Ladies Who Launch: Embracing Entrepreneurship & Creativity as a Lifestyle (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Beth Schoenfeldt (Author), Amy Swift (Author) "We don't like to limit any area of our lives that could be launched..." (more)
Key Phrases: natural connectors, loose list, featured ladies, Ladies Who Launch, New York, Corporate Ladies (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

You can do it! That's the message Colligan and Schoenfeldt, cofounders of the online networking and offline support system Women Who Launch, reinforce with this at-home version of their program. Emphasizing a more holistic approach than most business self-help titles, they take issue with some of the big tenets of M.B.A. programs, such as the need to start with business plans. Rather than step-by-step planning and checklists, they encourage would-be entrepreneurs to daydream as a way to define goals, whether it's a new business venture, changing course within a corporation or even a revitalized personal life. Along the way, they debunk commonly held misperceptions about glass ceilings and the mommy track, citing Labor Department statistics and their own extensive surveys. Offering exercises, questionnaires and additional resource lists scattered among success stories of women who have followed their advice, Colligan and Schoenfeldt urge readers to take action. Though the book appears to be written to promote membership in the authors' network, their enthusiasm for self-improvement will excite even nonjoiners into making positive changes. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Ladies Who Launch is the first company to define the feminine approach to launching a business and to make the connection between starting a business and bringing creativity into your life with self-esteem and happiness.  The nationally acclaimed Ladies Who Launch program has enabled thousands of women across the country to break out of 9-5 and thrive in entrepreneurial enterprises that reflect their true passions, skills, and desires.  Located in more than 40 cities in the United States, the Ladies Who Launch incubators – workshops that give women the support and encouragement they need to embark on making their dreams reality – have inspired women to start businesses, grow existing companies, and tap into their creativity to develop essential services and products and enjoy the lifestyle of their dreams while doing it.

 

Available for the first time in book form, the 4-step incubator process, using self-tests, inspiring stories, and practical information, gives women the courage to dare to follow a cherished but unfulfilled dream.  Through this unique program women are encouraged to

• Imagine it – allow a secret desire to come to light
• Speak it – choose a dream to pursue
• Do it – take effective action to make it reality
• Celebrate it – revel in successes, reward effort, and be good to yourself along the way

 

Ladies Who Launch provides a proven approach to igniting a fire under a long-smoldering dream, have more fun, and catapult a lifestyle, relationship or occupation to an infinitely higher level.

 

“If you want to pop the lid off anything you ever thought you couldn’t do, shouldn’t have or couldn’t achieve, you’ve bought the right book. All the tools you need to ignite a fire under a long smoldering dream, catapult a lifestyle, relationship, or career to a higher level are right here. Women tend to think of dreams as bigger than themselves, pies in the sky, morsels of imagination saved for a rainy day…in other words, out of reach. Well, guess what? Ladies Who Launch will reprogram how you think about your dreams so that they are as real as the coffee you drink each morning. They’re real and they’re all yours!  To be truly happy and inspired by the life you’re living, you can take steps to wake up and launch your dreams right now. It is time to start believing that you can have what you really want.  With the help of Ladies Who Launch, you will.”

            --Victoria Colligan & Beth Schoenfeldt

 

www.ladieswholaunch.com

 

VICTORIA COLLIGAN and BETH SCHOENFELDT, co-founders of Ladies Who Launch, created their company as a blend of on-line social networking and offline support system.  The offline support system takes the form of Incubators – inventive, supportive, networking workshops that take place in more than 30 cities across the country.  They also act as a marketing, public relations, and distribution channel for the thousands of women who are members of Ladies Who Launch.  They have been featured in women’s and business publications including Fortune, the LA Times, The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Working Mother, and much more. AMY SWIFT has been a close and early collaborator with Ladies Who Launch as a brand communications strategist, writer and as the leader of the Los Angeles and Orange County Ladies Who Launch Incubators.

