Think Like A SheEO by Vicki Saunders, Book Review

Think Like A SheEO: Succeeding in the Age of Creators, Makers and Entrepreneurs by Vicki Saunders and MJ Ryan is about creating businesses using new models and bringing new mindsets to create solutions to help to build a more equitable world.

Think Like A SheEOA few years ago, I used to say all the time that I do not read business books because they usually do not provoke deep thought. But I changed my mind slightly because there are some interesting and game-changing books that are being published.

A while back, I wrote the summary/review of Storyscaping: Stop Creating Ads, Start Creating Worlds by Gaston Legorburu and Darren McColl. Shortly after that, I turned my focus on Think Like A SheEO: Succeeding in the Age of Creators, Makers and Entrepreneurs by Vicki Saunders and MJ Ryan.

There is change in the air, and that is a good thing, because there are so many things that are broken in our world. We have to change the way we do things if we expect to succeed in the New World.

Have you read or watched?

Storyscaping: Stop Creating Ads, Start Creating Worlds by Gaston Legorburu and Darren McColl

The One Problem: Vicki Saunders, Founder SheEO

Episode 17 The One Problem: Tara Hunt, Founder Truly Inc

I met Vicki Saunders several years ago. And at the time, I thought she was a very likeable and giving person. She is always talking about radical generosity, and she not only talks it, but walks it as well. Because Vicki is someone whom I admire, I was somewhat wary about reviewing her book for my blog. She did not give me a copy of her book. I purchased it for myself at Indigo Gift and Music Store.

I have read and reviewed books, first in my newsletter, Ambeck Edge, and then here on my blog since 2004, so I would like to think that I have established trust with people, so they believe that I will write what I feel. And I know what I like, and I enjoyed Think Like A SheEO: Succeeding in the Age of Creators, Makers and Entrepreneurs. Before I delve into the book, the one criticism I have is the size of the font used. I am over 40 years old, so I would have preferred a bigger font size.

For those of you who have not heard the term SheEO before, according to Vicki Saunders,

“SheEOs are women who leverage their passions and strengths to create businesses that build new models, new mindsets, and new solutions for a better world. SheEOs discover their own path and create success on their own terms.”

Most people would love to create success on their own terms, but they are fearful for whatever reasons, which stops them dead in their tracks. And the success rate for small business does nothing to inspire confidence in most people who are looking to start a new business. But Think like a SheEO provides tools to increase the success rate.

Vicki is big on collaboration, and suggests that you work with others whose skills complement yours.

As a serial entrepreneur, based on her many years of experience running both successful and unsuccessful businesses, Vicki has distilled her experiences into eight principles, which form the basis for each chapter. In every chapter there are exercises for the reader to do. And as can be expected, the chapters build on each other.

8 SheEO Principles

1: Everything is Broken…What a Great Time to be Alive

2: Meaning is the New Money

3: You Can’t be Someone Else and Lead

4: It Doesn’t Have to be Hard

5: You Can Have What You Want

6: Follow the Energy

7: Integration is the New Balance

8: It’s a Post Hero World

There are several tools in the book that I found useful. For instance, in Principle 2, you will find detailed information on how to discover what matters to you. This so important because these days, so many people want to find meaningful work, work that matters and can have a positive impact on the world.

There is an exercise to decide your core values, how to overcome self-limiting beliefs, and how to determine the type of business that you want. In Principle 3, you learn how to find your passion, and in the chapter, the formula, MASTERY + MEANING = SUCCESS, struck me as being profound. Another section in the book that I quite liked is the Five Questions, which can be used in a variety of situations when you need clarity.

The Five Questions

1. What do you want?
2. What do you have?
3. What do you need?
4. How are you going to get it?
5. What are you going to do with it once you get it?

Answering the five questions forces you to think things through, which is important in business. And Vicki provides an example so you get a sense of what’s expected of you, and how to proceed with the exercise. For those who like to learn about new trends, there is a section called, Five Promising New Trends.

Seven Big Ideas from Think Like a SheEO

1. Learn to see opportunities where others see crisis. Give yourself permission to imagine something that hasn’t existed before.
2. It’s believed that Oscar Wilde once said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” This is at the heart of the SheEO philosophy – you need to be yourself, playing your own game to win, and to claim your authenticity. You have to live with yourself, so be yourself.
3. Look at other people’s success to learn lessons, but align them with your vision, personal values and ways of working. Keep what works in your situation and toss out the rest.
4. Working from your strengths creates excellence, otherwise, if you are working from your weaknesses, the best you can hope for is mediocrity.

5. When you go through something for the first time, you pass through a stage of not knowing, and that’s okay, because it’s the same for everyone.

6. If you want to accelerate building your network, or getting new clients, when you really connect with someone, ask them to introduce you to five people who are like them.
7. Use self-reflection to move forward. Look at what is and is not working, so you can switch gears.

Final Thoughts: Think Like a SheEO

To get the most from Think Like A SheEO: Succeeding in the Age of Creators, Makers and Entrepreneurs, you have to invest the time to work through the exercises, and in the end, you will learn how to problem solve, work through the fear that holds you back, and you will even learn how to develop a mission statement.

I think this book resonates with me because it articulates what I have thought and felt for a while now, and it gives me permission to be who I am. If you are looking for new ways to define success and meaning in your life, this book is for you!

The most accomplished people use books as problem solving tools. They carve out the time in their schedule to find solutions in the pages of a book. Let me help you to solve your own problems. Additionally, this program helps you to learn valuable career skills. Click the link MoreReads Success Blueprint Accelerator Program to buy.

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