The Woman's Advantage: 20 Women Entrepreneurs Show You What It Takes to Grow Your Business [Hardcover]

Mary Cantando (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

Whether you already own a business or are planning to start one, The Woman’s Advantage: 20 Women Entrepreneurs Show You What It Takes to Grow Your Business is the book for you. Author and leading women’s business expert Mary Cantando shows you how to harness often-overlooked resources—certification, referrals, and mentorship—and achieve lasting rewards by learning the lessons of top women entrepreneurs.The women featured, all owners of multimillion-dollar (and billion-dollar) companies, each started out small and grew their businesses through smart choices and by connecting with the right networks. Their hard-earned experiences offer a wealth of insights, including ideas on how to:• Position your business for breakthroughs• Differentiate your business from others in the same market niche• Leverage certification to reach companies eager to do business with woman-owned enterprises

 

• Network to develop powerful alliances, partners, and mentors

• Enhance your business success by maintaining a positive attitude, remaining healthy, and managing stressAlthough millions of women own businesses, fewer than 5 percent generate more than $1 million in annual revenue. The Woman’s Advantage is THE comprehensive resource to both teach and inspire you to grow your business.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the best business books I've ever read! Mary conveys sophisticated business concepts in a format that is like having a conversation with a trusted friend."

—Susan Phillips Bari, Founder and President, Women's Business Enterprise Council

 

"Women are not on the rise. They have already risen, and have been ahead of the curve for more than a decade. This is not just a guidebook for women to succeed in business, it’s also a must read for every man trying to do business with them."
—Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Little Red Book of Selling

"Any woman who owns a business or dreams of starting one must read The Woman’s Advantage. Each of these 20 women has built a multimillion-dollar empire leveraging a woman's particular perspectives and strengths. To have all these insights and experiences collected in one place—what an incredible resource!"

—Marti Barletta, author of Marketing to Women and Founder/CEO of The TrendSight Group

About the Author

Mary Cantando is president of WomanBusinessOwner.com, a nationally recognized consulting firm that advises women about business growth and counsels corporations seeking to attract the lucrative market segment of women business owners. She is a featured speaker at national and international events and serves as a valued resource for national publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Enterprising Women, Fast Company, Selling Power, and Entrepreneur magazine. Mary Cantando sits on the National Board of the Women Presidents' Organization, an organization of women who own and run multimillion-dollar businesses.  In addition, she is a member of the prestigious National Women's Forum of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council. She lives in Raleigh, NC. To learn more, visit www.womansadvantage.biz.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419535714
• ISBN-13: 978-1419535710
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,192,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mary Cantando is an acclaimed author and speaker who focuses on helping women grow their businesses and their lives. As an entrepreneurial executive, she's founded, led and expanded businesses for over 20 years.

Mary's books contain ground-breaking ideas for women.
* Leading with Care: How Women Around the World are Inspiring Businesses, Empowering Communities, and Creating Opportunity shares stories of women leaders from all walks of life--from micro business owners in Africa to chief executives of Fortune companies and then juxtaposes these inspiring profiles with lessons you can apply to your own life.
* The Woman's Advantage: 20 Women Entrepreneurs Show You What it Takes to Grow Your Business provides insight from women who started with absolutely nothing to build multimillion-dollar businesses.
* The Woman's Advantage Workbook allows each reader to build her business chapter-by-chapter through the mentoring of 20 successful women.
* The Woman's Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar provides 365 daily snippets of advice from women entrepreneurs across the country.
* Nine Lives: Stories of Women Business Owners Landing on Their Feet profiles nine women who have overcome seemingly-impossible odds to achieve amazing business success.
* Double Your Revenue: Certify Your Woman-Owned Business (Audio CD) answers the questions: "Should I certify my woman-owned business, and if so, how do I get started?" and "Once I gain my certification how do I capitalize on it to gain new clients?"

As an advocate for women, Mary has served as an envoy of the US State Department in helping women in developing countries start and grow businesses. She is also a Trustee of The Women's Alliance, an Ambassador of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council and a Chapter Chair for the Women Presidents' Organization. She sits on the Enterprising Women Advisory Board, and has been named the Growth Advisor of Women Entrepreneurs', Inc.

Mary's ideas and articles have been featured in hundreds of publications including the Wall Street Journal and O The Oprah Magazine, as well as NPR TV and radio.

A mother, grandmother, and self-proclaimed "high-maintenance wife," Mary lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband who she refers to as "Saint John" for putting up with her for almost 40 years!

Contact Mary through www.WomansAdvantage.biz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like Having Lunch with SuperStar Women Entrepreneurs, May 27, 2006

By 

Woman President (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Woman's Advantage: 20 Women Entrepreneurs Show You What It Takes to Grow Your Business (Hardcover)

Even with an MBA, many of these ideas were new to me. The author's easy, innovative writing allowed me to learn without the "labor pains" I've experienced in so many business books. But the greatest thing about The Woman's Advantage is that each business concept is presented through the story of one woman who started with nothing...implemented that idea...and now owns a multimillion dollar business.

Each chapter is like having lunch with a superstar woman entrepreneur and learning all her secrets! How cool is that?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical advice for business growth, June 20, 2006

By 

Jill Konrath "Fresh sales strategies" (St. Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Woman's Advantage: 20 Women Entrepreneurs Show You What It Takes to Grow Your Business (Hardcover)

In "The Woman's Advantage," Mary Cantando does an excellent job detailing how women can grow their businesses in today's crazy marketplace. She clearly articulates key strategies that entrepreneurs must embrace for maximum success in the least possible time.

The book's greatest strength can be found in the 20 stories of women entrepreneurs that illustrate each strategy. Their journeys to success are filled with golden nuggets of practical advice at the same time they're highly inspirational.

The info on WBE (Women's Business Enterprise) Certification is also extremely useful. It goes far beyond the actual steps, into how to leverage the certification to acquire new customers and drive incremental growth with existing ones.

Even though I've had my own company for nearly 20 years, I got a lot of new ideas I can use to take my own business to the next level. I don't say this often! In fact, right now I'm wondering why I didn't do some of these things 5 years ago.

Buy this book if you want to grow your business dramatically or create a predictable revenue stream. Mary will cut your learning curve and give you the kick in the pants you need. She challenges you to step outside your comfort zone and learn new behaviors that can make this growth easier.

Jill Konrath
Author, "Selling to Big Companies"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have!, May 29, 2006

By 

Tamara Frasher (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Woman's Advantage: 20 Women Entrepreneurs Show You What It Takes to Grow Your Business (Hardcover)

I can't begin to tell you how much time, money and frustration I would have saved if I had read this book when I was starting my business. Even though I've missed out on it's resourcesfulness over the last 8 years, I plan to use this book to help me take my business to the next level.