 

 

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 240 pages Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 1, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0312359543 ISBN-13: 978-0312359546 Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches Shipping Weight: 1 pounds Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #214,932 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Victoria Colligan Page

Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
We don't like to limit any area of our lives that could be launched. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
natural connectors, loose list, featured ladies, who launch, launching something, corporate women, launching process, relationship with money

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Ladies Who Launch, New York, Corporate Ladies, Launching Gentlemen, Strongly Agree, Strongly Disagree, Corporate Gentlemen, Los Angeles, Baby Einstein, Incubator Moment, Liz Lange, Harvard Business School, Indigo Handloom, Lady Launchers, Nobel Peace Prize, Tahoe Trips, The Tipping Point, United States

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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	55% buy the item featured on this page: Ladies Who Launch: Embracing Entrepreneurship & Creativity as a Lifestyle 4.3 out of 5 stars (26)
	16% buy Make a Name for Yourself: Eight Steps Every Woman Needs to Create a Personal Brand Strategy for Success 4.7 out of 5 stars (23) $10.17
	12% buy Birthing the Elephant: The Woman's Go-For-It! Guide to Overcoming the Big Challenges of Launching a Business 5.0 out of 5 stars (48) $10.85
	10% buy The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business 4.4 out of 5 stars (9) $10.32

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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews 5 star:  (17) 4 star:  (6) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (3)           Average Customer Review 4.3 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 81 of 95 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars true disappointment with suggestions for other reading, July 7, 2007 By  Leigh Lewis "designwriter" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews After seeing the authors on TV, I ordered this book, as they were engaging and smart. I wanted to get an idea of what their "incubators" were like, as I was looking for some support for a new business idea. And I was hoping for some inspiration, like hearing real stories about other women who have started businesses and changed their lives. Ahead of time, I will say I don't mean to insult these women, or anyone who liked the book, but it was so off base as far as I was concerned that I wanted women who see things my way to save their time and cash. And I am a legit person-over the course of many years (I am 53) I have been a product and textile designer (for famous designers), a salesperson who ran a division of a corporation, and had my own design column in a newspaper. Plus have traveled around the world countless times for business. So I have some idea of what it takes to earn a living and be successful (and I only have an AAS degree, so I don't think you need to go to Harvard and get and MBA to do good stuff in the world) and if I had followed the airy nonsense these gals talk about, I would probably never have gotten a job. I understand that this book is meant to encourage and get you revved up about an idea, not tell you how to exactly turn your idea into something concrete, but it was filled with anecdotes about women and their ideas that were uninspiring and offered nothing that seemed real. Not only do I feel like I wasted my money on this book, I feel like I was being talked down to. If you have never examined your own feelings and thoughts, have little or no experience in the real world of work, and want touchy-feely writing with no true info to back it up, this book is for you. It felt like I was reading a long informmercial for the product called "Ladies Who Launch," since this phrase is repeated about ten times per page. This is like a self-help book for women raised in the 50's... It is fine to advise women to examine their feelings about what they want to do with their lives, but if you have ANY real life business experience, especially in a