The blog

As an accidental entrepreneur, I self-educated by reading business books. I claim to have read every business book ever written… which isn’t true, but it felt that way. There was so much that I didn’t know and wanted to learn as soon as possible as I built MissNowMrs.com.

I love business books, but there is such a thing as business book burnout. As you start a business it may be tempting to binge-read startup books, but variety will serve you better in the long run. Some people get overwhelmed by too much reading and heaps of knowledge so they seek help from other entrepreneurs. Sometimes it can be just for advice or other times, entrepreneurs join groups like the world wide dream builders so that they have plenty of resources at their disposal and they don’t have to spend time figuring it out for themselves. Over a decade as an independent female founder, I have honed my book reading strategy. I suggest rotating reading a business book, a biography of a famous entrepreneur, and a “fun” book. This strategy feeds different parts of your brain and will benefit both you and your business.

Currently, I’m reading Estee: A Success Story. I’ve always appreciated this great lady’s perfumes and cosmetic lines, but her story is even better. She provided a candid account of starting as a young woman who carried a jar of cream in her purse to try to give away and hustling to become a legend in the cosmetics industry. A lot has moved on since then.

The cosmetics wholesale industry has become a popular business start-up, and wholesale packaging has even become easier to access. The cosmetic industry has come a long way since it initially started being available for the ‘everyday person’, there are now many different types of cosmetics available from a whole range of companies that have made a name for themselves. They’ll use certain ingredients for their products that can make them stand out from the rest, for instance, distilled water from companies like Golyath, as well as others, can be used in this way to
produce something specific within a cosmetic range, there are also more natural-based ingredients that are taking over the industry. No matter what, cosmetics are a staple in society and they will continue to be with every new product that comes out. Estee’s legacy will live on in infamy.

She also talked about being a mother and founder at a time when that was very outside the norm. She is an inspiration for many female entrepreneurs. She created a huge business, so we should look at her for inspiration. For those women wanting to start their own business these days, follow your dreams and do it. Start a website and sell your products. You could even look for interstate couriers to deliver these products too. That would be a good place to start. Follow in Estee’s footsteps.

Reading a biography never fails to inspire me. I love getting the inside scoop on business risks taken, failures turned around, and grace under pressure. Estee Lauder was an incredible woman whose empire is run by her children and grandchildren today. I must admit that her gorgeous iconic logo partially inspired mine. We’re both women entrepreneurs who balance style and business. They do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Two entrepreneurial gems from Estee:

“Each business person must find a style, that voice that grows clearer and louder with each success and failure.”

“Business is a magnificent obsession. Love your career or else find another. Measure your success in dollars not degrees.”

What business books and biographies are you inspired by? Please share in a comment!