Ladies Who Launch

March 19, 2007
You can do it! That's the message Colligan and Schoenfeldt, cofounders of the online networking and offline support system Women Who Launch, reinforce with this at-home version of their program. Emphasizing a more holistic approach than most business self-help titles, they take issue with some of the big tenets of M.B.A. programs, such as the need to start with business plans. Rather than step-by-step planning and checklists, they encourage would-be entrepreneurs to daydream as a way to define goals, whether it's a new business venture, changing course within a corporation or even a revitalized personal life. Along the way, they debunk commonly held misperceptions about glass ceilings and the mommy track, citing Labor Department statistics and their own extensive surveys. Offering exercises, questionnaires and additional resource lists scattered among success stories of women who have followed their advice, Colligan and Schoenfeldt urge readers to take action. Though the book appears to be written to promote membership in the authors' network, their enthusiasm for self-improvement will excite even nonjoiners into making positive changes.