creative field like writing, design, advertising, TV, you will be insulted. The authors use the word "creative" to describe just about every thought or action a person might experience, and just because you can bake a nice cookie, for example, it is unrealistic to think that you can run a bakery. Some of the little things they suggest you do to pump yourself up and feel good about yourself are almost like parodies of that Saturday Night Live act, where Stuart Smiley looks into the mirror and tells himself, "I am good enough, I am smart enough, and goddamn it, I like myself." I also stopped short at the suggestion that we read "The Secret," that book promoted by Oprah. So if you like that kind of stuff, I will apologize now for insulting your taste, but I find it just laughable. Yes, I do believe that what you put out there affects what you get back, but I have to say, I do not think that the thoughts we put out create our universe. Otherwise, I bet all of us would not be at our computers right this second, but someplace else we asked the universe to send us. I do not think that by praying or saying affirmations to be wealthy, for example, I will wake up the next day being offered a job at $500K/yr which is the sort of stuff that "The Secret" book and DVD suggest. AND there are little charts all through "Ladies" that offer statistics about different life issues, broken down by headings like Ladies Who Launch, Gentlemen Who do this or that...the use of the words ladies and gentlemen just annoyed me as it was over and over....who are the people they talked to? Their relatives? How many were there? You can't talk to 6 people and if all of them say yes to an idea, say that 100% of people say yes to something. And all of this is a shame as the incubator idea sounds really interesting but I am am afraid that whomever leads them would sprout all this new age stuff. I would suggest people read the life stories of women who are successful. There is a design magazine that looks kind of too-cute but every issue covers sa few successful artists or creative business women-Mary Englebreight's Home Companion. You can learn a lot from reading about how they all started their business. Almost all are women, almost all started with a small idea at home, they show photos of their studios and how they got their start. This book would have made an excellent magazine article. I would also suggest the book by Anne Lamott, "Bird By Bird." It is about the true work of being creative (she is a writer) and how to go step-by-step to attain something. She mixes humor, autobiography, writing advise that can be applied to almost any endeavor....good luck, save your bucks. 18 of 19 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing and unoriginal, November 29, 2007 By  B. Baker "BBaker" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This book is a complete re-hash of "you can do it" pop-psychology. It offered absolutely nothing new in terms of real concrete getting things done. The repeated references to "take time for yoga" and have parties to sell your products to friends is annoying. The surveys and "studies" mentioned in the book are invalid in terms of how they were conducted; no marketing expert or sociologist would give them any credence. The book appears to be a marketing tool for the author's own business, a franchise of Incubators which cost hundreds of dollars to join. Don't waste your money; the book itself is an advertisement for a poor product. 20 of 22 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Launching my new life, May 2, 2007 By  Adryenn Ashley "Outspoken Pundit" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews    In Oct 2006 I attended the LIVE event in San Francisco hosted by Alison Covarubias (the San Francisco Incubator Leader). It was at that event that I made the decision to write the book I'd had in my head for years. And so, "Every Single Girl's Guide To Her Future Husband's Last Divorce" was born. The idea behind Ladies Who Launch is unique and its about enhancing and developing the idea in your heart, not someone elses idea of what you should do. Beth and Victoria have created a sensational structure to take your creative or business ideas and bring them to life. I know that my life will be forever changed for the better because I had this experience. For