Soul Proprietor: 101 Lessons from a Lifestyle Entrepreneur

by Jane Pollak

Art teacher Jane Pollak’s career shot to a new level when she was invited to the White House to decorate an egg for the annual Easter Egg Roll. Not long after, this wife and mother was running a full-blown home business, speaking internationally, and appearing on television. A primer on the daily lessons that business ownership teaches, this book explores how to maintain a balanced and joyful life while striking out on an entrepreneurial mission. Ultimately, Pollak’s story illustrates that structuring a business to reflect personal values is the true key to success.

Genres: Business

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2001

About the author

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Pollak inherited the "city gene" from her New York City-native parents. When she was five, they returned the family to Westchester County, where Pollak grew up. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a BA in studio art and theatre and an MA in art education from Columbia University Teachers College. Her first book, Decorating Eggs: Exquisite Designs with Wax & Dye, was recently republished by Schiffer Publishing. Her second book, Soul Proprietor: 101 Lessons from a Lifestyle Entrepreneur (Crossing Press, 2001), shares what she learned as a home-based business owner who successfully turned her passion into a thriving company. When Pollak's marriage ended in 2011, she moved back to Manhattan. She has three grown children and three grandchildren.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such an inspiration! Full of wise lessons for an entrepreneur, especially creatives. I loved it-- I will be keeping it close at hand to dip back into whenever I need a boost and a reminder of all that can be done to make things happen in a soul(ful) small business.

[Elizabeth Cottrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is outstanding, but it's for a targeted market: entrepreneurs (especially women) who have or want to turn their passion or hobby into a business in a way that is both professional and fulfilling. This is a new edition that includes an excellent resource section.

The book consists of 101 "Lessons" about running and succeeding in business. Topics range from aligning our course with your purpose, taking risks, implementing strategies and systems, relationship building, self-care, handling setbacks, and much more. It is based on Jane Pollak's own story of making a business out of her craft of decorating eggs...from the patronizing attitude of some friends and family to let her do her "little hobby" to its escalation to a new level when she was invited to the White House to decorate an egg for the annual Easter Egg Roll. This led to orders from prestigious retail outlets to international speaking engagements, TV appearances, and a satisfying business and life of which she had previously only dreamed.

The lessons were brutally honest, very real, and a couple of them brought me to tears because they resonated so closely with my own experiences in which I thought I was all alone. Far too many books for entrepreneurs paint pictures of easy success, fast wealth, and fairy tale satisfaction. Reading Jane's book was like sitting across the table from a trusted friend. To quote the publisher: "Ultimately, Pollak's story illustrates that structuring a business to reflect personal values is the true key to success."

This book is not going to tell you how to do everything you need, and it is likely to be more help to a budding entrepreneur than to a seasoned business person. But it is loaded with practical advice, helpful wisdom, and effective encouragement. Jane's heart for elevating others the way she was helped along the way is palpable, and it belongs on the bookshelf of any woman calling herself an entrepreneur.

I was particularly impressed with the Foreword from Jane's grown daughter Lindsey Pollak, whose admiration for her mother and new appreciation for all her mother has accomplished were very heartwarming.

[Madelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-reading it as it applies to what I'm doing now. Nice book.

[Rick Decorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for any entrepreneur. Although her business deals in crafts the lessons contained in this book can be applied to any business.