Idea Makers: 15 Fearless Female Entrepreneurs

Gr 6-10–An entrepreneur can be defined as an innovator who creates and operates a new business, taking on most of the risks and realizing most of the rewards. This engaging book embraces this definition as it introduces readers to inspirational risk-takers. The stories are compelling and feature disappointments as well as successes; these women, who in the end would make millions of dollars and hire thousands of employees, often struggled with disapproval, insufficient funding, and initial product failure. The book is organized by the specific topics of food, health and beauty, science and technology, education, and clothing and fashion. Chapters in each section are devoted to an entrepreneur and explore her interactions with her family and friends, educational experiences, early encounters in the workforce, the inspiration for her business idea, and how she made it a reality. Each chapter includes highlighted sidebars featuring historically successful women entrepreneurs, business tips, and links to business websites and social media accounts. While these success stories are entirely those of Americans, a wide range of racial and cultural diversity is represented. The table of contents includes the entrepreneur’s name and her product, which helps with research and review. The author’s afterword challenges young readers to use hard work and passion to create their own perfect good or service for eager consumers.