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Killing It

An Entrepreneur's Guide to Keeping Your Head Without Losing Your Heart

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

The former CEO of Clif Bar, Co-founder of Plum, and serial entrepreneur offers insights about launching and growing a business while maintaining a fulfilled life in this practical guide filled with hard-won advice culled from the author's own sometimes dark, raw experiences. With a foreword by Steve Blank.

Aspiring entrepreneurs are told that to launch a business, you must go all in, devoting every resource and moment to making it work. But following this advice comes at an enormous personal cost: divorce, addiction, even suicide. It means sacrificing the intangibles that make life worth living.

Sheryl O'Loughlin knows there is a better way. In Killing It, she shares the wisdom she's gained from her successful experiences launching a company from the ground up (Plum), running two fast-growing companies (Clif Bar and REBBL), and mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs (Stanford University). She tells it like it is: If you don't invest in your wellbeing, your business will not succeed, nor will you.

Sheryl knows firsthand the difficulty of balancing the needs of her growing family with her physical and mental health, while managing other work and life challenges. In this warm, honest, and wise handbook, she gives you the essentials for killing it in business—without killing the rest of your life.

Filled with real-life examples and anecdotes, Killing It addresses common questions including:

  • How do you prepare your significant other for your business venture?
  • How do you time launching and growing your business with the ebb and flow of family life?
  • How do you find joy in the day-to-day?
  • How do you maintain meaningful, supportive friendships?
  • How do you walk away and start again?
  • The ultimate life and business course, Killing It gives entrepreneurs the tools they need to start their enterprise and thrive—both in the office and at home.

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      • AudioFile Magazine
        Cassandra Campbell narrates this personal business lesson with a dramatic flair that supports the author's message without calling attention to her own outsized talent. At once sultry and focused, her vocal approach will help listeners hear this as the type of wisdom we all seek from our teachers and mentors. The author, a principal at several mission-oriented companies, says that entrepreneurs are part of a tribe--people with an unstoppable drive to bring good companies into the world. They're authentic and generous with their employees, partners, and investors but often neglect their own emotional and physical well-being. Highlighted by candid stories of the author's own struggles, this memorable lesson is full of intuitive advice from a business leader who's clearly learned how to keep her head on straight while being at the center of a growing enterprise. T.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
      • Library Journal

        January 1, 2017

        O'Loughlin (cofounder, Plum Organics; former executive director, Ctr. for Entrepreneurial Studies, Stanford Graduate Sch. of Business) shares her experiences and expertise as an entrepreneur. This book is divided into two parts: "Getting Ready--What You Really Need To Know" and "Doing the Work." The first section includes chapters on how to balance running a business with one's personal life--how it impacts marriage, family, and friendships. O'Loughlin also addresses working effectively with partners and coworkers. She candidly addresses the "dark side" of entrepreneurship that she experienced, including anorexia, issues in family life (hardships as a result of time spent away from family), and negative comments she experienced from friends. In the second part, O'Loughlin discusses the nitty gritty of starting and running a business and how to know when to walk away from an entrepreneurial venture. She also covers elements of entrepreneurship such as risks, financing and obtaining start-up funds, effective decision making, and dealing with stress. VERDICT A thought-provoking and honest work by a successful entrepreneur with insights into the realities and issues of starting and running a business. Highly recommended.--Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Queens, NY

        Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • Booklist

        Starred review from December 1, 2016
        Business school prepares you for business, not your personal life. This book prepares readers to live a fulfilling life while creating a business from the ground up. O'Loughlin, former CEO of Clif Bar and cofounder of Plum Organics, uses personal insights to let readers see first-hand why investing in yourself is key to your success. Having worked through a serious eating disorder and near bankruptcy during her pursuits, she understands the personal and professional stresses of building a business. Her advice tackles the soft side of a start-up, such as preparing your significant other and your family for your business venture, maintaining supportive friendships, knowing when to walk away. Sprinkled throughout are self-awareness tips, such as recognizing your risk tolerance and the types of people who will challenge or define it. She also details the makeup of entrepreneurs (e.g., compulsive but with a strong sense of completion, anxious, hypomanic) revealed by scientific studies. In explaining this background and the risks of tunnel vision, O'Loughlin advises focusing on awareness and emotional well-being rather than success and money. Ultimately, you are your most valuable resource, and her keen insights here culminate in a blueprint for a self-preserving path to success.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

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