Karin Abarbanel - Birthing the Elephant: The Womans Go-For-It! Guide to Overcoming the Big Challenges of Launching a Bus iness

Copyright 2008 by Karin Abarbanel and Bruce Freeman

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Abarbanel, Karin.

Birthing the elephant : the womans go-for-it! guide to overcoming the big challenges of launching a business / by Karin Abarbanel and Bruce Freeman.

p. cm.

Summary: A female entrepreneurs guide to navigating the psychological aspects of launching and building a business during the first 18 monthsProvided by publisher.

1. New business enterprisesManagement. 2. Women-owned business enterprisesManagement. 3. Entrepreneurship. I. Freeman, Bruce. II. Title.

HD62.5.A278 2008

658.11082dc22

2007039368

eISBN: 978-0-307-83344-0

Interior production by Colleen Cain

by Siede reis/Photodisc/Getty Images

v3.1_r1

To my family, whose loving support
keeps me going and growing:
Dorothy and Albert;
David and Alex;
Stephanie, Judy, and Peter;
Joan, Luis, and Aunt Sandy.

KARIN

To the five women I have lived with:
Joyce, Ilene, Erica, Mom, and Cuddles (the family cat).
Thank you for your love, support, and inspiration.

BRUCE

And to all aspiring entrepreneurs:
may this book
encourage and inspire you to
follow your dreams!

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

HELEN KELLER

Contents

Chapter 1
Design Your Destiny

Chapter 2
Real Stories behind Real Start-Ups

Chapter 3
Substitute Brains for Bucks

Chapter 4
Take the Leap

Chapter 5
Stage 1: Start Your Start-Up

Chapter 6
Stage 2: Run Your Own Show

Chapter 7
Stage 3: Turn Breakdowns into Breakthroughs

Chapter 8
Stage 4: Find Your Business Rhythm

Chapter 9
Avoid the Ten Biggest Pitfalls

Chapter 10
Welcome to Your New Life!

Acknowledgments

W riting this book has been exciting but challengingand weve needed lots of help to make it happen. First, our deepest thanks go to all our experts and to the wonderful women business owners who shared their stories and hard-won wisdom with us. Their generosity and willingness to help other women succeed is inspiringand one of the things that makes women entrepreneurs so special.

We also received invaluable guidance and advice along the way from more people than we can list here. But we would especially like to thank Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics; Dr. Kim Cordingly, consultant, Job Accommodation Network (JAN)/Small Business and Self-Employment Service; Dr. Rob Gilbert, Montclair State University; Christine Serrano Glassner, regional II advocate, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy; Dr. Christine Horak, assistant director of research, the Center for Womens Business Research; Liz Lange, founder and president of Liz Lange Maternity; Dr. Nan Langowitz, associate professor and cofounder of the Center for Womens Leadership at Babson College; Harry Menta, public affairs specialist, U.S. Small Business Administration; Steven W. Nissen, National Capital Chapter, director of employment programs, and Arney Rosenblat, associate vice president, Public Affairs, National Multiple Sclerosis Society; Sue Tovey and Sande Foster, partners, Priority Solutions Unlimited; and Marlene Waldock, founder, Womens Empowerment Symposiums.

We would also like to express our gratitude for a great job to Alice Bryant Cubicciotti, Linda DAmico, Joe Pinto, Rebecca Siegel, Karin Waldbrand, and Diana Layman; our agent, Grace Freedson, of Grace Freedsons Publishing Network; and our acquiring editor, Julie Bennett, our project editor, Lisa Westmoreland, and the staff of Ten Speed Press.

Entrepreneurs and
Experts

T hese people generously shared their insights and advice:

Anne Afshari and Laura Hagler, cofounders of Exclusively RNs, an Internet-based phone counseling service for expectant mothers staffed by registered nurses

Alexandria Brown, Internet specialist and Million Dollar Marketing Coach

Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, beauty expert and adviser, and best-selling author

Roxanne Coady, founder and owner of R. J. Julia Booksellers, an award-winning independent bookstore in Madison, Connecticut

Karen Curro and Susan Edelman, founders and co-owners of Laugh Out Loud, a Life Is Good Genuine Neighborhood Shoppe in Montclair, New Jersey

Monica Doss, president of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) and a leading adviser to entrepreneurial businesses

Lisa Druxman, author and founder of Stroller Strides, an award-winning franchising program specializing in fitness for new mothers and infants

Ronnie Fliss, founder of Fat Murrays Doggy Treats, a company that markets healthy, fresh-baked treats via pet shops and the Internet

Dr. Rob Gilbert, author, peak performance coach, motivational speaker, and professor at Montclair State University

Dr. Edward Hallowell, author, psychiatrist, instructor at Harvard Medical School, and founder of the Hallowell Center

Crystal Johnson, president of Sienna at Home, a home fashion and decor company in Houston offering consulting, a retail store, and online services

Sharon Joseph, CEO and cofounder, with Gail Richards, of Harlem Lanes, the first U.S. bowling alley to be owned by African American women