In this conversational, informative girlfriend's guide, Poppy offers up the practical and time-tested secrets of her success. From the very beginning stages of transforming ideas into realities, to the necessary research and marketing tools all the way through navigating successes, Poppy's unwavering expertise and appealing voice will inspire all types of budding business women. With examples from both her personal and professional life, Poppy is the perfect spokesperson for the successful and driven contemporary woman.
Lessons of a Lipstick Queen
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
With this breezy business how-to, Australian cosmetics entrepreneur King seeks to empower other women to start their own companies. King launched her business at the age of 18 after a fruitless quest for the perfect matte lipstick incited her to create her own brand. Within a year, she was the sole owner of a million-dollar company, Poppy Industries. King intersperses vague exhortations to daydream and fantasize with snippets from her success story to illustrate her business basics: Keep it real, she says and Watch out for bad omens. She also includes exercises so rudimentary they're almost patronizing. For example, she exhorts the reader to go online and punch in google.com, then start entering different key words that describe your idea. More nuanced content does arrive later, when she breaks down the elements of successful marketing and cold calling, but even this advice is undercut when King reveals that her company eventually failed. One of her last lessons to her readers is how to bounce back from depression, in keeping with the general direction of this book, which offers less pointed business advice than simplistic self-help. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Breathless, energetic, and somewhat disjointed in chronology. This is the rise-and-fall-and-rise-again story of Poppy King, a young Australian entrepreneur who began a lipstick-only manufacturing company at age 18. It’s told in a series of more than 60 lessons (repeated at the end of each chapter), interspersed with “My Story” monologues, covering every conceivable business question from “Where do I start?” to “How do I find financial partners?” Learn about her successful cold call to a Barney’s cosmetics buyer, her commonsense approach to marketing and public relations, and her do-it-again attitude as she loses her company and starts another venture, Lipstick Queen. Don’t expect facts, figures, statistics, or even lists of resources. Do expect to get engaged, to laugh, and to be inspired by the ups and downs of Business Life 101. --Barbara Jacobs
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is about following one's dream, taking risks, and going with an idea that can be built into a company.
May 5, 2008
Format:Hardcover
I really liked this book a lot. It's a book written by a female entrepreneur who started her own company in Australia when she was 18. She winged it, and somehow it grew to be a real success despite her lack of a formal business plan. But eventually her lack of proper planning caught up with her and the company was forced into bankruptcy and as a result she lost control of it. This book is a compilation of 61 lessons she learned from her experience riding the wave of success as her company grew and then fell. The lessons are grouped in the following 12 chapters:
1. You already have ideas (1-6)
2. From ideas to decisions (7-13)
3. Research is simpler than it sounds (14-19)
4. Looking closer (20-23)
5. The road map (24-27)
6. On the money trail (28-33)
7. Marketing: Anyone can do it (34-38)
8. Putting yourself on the line (39-43)
9. The greatest show on earth (44-48)
10. Now you're moving (49-53)
11. The err is human (54-58)
12. Keep the flame alive (59-61)
Epilogue: The last word on the very beginning
This book is about following one's dream, taking risks, and going with an idea that could be built into a company. It is filled with words of wisdom regarding entrepreneurship. It is motivational, and includes tips and annectdotes that just about any wanta-be entrepreneur will find useful on their road to starting a small business of their own.
I wish I could list all 61 of the lesson titles in this review. But that wouldn't be fair or right. However, the 14 lesson titles that were my favorites were:
5. Fantasizing is essential
14. Avoid Complication
15. The destination determines the journey
16. Go back to school
24. Close the information gap
25.... Read more ›
1. You already have ideas (1-6)
2. From ideas to decisions (7-13)
3. Research is simpler than it sounds (14-19)
4. Looking closer (20-23)
5. The road map (24-27)
6. On the money trail (28-33)
7. Marketing: Anyone can do it (34-38)
8. Putting yourself on the line (39-43)
9. The greatest show on earth (44-48)
10. Now you're moving (49-53)
11. The err is human (54-58)
12. Keep the flame alive (59-61)
Epilogue: The last word on the very beginning
This book is about following one's dream, taking risks, and going with an idea that could be built into a company. It is filled with words of wisdom regarding entrepreneurship. It is motivational, and includes tips and annectdotes that just about any wanta-be entrepreneur will find useful on their road to starting a small business of their own.
I wish I could list all 61 of the lesson titles in this review. But that wouldn't be fair or right. However, the 14 lesson titles that were my favorites were:
5. Fantasizing is essential
14. Avoid Complication
15. The destination determines the journey
16. Go back to school
24. Close the information gap
25.... Read more ›
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
While many of us may sometimes have an original idea that we think will make us rich and famous, that same many will probably toss the idea aside thinking, Oh, I could never put that across" or "It probably wouldn't work anyway." And therein lies the difference between many and Poppy King.
When she graduated from high school in Australia (not too many years ago), Poppy didn't seem to have much of a future. Her grades had not been outstanding; she didn't really excel in any field. What she did have was a desire for something which eventually became an idea - an idea that grew into a multimillion dollar company. Within three years of her high school graduation Poppy headed the company that produced her own lipstick brand, Poppy Industries. She had sold her product to Barney's, and in 1995 was named one of the "Global Leaders of the New Millennium" by Time magazine.
