Product Reviews

In a nutshell, the book is composed of a series of profiles of successful women who have either set their own companies (most of them) or made a big success of someone else's. Some names, we've probably all heard of - hands up who hasn't donned their apron whipping up an Annabel Karmel recipe - and some perhaps we haven't. It doesn't really matter, the interesting stuff lies in each individual's story about how she arrived at success.

Easy to read, bite-sized interviews with each woman. In terms of presentation and content, this really is NOT a 'how-to manual' so don't expect any great tips on writing a business plan. Saying that there are plenty of anecdotal nuggets that can open up ideas for how to go about your own business.

The author, Michelle Rosenberg, does an excellent job in allowing each woman's story and voice to take centre stage. Despite the length of each profile (on average 7-8 pages), the interviews are still pretty in-depth, so you still get a good picture of what it took for each woman to get where she is. In terms of target audience, if you are thinking about setting up your own business, then this is worth a read. If not, it probably won't appeal, as the 'inspiring' bit really is business-orientated.

Best Feature: As a ‘mumpreneur’or ‘kitchen table tycoon’ myself (oh, yes we now have an official tag), I did find the book reassuring because there have been many moments when I have had to take a really deep breath and make some make or break decisions regarding MamaBabyBliss, trusting little else than my gut instinct. If there was a mantra for most of these women, however, then trusting your instinct and following your intuition is it. So on a personal note, I found reading those stories inspiring. Worst Feature: At times, I struggled with the word ‘real women’. For most of us, setting up and driving a business is a big, big decision. Making financial choices often involves sleepless nights, worrying about where the next big investment will come. Some of these women were obviously well-connected enough from the start to rustle up a ‘few hundred thousand pounds’ from a friend. Sadly, I suspect most of us don’t have mates with that amount of dosh floating about. Still, lucky them, eh and in all fairness, these golden girls were outnumbered by those who simply had the guts and faith to follow their big idea. Verdict: Inspiring in parts, this is certainly a pretty realistic picture of what it takes to make it really big.

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