Erin Albert's Blog

Question: What do the following businesses share in common?

-TOMS shoes
-Zappos.com
-lilly lane flowers
-K Sherrie + Company Planning Atelier
-GoodGuide
-Cupcake

Give up?

Answer: They were each included in my entrepreneurship lecture today at Butler COPHS.

In the construct of social business (having business that figures out there’s more to life than just profit), I talked about GoodGuide (as a company that does nothing but rate other companies on social and community impact), TOMS shoes (about the One for OneTM program (while subtly extolling my underground secret crush on Blake Mycoskie), Cupcake (as a company that gives parties back to deserving groups, and educating on good nutrition habits) and lastly lilly lane flowers – who only purchases flowers if they’re already under contract (hence, no waste, and green).

K Sherrie and lilly lane also came in at giving true, honest to goodness Butler University college graduates out there in the real world, running real businesses (one as a COPHS grad, the other as a LAS grad).  They were also in the last book with Cupcake.

All I can say is: WOW!  Every year I give my students an entrepreneur quiz to find out who in the class might truly have the impetus to start a business–and this year, I was pleasantly surprised (OK, shocked) to see all the paws that went up when I asked about the highest category for likelihood of entrepreneurship.  That. Is. Awesome!

Here’s why: our country is going save itself by getting back to that scrappy, boot-strapping entrepreneurial passion that we once had.  And by watching my students today, I was feeling a little more at ease (i.e. less desperate) about the fate of this country in the years to come.

We’ve got those willing – now we just need to educate them and enable them to become the very best entrepreneurs they can be.  I’m glad to feel not-quite-so-desperate about this country after today’s lecture. Maybe we’re not so desperate after all.

(And Blake – if you’re reading this, I also showed the students this video about a one day without shoes, coming up April 5, 2011 as you know. Hopefully they will go without for the day!)

Big time reviews out this week and recently on the new book!  Thanks to:

Dan Pink – his blog has a good review of 14 points of advice from our SWEs.

Adriana Gardella – reporter/blogger at the NY Times – her review of several new books on entrepreneurship!

And the classic from Jeff Cornwall - blogger/professor at the Entrepreneurial Mind.

Congrats to the women and their businesses in the book!

So, tonight, got the first batch of books for Single. Women. Entrepreneurs.  YAY!  I always love tearing open the first box of books – it is truly a super cool moment in the life of a writer.

And, I decked out the book launch kits tonight for the ladies IN the book (they each get a copy) but I also sent a couple of copies out into the universe to some of my personal ladies of page 265.

What’s on page 265, you might ask?  Well, you’re just going to have to read the book and find out.  But there’s some pretty big names on my own personal list of women on page 265…if you ever want to know who they are, just ask.

Thanks to NAWBO National for featuring this book in their online publication to all their members this week, Focus!  I’ve been trying to pare down my organizations this year, because I don’t have time for them.  However, NAWBO is one of the last I’d ever let go.  Why?  Simply because they HELP other women who dare to start businesses.  It’s gutsy and takes moxy to start and run a business, and NAWBO gets it!

Last but not least, one of the youngest single women entrepreneurs in the book, Becky Ruby of lilly lane flowers was kind enough to post her thoughts on being part of the book on her own blog, which you can read here. Don’t let her fool you, either.  She knows what she’s doing.  I think ALL the women in the book know what they’re doing, except maybe for the author of it.  (Yes, moi.)

But that’s OK.  That’s part of the writing experience for me.  I get to learn and then share my learning with the world.  That’s a personal mark of success to me – being able to have the ability to learn and share, and I’m so EXCITED to host this book launch party and bring these amazing women together.  It will truly be a once in a lifetime event!

If you read the book and get to page 265, I’d be curious to know who your own women are of the page. Shoot me an email and let me know!