Smart Women and Small Business: How to Make the Leap from Corporate Careers to the Right Small Enterprise

At first I thought "here goes yet another book about women entrepreneurs." But, this one is actually different - you don't have to come up with your own idea of a brand new business to launch. Instead, Wilmerding focuses on how you can buy already existing businesses and franchises. While all of the information is practical, there are two really good sections including the one on partnering and the logistics of how to actually go about buying a business. In my line of work, I get to see many well-intentioned women try to reinvent the wheel on a weekly basis (i.e. launch businesses in an already crowded and competitive market). This is why I applaud Wilmerding's focus on encouraging women to buy into existing businesses. In Hollywood they say there are no new stories, just different ways to tell it. I think unless you are creating an ipod or something truly new and different, sometimes it's best to look around for something to buy into that already has a track record. On a related note - I attended a Working Mother's Symposium recently and the message I kept hearing over and over was that small businesses were better for working mom's especially those who are single moms or have alternative situations. So, by all means consider running your own business, but don't rule out the possibility that the right business for you is already out there.

This book provides the reader with the tough questions she should ask (especially of herself) and guidance in analysis of the answers. It provides a lot of detailed information to help those considering business ownership on whether they should start-from-scratch, buy existing, partner, purchase a franchise or remain an employee. Chapter 1 is a must read for any woman even thinking about starting a business or in their first year of ownership. This Chapter is to business ownership the same as Kindergarten is to Elementary School - essential preparation. This Chapter provides a huge amount of soul searching and explains the necessary mindset to be successful and happy. It also discusses that factor with which so many women struggle - permission to be a successful, money earning business person. Chapter 2 provides explanations to professional/career women who are considering business ownership about where they are and why. This is a very good exploratory book with great explanations. It strips away the candy coating and provides a good mix of nuts & bolts, dollars & cents, philosophy & psychology. One of the best aids provided by the book is the help in understanding how much control you want and can handle and how that should play into your decision process. The latter chapters provide great details on business types, valuation, legal documents and many other critical pieces of information. I would recommend this book to those women who attend my workshop or read my book ("Capitalizing On Being Woman Owned") because they are trying to make the life changing decision about business ownership.

This book is an absolute essential for any woman considering her options for making the leap from Corporate America to Small Business. Ginny not only addresses the fundamentals and options for owning your own business, but also touches on the importance of determining what the real reasons are for starting your own business. Her emphasis on women wanting to have a balanced/flexible life before fortune is right on. As a business and personal coach, I plan to have this book in my toolkit and recommend it to my clients as we work together to launch their ventures. Excellent resource!

I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was full of good thoughts and practical advice for someone that has been working the 9-5 routine in corporate America, has some savings set aside, and has decided to become an entrepreneur. I liked the extra detail provided in the Table of Contents area of the book. And I liked the sample business plan, term sheet, and business valuation sheet included in the appendices. The book is broken into MANY chapters and quite a few appendices. The eleven chapters include: 1. The Business Mindset 2. Business Career Planning 3. Why Start from Scratch if Someone has Done it for You? 4. Finding the Right Business for You 5. Franchises and Direct Selling Companies 6. A Piece of Pie - working for , consulting for, or partnering with existing business owners 7. The Family Business Advantage (for the Lucky Few) 8. If You're Sure You Want to Start a Business 9. Smart Financing Strategies for Your Business 10. You're Not Alone: Why Women Consider Business Partners 11. Don't Get Discouraged, Just Get Started! I found the order of the chapters to be interesting. My reading of the book was that the author tends to encourage the reader to seriously consider buying an existing business or into a franchise situation. See Chapters 3, 5 and 6. Or to have a ready-made business given to you. See Chapter 7. It's not until the reader gets to Chapter 8 that the book explains what is involved in actually STARTING a business, and the title to that chapter makes it sound to me like an unattractive option to consider. Ownership of any small business requires capital. This is true whether you start the business yourself from scratch or buy one ready-made. Chapter 9 is a well-written informative explanation as to the ins and outs of getting the necessary capital together to become an entrepreneur. I would have liked the book better if the book's title had not used the word "smart." I don't know how that word relates to the book. I also would have liked the book better if the book had encouraged starting a small business from scratch and referenced the purchase of a business or franchise as alternative options to be considered. Instead, it does the exact opposite. My favorite chapter of the book was the 11th. Regardless of how the author suggests one becomes an entrepreneur, she comes through in a big way promoting the idea that becoming an entrepreneur is great. And I especially liked that message. 5 stars!

I loved this book. I ordered it earlier this month and I have read it cover to cover. It is well written, easy to read, loaded with tools and-- best of all-- new ideas. It is a must-read for women who are mulling over the thought of starting a small business. While the book serves a broad audience, I think it will find a large following among women who want ideas that move beyond direct sales and "trunk" shows (women's clothing, children's clothing, makeup, kitchen tools, etc.). There are more choices out there. To those women, this book points towards consulting, partnering, and-- yes-- franchising. Franchising! It's a lot more than fast food. There are sections on finding the right business, evaluating risk, legal documents and financing. But, most importantly, this book is excellent encouragement to get started.