Not bad for a young woman with a lackluster future! She accomplished all of this by dint of energy, enthusiasm, and a firm belief that she could do it. She shares her path to success, including setbacks and roadblocks, in "Lessons of A Lipstick Queen." As Poppy says, "I have taken everything that I have learned and plotted it out to show you how you, too, have what it takes. You can find, explore, and make any idea happen."
"Plotted it out" she has in 12 chapters, beginning with "You Already Have Ideas" in which she shows us to recognize the ideas that all of us have, and concluding with"Keep the Flame Alive," reminding us, among other things, that the customer is always right, and that our workers are treasure troves of ideas.
A motivational story at heart Lessons of A Lipstick Queen is geared to bringing out the entrepreneur in each of us.
- Gail Cooke
When she graduated from high school in Australia (not too many years ago), Poppy didn't seem to have much of a future. Her grades had not been outstanding; she didn't really excel in any field. What she did have was a desire for something which eventually became an idea - an idea that grew into a multimillion dollar company. Within three years of her high school graduation Poppy headed the company that produced her own lipstick brand, Poppy Industries. She had sold her product to Barney's, and in 1995 was named one of the "Global Leaders of the New Millennium" by Time magazine.
Not bad for a young woman with a lackluster future! She accomplished all of this by dint of energy, enthusiasm, and a firm belief that she could do it. She shares her path to success, including setbacks and roadblocks, in "Lessons of A Lipstick Queen." As Poppy says, "I have taken everything that I have learned and plotted it out to show you how you, too, have what it takes. You can find, explore, and make any idea happen."
"Plotted it out" she has in 12 chapters, beginning with "You Already Have Ideas" in which she shows us to recognize the ideas that all of us have, and concluding with"Keep the Flame Alive," reminding us, among other things, that the customer is always right, and that our workers are treasure troves of ideas.
A motivational story at heart Lessons of A Lipstick Queen is geared to bringing out the entrepreneur in each of us.
- Gail Cooke
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is about following your dreams and learning from your mistakes along the way. It is about never giving up even though the journey ahead appears hard and painful. It is a truly inspiring positive book filled with insight and wisdom.
Poppy King's honesty and humor makes this book a real joy to read.
Enjoyed thoroughly the "My Story" sections that were written with the specific lessons.
This is a truly beautiful book!!
Poppy King's honesty and humor makes this book a real joy to read.
Enjoyed thoroughly the "My Story" sections that were written with the specific lessons.
This is a truly beautiful book!!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By K. Blair
Format:Hardcover
Poppy King, a self-taught entrepreneur who started a multi-million dollar company at age 18, shares her insight and wisdom in this beautiful book. Her specific lessons - ranging from how to make a fantasy an idea and an idea a decision, how to benefit from SWOT analysis, and how to shrewdly navigate the market - lead the reader through the journey of creating and maintaining a successful product (something she has done more than once!)
King's honesty and humor inspire but never overwhelm. Her advice is generous, logical, and level-headed. Keep it simple, keep it true, and be YOU, she tells us.
Having this book on my shelf makes me feel like I've got a big wonderful secret at home. It is truly hard to put down. Highly recommended for anyone who has ever dreamt of making a difference - in any field.
King's honesty and humor inspire but never overwhelm. Her advice is generous, logical, and level-headed. Keep it simple, keep it true, and be YOU, she tells us.
Having this book on my shelf makes me feel like I've got a big wonderful secret at home. It is truly hard to put down. Highly recommended for anyone who has ever dreamt of making a difference - in any field.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By K. Bassick
Format:Hardcover
I bought this and couldn't manage more interest than casually flipping through to read the "My Story" sections. The advice itself seemed too vague and general to really be helpful.
Possibly helpful for someone who just needs some inspiration. Not so helpful for anyone looking for specific advice.
Possibly helpful for someone who just needs some inspiration. Not so helpful for anyone looking for specific advice.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lessons of a Lipstick Queen
Bought this for my daughter for Christmas. She loved it since she is starting her own business and was interested in another woman's experience.
Published 5 months ago by Buff
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring, Funny and Motivating
This book is awesome it is inspiring and gives practical advice that you can relate to on a real level. not to mention it is pretty funny. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Dorsia Ellis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it. Very inspiring and heartfelt
After reading the first few pages of "Lessons of a Lipstick Queen", the reader will understand that Poppy King's recollections of her life lessons are heartfelt and genuinely meant... Read more
Published on June 2, 2011 by Rebecca K.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
I was assigned to read this book for my entrepreneurship class. It provides a real life example and clearly illustrates many points on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Read more
Published on September 16, 2009 by drewsky
3.0 out of 5 stars
A little jumpy but a heart felt read
Let me preface this review by saying that, growing up an aspiring young female entrepreneur in Australia, Poppy King was my first and for many years my only role model. Read more
Published on August 7, 2009 by Kirsty Dunphey
2.0 out of 5 stars
East Purchase!
Ordered this book and it was received in a timely fashion in very good/new condition. Vendor was easy to deal with and Amazon took care of purchase and follow up information.
Published on June 15, 2009 by MFG
5.0 out of 5 stars
Poppy has Moxy!
Poppy King's self-deprecating approach is refreshing for an entrepreneur. She is very open about her periods of self doubt and how she overcame those challenging times. Read more
Published on August 17, 2008 by Shiloh Violet
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