Phenomenal Female Entrepreneurs by J. Bryant
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20361/G24P49Abstract
Bryant, Jill. Phenomenal Female Entrepreneurs. Second Story Press, Toronto, 2013. Print.
Phenomenal Female Entrepreneurs is part of the Women’s Hall of Fame Series by Second Story Press and focuses (as the name implies) on women entrepreneurs in the business world.
The book begins with an introduction that explains the meaning of “entrepreneur” and emphasizes the importance of women entrepreneurs in a traditionally male-dominated business world. The author presents some disturbing statistics and points out that although the numbers of women in business are improving, there is still a gap that needs to be addressed.
The book goes on to examine 10 successful female entrepreneurs through the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries; each woman has her own chapter devoted to her life history, education, influences, and business philosophy. These entrepreneurs are from a variety of countries (with a good representation of Canadian women) and ethnic backgrounds, and from a mixture of business fields: beauty products, retail, finance, technology, aviation, media, construction, and environmental causes. The first two chapters are about “historical” figures who were particularly remarkable in that their businesses flourished despite being women during times when it was virtually unheard of that women could be successful in business. What all the women in this book have in common is a drive and desire to make a difference, and to build thriving businesses based on trust and fairness. There are some good, solid “how-to” tips and suggestions of some helpful traits for success in the business world.
There is a good comprehensive glossary of basic business terms at the end of the book.
Phenomenal Female Entrepreneurs is a very interesting look at the lives of female entrepreneurs, their motivations for pursuing their business passions, and the obstacles they encountered and ultimately overcame. The women examined in this book are groundbreaking, inspirational and have paved the way for other women in business.
The language used is fairly advanced and for this reason I would recommend this book for older teens.
Editor’s Note: Hear Jill Bryant talk about this book in an interview with the Deakin!
Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars
Reviewer: Patti Sherbaniuk
Patti is a Liaison Librarian at the Winspear School of Business at the University of Alberta. She holds a BA in English and an MLIS, both from the University of Alberta. She is passionate about food, travel, the arts and reading books of all shapes and sizes.
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