How She Does It: How Women Entrepreneurs Are Changing the Rules of Business Success (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "In the spring of 2000, I was running a high-tech company in Boston..." (more)
Key Phrases: women business owners, van lines, female entrepreneurs, Eileen Fisher, Carol Latham, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Women-run companies are more likely to stay in business than the average U.S. firm, to grow at three times the average rate, create jobs at twice the average rate and produce profits faster, according to former CEO and BBC producer Heffernan. To find out how and why, she interviewed hundreds of women business owners. Although the way her results confirmed stereotypes about gender differences made her queasy, it turned out that women business owners typically possess the characteristics experts think are needed in 21st-century businesses: combining "discipline, focus, detachment, and systematic thinking with playfulness, empathy, and design." She found that many women started their own businesses after working for corporations that didn't respect or listen to them. In charge of their own companies, their abilities to assert their values, nurture their employees and customers, "orchestrate" rather than "command and control," emphasize collaboration rather than competition, stay open to change, ask for help, learn from mistakes and make time for family became a formula for success. Heffernan's tone matches the frenetic pace and idealistic underpinnings of her interviewees' packed lives. Although aspiring entrepreneurs may wish for more specific details, this book inspires hope for a holistic alternative to the profits-only mentality. (Jan. 22)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Heffernan has held up a mirror for women business owners and I predict they will like what they see. -- Susan Phillips Bari, President of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council

I've long called the saga of American women-owned businesses our most under-reported business news story. Margaret Heffernan goes a long way to filling this empty canyon. HOW SHE DOES IT is a great piece of reporting, a great piece of writing--and, simply, one of the most important books, business or otherwise, to come along in many a year. -- Tom Peters

Illuminates the strengths of female-run companies. Will cause light bulbs to go off over the corporate world. -- USA Today

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (January 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670038237
• ISBN-13: 978-0670038237
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #398,315 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear look at the components of women's leadership and management style, January 29, 2007

By	Shubha Chakravarthy (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Margaret Heffernan has written her second book after "The Naked Truth" which I found enlightening, encouraging and helpful. In "How She Does It", Heffernan zeroes in on "entrepreneuses" as she calls them in her first book, to better understand how women run their businesses compared to men.

Here are the reasons I think this is a great read:

1. She talks from a position of having "been there, done that" and is able to add a credible commentary and context to the subjects she is talking about, and drawing deeper conclusions that may not have been possible for someone merely reporting on the subject.

2. She is realistic - she is very careful to point out that despite being successful business leaders, these women still face barriers and obstacles with their male colleagues and/or peer group. For example, she talks about a woman who decides to take her business private after she is repeatedly undermined by the traditional white middle aged men on her board, despite her obvious success in growing her company and taking it public.

3. Her analysis is intelligible and concrete - being structured around specific themes where she sees women doing things differently than men. For example, she highlights "value based leadership", as do a lot of business writers these days, but where she distinguises herself, in my opinion, is that she backs up this claim with very specific, concrete examples of day-to-day actions her subjects take (e.g. National Van Lines and their philosophy of training their drivers differently and more thoroughly than the competition, down to being able to talk to individual drivers on a first name basis whenever they visit headquarters), as well as the impact these practices have on a macro level.

This is a great book to read if you want to understand what it takes for a woman to be successful at running a business, while not entirely giving up core parts of your belief system unique to women, and more importantly, derive some encouragement from other successful role models. This is not a how-to book that lays out the twelve steps you need to take to become a successful business leader if you are a woman.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She Does IT .... Well!, January 29, 2007

By	Susan RoAne "The Mingling Maven" (San Francisco/Bay Area) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Margaret Hefferman has written the definitive book on women entrepreneurs that is a well-researched and engaging guide to how we do it. She has done it well. Whether you have your own business, are contemplating starting one or just want to learn from those who have succeeded, How She DOes It is the perfect playbook for success---the women's way.
Hefferman's interviews are a goldmine of truths from inspiring women from whom we can learn... to honor ourselves and NOT imitate the male model of business ownership. How She Does It is a fascinating read that made me feel proud of the women forging the future of business.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy read coupled with fascinating stories, August 8, 2008

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you're expecting a feminist manifesto here, you won't find it. Margaret Heffernan, CEO of five companies, lets stories do the talking as she shows how women manage their businesses and break new ground. In fact, whether you're male or female, your business can benefit from the principles of these entrepreneurs. Anyone with an open mind can adopt the book's key points, attitudes and cultural guidelines, as reflected in an array of educational and often humorous stories. getAbstract thinks Heffernan's cast of female business leaders points entrepreneurs in the right direction and offers plenty of ideas to consider while on the road to success.