Dotcom Divas: E-Business Insights from the Visionary Women Founders of 20 Net Ventures (Hardcover)

by Elizabeth Carlassare (Author), Patricia B. Seybold (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
More and more women are striking out on their own in cyberspace. DotCom Divas, by Internet strategist Elizabeth Carlassare, profiles 20 of the best and brightest of these founding females, distilling key e-business insights and strategies. Moving beyond the model of two guys working in a garage, the author describes "successful women who are creating real, thriving Web companies from visions that were initially just twinkles in their eyes."

Her choices of women Web entrepreneurs are intriguing and eclectic: Nancy Evans and Candice Carpenter at iVillage, Janina Pawlowski of E-Loan, Eugenie Diserio of the astrology site Astronet, and oneNest founder Durreen Shahnaz, who links disadvantaged artisans with global markets.

Carlassare's readable profiles are not puff pieces. She organizes her visionary leaders into four areas of the Internet economy: Web portal, Web-based services, e-commerce, and e-business applications. Each chapter explores one company and founder in terms of the source of their winning business idea, the business plan, fundraising, team building, and meeting the challenges of growing and marketing their business. Chapter summaries capture the essence of each woman's strategies for success.

Carlassare offers many engaging excerpts from a day in the life of her divas. For example, oneNest CEO Durreen Shahnaz trekking in Bangladesh; Nancy Evans and Candice Carpenter raiding their personal bank accounts to meet the iVillage payroll; and Janina Pawlowski, standing on the floor of Goldman Sachs, sweating out E-Loan's public offering.

The book could have been strengthened by a concluding chapter to underline key success patterns. Still, each chapter offers specific insights and inspiration for both experienced and aspiring Web entrepreneurs. And these powerful perspectives are not for women only. --Barbara Mackoff

Review
An exploration of the opportunities offered to women by the Web.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 274 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies; 1st edition (December 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071362428
• ISBN-13: 978-0071362429
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,679,298 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's About Time!, March 24, 2001

By	A. P. Sherman "Bookgirl" (Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With all of the books and articles about male CEOs, particularly in the tech and Internet industries, it is about time there is a well-researched book about female CEOs and founders of successful and growing tech/Net companies that breaks down their businesses and their advice.

Even though the dot com explosion has affected two of the companies in the book, I think the rest of the women's ability to withstand the market shakeup is a testament to how women tend to start more conservative and more sound businesses. Although the market is still in flux, "Dotcom Divas" offers clear portraits of diverse businesswomen with varying styles and motivations that will undoubtedly lead them to continued success.

Any aspiring businessperson - not just women - will glean some essential tips and ideas from reading this book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo for Dotcom Divas!, September 20, 2000

By	Catherine Dee "Catelouise" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an inspirational tribute to female dotcom visionaries -- their brilliant ideas, their dedication to making their business plans fly, and the important lessons they've learned along the way. It made me seriously consider starting my own dotcom, and made the process seem entirely achievable. The entrepreneurs profiled plowed through whatever obstacles came their way -- whether they needed to win venture capitalists' support, recruit top executives, or grab crucial market share -- to establish creative, revolutionary web sites that are expanding consumers' options and changing the way the world works. Carlassare has done an excellent job of making each story not only informative and readable but dramatic and engaging. I'd say this is a must-read for anyone -- female or male -- who's thinking about starting a web business. Bravo!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's about time for a book like this..., February 23, 2001

By	Laura Kelso (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

As a young female entrepreneur, I found Elizabeth Carlassare's book to be extremely insightful regarding the process by which many women today are founding and growing solid enterprises. While Carlassare profiles some of the most visionary and talented female entrepreneurs in the e-business world, this book by no means is limited to women, nor to people involved in technology, for that matter. "DotCom Divas" addresses universal themes surrounding how to build a successful business: the importance of building a stellar team, tenacity, courage, focus, and drive. The book also highlights the challenges that many entrepreneurs face, such as securing financial backing, and effectively marketing a product or service in a cost effective manner. The choices that many of Carlassare's subjects make regarding these issues are instructive. I would highly recommend "DotCom Divas" to anyone - male or female - with an entrepreneurial bent. If you've ever wondered what makes a business leader tick, or what the most important "lessons learned" are from veterans of the business/technology world, this is a great book for you.