Jen's Writing Journey

The Boss of You: Everything a Woman Needs to Know to Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Business by Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears

When Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears set out to begin their own web design company, they looked for books that would help them start their small service business. They didn’t find what they needed, so they did what they thought was best, learning lessons, making mistakes, and experiencing successes along the way. After they became successful, they decided to help the next generation of women entrepreneurs by gathering their experiences into a how-to manual.

The unique focus on small and service-based businesses makes their book unique, as does its focus on women entrepreneurs. Unlike mompreneur titles, The Boss of You doesn’t speak down to the reader or tell her that she will make millions in a year by mass producing her special gadget.

The book takes you through the idea stage with worksheets that help you focus and develop goals and a mission statement. They include advice on what to avoid and how and when to ask for help. Bacon and Mears then move you into the budgeting stage and prepare you to open your doors, begin production, or start offering your services–whatever benchmark is most appropriate for your business.

Once your business is up and running, they guide you in marketing, public relations, and advertising. Their chapter on networking is particularly useful. Networking can be scary, but Bacon and Mears have tips to help you get over your fear and find the methods of networking that work best for you.

The final section of the book discusses managing growth. Many businesses fail because of poor growth management, whether owners allow their business to grow too fast, stretching themselves beyond their ability to provide services, or keep them from growing at all, staying in their comfort zone rather than looking for new clients and projects. Their own stories help guide you in knowing when to hire help and how to keep your employees happy. Bacon and Mears also ensure that you celebrate your achievements–important milestones and anniversaries that signal your continued success.

They close the book with a resource guide and a call to share your own experiences with other up-and-coming businesswomen through mentoring, presentations, and pro bono or volunteer work. This focus on giving back is a hallmark of the women’s business culture, a much more collaborative than competitive sorority that is ignored or maligned in much of the business literature.

The tips and advice Bacon and Mears offer is a perfect fit for a fledgling writer trying to figure out how to structure the business side of things. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

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This post is part of “The Business of Freelance Writing” Blog Carnival hosted at ThursdayBram.com and the “Just Write” Blog Carnival hosted at the Incurable Disease of Writing.

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