me, during the incubator, what I discovered was that women communicate and develop their creative ideas differently than men, and that I needed that hefty dose of estrogen and unconditional support to propell my idea forward and stay the course. The incubator changed my life for the better in so many ways, not the least of which was showing me that my dreams were always within reach. Add to that the ongoing monthly meetings and personal mentoring by Alison Covarubias and there was no way I could fail. For any woman thinking about starting her own business, or who has a creative idea, I highly recommend reading this book and signing up for an incubator near you!		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Encouraging This book is not a manual on how to start a business. It encourages you to do what you have been dreaming of or a career that will make you happy. Read more Published 14 months ago by S. Stone 4.0 out of 5 stars Must Read For New Business Owners I found this book to bevery validating of my own journey starting my Business & Life Coaching practice a few years ago. Read more Published 22 months ago by Cheri Bachofer 1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the time I found this book trite and a waste of time. There are much better books to consult. The website for Ladies Who Launch is also pretty much worthless, unless you want to read about... Read more Published 22 months ago by Manifesting Destiny 5.0 out of 5 stars I wish Ladies who launch was around when I started my business 6 years ago Not only am I a LWL member in Los Angeles and am very grateful for Amy Swift and leader Jen Sincero. Read more Published 22 months ago by Barbra Horowitz 4.0 out of 5 stars Cool gift for lady entrapreneurs... Just gave this book to a friend who recently started her own business... the perfect gift! Published 23 months ago by C. Garcia 4.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Women Entrepreneurs A friend of mine picked this book for up me at a book signing in Chicago because she thought I'd like it. She was right! Read more Published 23 months ago by Go Spartans 5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read! Better Yet Join Their Incubator If you are looking for inspiration, and woman like you, you have found it in this book, it's truly a wonderful read and left me wanting more! Read more Published on October 12, 2007 by Julie Defruscio 5.0 out of 5 stars This should be required reading! There's nothing better than reading success stories of women who turned their great ideas into successful business ventures, and this book has plenty of them. Read more Published on October 11, 2007 by Sharon Naylor 5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for Women Seeking to Launch Themselves and Their Ideas to Success As a business and personal coach working primarily with female solopreneurs, creatives, and nonprofit/education professionals, I was familiar and impressed with the Ladies Who... Read more Published on September 12, 2007 by Alexia Vernon www.alexiavernon.com 4.0 out of 5 stars Great book At last you don't have to spend tons to get the secrets from the Ladies Who Launch. Buy the book instead! Read more Published on July 23, 2007 by Kristen L. Fischer Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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This product's forum Discussion Replies Latest Post This is not a self-help book! 2 July 2007 › See all discussions...   [Start the discussion] Start a new discussion Topic: First post: Receive e-mail when new posts are made Prompts for sign-in   Guidelines Active discussions in related forums Discussion Replies Latest Post health Male circumcision. 4460 1 hour ago health Why oppose health care reform? 1097 2 hours ago self-help Being Hypersensitive, Feeling others feelings "Turning Down the Noise" through addiction 79 7 hours ago self-help SUICIDE 193 8 hours ago women Do women sacrifice themselves too much for men? 33 10 hours ago women Am I the only women who find muscles on a man not really a big deal? 1 11 hours ago entrepreneurship What is the best book on starting a business you ever read? 11 9 days ago entrepreneurship Almost 39 ,poor credit,in debt and want to become a restaurantuer. 3 16 days ago Search Customer Discussions Only search this product's forum

