The Old Girls' Network: Insider Advice for Women Building Businesses in a Man's World by Sharon Whiteley, Kathy Elliott, Connie Duckworth

From the Publisher

For women, by women, a sassy soup-to-nuts guide to entrepreneurship in a male-dominated business culture.

Why is it that 95 percent of all investor financing for new businesses goes to men? Women certainly don't lack viable business ideas or the leadership skills to make them soar, but-as the authors, four highly successful entrepreneurs and investors, explain-female creativity and heartfelt commitment alone don't inspire seed-money decision makers. To persuade these mostly-male panels, a woman needs to present her idea in ways that are proven to "speak to" men. Alas, there is as yet a lack of mentors for would-be female entrepreneurs, no "old girls'" network in place to teach them these skills.

Stopping this gap with wit and hard-won wisdom, The Old Girls' Network divulges the secrets to start-up and funding success and connects women to the resources they'll need along the way. Written with you-can-do-it attitude, The Old Girls' Network includes inspirational and instructive women-in-business stories, self-assessment quizzes, and recommended strategies for every stage of the entrepreneurial process. A veritable start-up Bible, The Old Girls' Network comes complete with a "tool kit" of sample forms, documents, letters, and templates for necessary agreements, ensuring that the next generation of female entrepreneurs will be admitted to the proverbial locker room of business success.

Library Journal

What's a woman entrepreneur to do when she runs into the old boys' roadblock? Tap into the old girls' network, of course. Angel investors and partners in Eight Wings Enterprises LLC, Whiteley, Kathy Elliott, and Connie Duckworth attempt to level the playing field for women by sharing astute advice garnered from their clients and from their own entrepreneurial experiences. The authors point out that although more than half of the U.S. private sector's GDP output comes from women-owned firms, some 95 percent of investor funding goes to men. The authors discuss the necessary traits for entrepreneurial success, such as passion, vision, and a pioneering spirit. But they also delve into nitty-gritty areas like raising capital. "Digging Deeper" sections throughout offer practical tips on things like networking, what not to say to investors, and why to use an advisory board. The tool kit in the appendix walks the entrepreneur through the book's concepts in the form of assessment exercises, sample forms, and templates. This title is especially appropriate for public libraries but is also a good choice for academic library entrepreneurship collections.-Carol J. Elsen, Univ. of Wisconsin Lib., Whitewater Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Soundview Executive Book Summaries

The authors of The Old Girls' Network provide the help early-stage, women-led companies can use to refine their business models and develop the infrastructure they need to make a profit. Divulging the secrets to start-up success and describing the strategies others have used to jump-start the entrepreneurial process, these three businesswomen present inspirational and instructive stories about women in business, as well as the sample forms, documents, letters, sources and templates they need for business success. Copyright © 2004 Soundview Executive Book Summaries

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