction Award, and was the first recipient of AT&T's Innovator of the Year Award for being a pioneer in a new industry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One woman's take (based on personal experience) on how to build a significant biz - one that grosses over $1 million annually!, October 10, 2007

By 

Jeff Lippincott "JLIPPIN" (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business (Hardcover)

This was a wonderful book to read. I'm not exactly sure why it is a "Girl's Guide" except for the fact that it is written by a woman based on her own personal experiences. But it's a great book for a woman to read regarding the ins-and-outs of starting a business. Furthermore, it emphasizes that significant companies with $1 million in annual gross revenues are something MORE women should strive to create. And this book should help motivate a woman to do just that - build a big one.

The book is pretty straightforward in its approach regarding how to start a business and then grow it. It is broken into 3 sections as follows:

1. Laying the groundwork for a Million-Dollar business (1-3)
2. Using the 4 strategic keys to growing your business (4-7)
3. Accelerating your business growth (8-10)

The chapters included are as follows:

1. Start the Million-Dollar journey
2. Think big and bold
3. Get ready, get set, grow
4. Create the vision
5. Develop the right team
6. Implement key marketing strategies
7. Fund your business growth
8. Develop growth strategies
9. The rest of the story
10. Great resources

I was particularly impressed with the coverage of business plans. The author definitely believes in them and that they are very important to a business owner and or manager. The importance of business plans, the elements of business plans, and key questions for business plans were all discussed. But this book does not go into too much depth on how to actually write a business plan.

According to this book less than 3% of all businesses are women-owned. And compared to the 6% figure for men-owned business, there is clearly a need for the instant book. It is well written and fun to read. 5 stars!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the BEST books on the subject, January 30, 2008

By 

MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business (Hardcover)

This is one of the best books I have read on the subject of women and business and how women wanting to become successful entrepreneurs should proceed.

On page 4 she makes the excellent point that unlike men, women as a rule do not flaunt their style or success because as women we haven't been taught to do so. But we should. She also tells how women can better network with others to find information that one may not have considered that could well make ones journey less bumpy and much more pleasurable as well as successful.

Chapter 2 page 19, she writes: 'There are three perceptions about successful women you absolutely need to dispel if you are going to become a million dollar business success: 1 Ambitious women are selfish 2 Women who want to make a lot of money are greedy 3 Powerful women are bad'. I wish more women would listen to the author and dispel as she does these myths.

Chapter 3 for me was an important chapter because she writes about things one may just assume but not really thought about seriously enough. Get your house in order. Make sure your family and friends are behind you. Alas she then writes how relationships may change. Marriages may fail, kids and friends my become distant, because your work needs so much of your time. This is why I think her advise about making sure your family and friends are on board, can help a woman make wise choices and have better priorities.

The author covers everything from beginning a business to how to evolve and make the business grow as times change. This is really important since choosing the right business can mean success for years and not simply a few years. I say this because I have seen friends get involved in businesses based on a passing fad, and after a couple years when interest in the fad product has waned or passed they feel lost and dont know where to go next.

The only change I would have made to this thoughtful and well thought out and written book would have been to change the title from Girl to Woman.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A book NOT just for women, January 25, 2008

By 

Lady_C - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business (Hardcover)

The author was a TV journalist and the stories and ideas are from her previous interviews with people in business fields.
70% of the content fills with encouraging stores and guidelines.
Some highlights are:
1. executive summary
2. market analysis
3. organization and management
4. company description
5. marketing and sales strategies
6. services or product line
7. funding request
8. financial
9. set up the role of CEO
10. develop the right team/ growth strategies
11. think globally from growth
12. think franchising

Cons: her information is basically 2nd or 3rd hand, not the root if you want more real juicy stuffs, not from concentrate.