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Listmania!

Booklist Specifically for Women Entrepreneurs: A list by Jeff Lippincott "www.Jlippin.com"   Women You Must Know: A list by A. Frederick "faMiss Women"   Are you a lady launcher? Resources for women entrepreneurs: A list by Jennifer Lee "Certified Life Coach, Ladies Who Launch Leader and Musepreneur" Create a Listmania! list

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312359543
• ISBN-13: 978-0312359546
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #214,932 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars true disappointment with suggestions for other reading, July 7, 2007

By	Leigh Lewis "designwriter" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

After seeing the authors on TV, I ordered this book, as they were engaging and smart. I wanted to get an idea of what their "incubators" were like, as I was looking for some support for a new business idea. And I was hoping for some inspiration, like hearing real stories about other women who have started businesses and changed their lives. Ahead of time, I will say I don't mean to insult these women, or anyone who liked the book, but it was so off base as far as I was concerned that I wanted women who see things my way to save their time and cash. And I am a legit person-over the course of many years (I am 53) I have been a product and textile designer (for famous designers), a salesperson who ran a division of a corporation, and had my own design column in a newspaper. Plus have traveled around the world countless times for business. So I have some idea of what it takes to earn a living and be successful (and I only have an AAS degree, so I don't think you need to go to Harvard and get and MBA to do good stuff in the world) and if I had followed the airy nonsense these gals talk about, I would probably never have gotten a job.
I understand that this book is meant to encourage and get you revved up about an idea, not tell you how to exactly turn your idea into something concrete, but it was filled with anecdotes about women and their ideas that were uninspiring and offered nothing that seemed real. Not only do I feel like I wasted my money on this book, I feel like I was being talked down to. If you have never examined your own feelings and thoughts, have little or no experience in the real world of work, and want touchy-feely writing with no true info to back it up, this book is for you. It felt like I was reading a long informmercial for the product called "Ladies Who Launch," since this phrase is repeated about ten times per page. This is like a self-help book for women raised in the 50's...
It is fine to advise women to examine their feelings about what they want to do with their lives, but if you have ANY real life business experience, especially in a creative field like writing, design, advertising, TV, you will be insulted. The authors use the word "creative" to describe just about every thought or action a person might experience, and just because you can bake a nice cookie, for example, it is unrealistic to think that you can run a bakery. Some of the little things they suggest you do to pump yourself up and feel good about yourself are almost like parodies of that Saturday Night Live act, where Stuart Smiley looks into the mirror and tells himself, "I am good enough, I am smart enough, and goddamn it, I like myself."
I also stopped short at the suggestion that we read "The Secret," that book promoted by Oprah. So if you like that kind of stuff, I will apologize now for insulting your taste, but I find it just laughable. Yes, I do believe that what you put out there affects what you get back, but I have to say, I do not think that the thoughts we put out create our universe. Otherwise, I bet all of us would not be at our computers right this second, but someplace else we asked the universe to send us. I do not think that by praying or saying affirmations to be wealthy, for example, I will wake up the next day being offered a job at $500K/yr which is the sort of stuff that "The Secret" book and DVD suggest.
AND there are little charts all through "Ladies" that offer statistics about different life issues, broken down by headings like Ladies Who Launch, Gentlemen Who do this or that...the use of the words ladies and gentlemen just annoyed me as it was over and over....who are the people they talked to? Their relatives? How many were there? You can't talk to 6 people and if all of them say yes to an idea, say that 100% of people say yes to something. And all of this is a shame as the incubator idea sounds really interesting but I am am afraid that whomever leads them would sprout all this new age stuff. I would suggest people read the life stories of women who are successful. There is a design magazine that looks kind of too-cute but every issue covers sa few successful artists or creative business women-Mary Englebreight's Home Companion. You can learn a lot from reading about how they all started their business. Almost all are women, almost all started with a small idea at home, they show photos of their studios and how they got their start.
This book would have made an excellent magazine article.
I would also suggest the book by Anne Lamott, "Bird By Bird." It is about the true work of being creative (she is a writer) and how to go step-by-step to attain something. She mixes humor, autobiography, writing advise that can be applied to almost any endeavor....good luck, save your bucks.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing and unoriginal, November 29, 2007

By	B. Baker "BBaker" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a complete re-hash of "you can do it" pop-psychology. It offered absolutely nothing new in terms of real concrete getting things done. The repeated references to "take time for yoga" and have parties to sell your products to friends is annoying.

The surveys and "studies" mentioned in the book are invalid in terms of how they were conducted; no marketing expert or sociologist would give them any credence.

The book appears to be a marketing tool for the author's own business, a franchise of Incubators which cost hundreds of dollars to join. Don't waste your money; the book itself is an advertisement for a poor product.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Launching my new life, May 2, 2007

By	Adryenn Ashley "Outspoken Pundit" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

In Oct 2006 I attended the LIVE event in San Francisco hosted by Alison Covarubias (the San Francisco Incubator Leader). It was at that event that I made the decision to write the book I'd had in my head for years. And so, "Every Single Girl's Guide To Her Future Husband's Last Divorce" was born.

The idea behind Ladies Who Launch is unique and its about enhancing and developing the idea in your heart, not someone elses idea of what you should do. Beth and Victoria have created a sensational structure to take your creative or business ideas and bring them to life. I know that my life will be forever changed for the better because I had this experience.

For me, during the incubator, what I discovered was that women communicate and develop their creative ideas differently than men, and that I needed that hefty dose of estrogen and unconditional support to propell my idea forward and stay the course.

The incubator changed my life for the better in so many ways, not the least of which was showing me that my dreams were always within reach. Add to that the ongoing monthly meetings and personal mentoring by Alison Covarubias and there was no way I could fail.

For any woman thinking about starting her own business, or who has a creative idea, I highly recommend reading this book and signing up for an incubator near you!