Work It: Secrets for Success from the Boldest Women in Business

by Carrie Kerpen

An empowering career guide featuring bold advice from 50 high-profile
women on how to succeed in work, leadership and life

You don't have to be a #Girlboss or "lean in" to have a dream career and live a life you love.

In Work It, CEO of Likeable Media and popular podcast host Carrie Kerpen shares lessons from her career and an "advisory board" of powerful women in a wide range of industries to help women everywhere make their aspirations a reality. Packed with actionable tips and stories from the likes of Sheryl Sandberg, Aliza Licht, and Reshma Saujani, this inspiring book reveals their counterintuitive secrets for success, including:
- How and when to say "no" - whether it's a dream job that just isn't the right cultural fit or a low salary proposal, as well as when to say "yes"

- How to make your career work for you and your family rather than the other way around

- How to develop your own FAB PAB (Fabulous Personal Advisory Board) - a support network of women - rather than work with a single mentor

- The importance of talking openly about money - from job offer negotiations and cash flow management, to fundraising venture capital dollars

With advice on everything from mastering social media to navigating office politics and the seemingly impossible work/life balance, Work It arms every woman with the courage and skills to achieve success and happiness on her terms.

Genres: Business, Self Help, Nonfiction, Audiobook

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2018

Reviews

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a well-organized book. Much of the advise is also quite useful, but I think the book's lay-out is it's main selling point. It is attractively done, and it's easy to keep track of the tips, exercises, etc. that the reader may want to remember and/or refer back to. I also enjoyed the Case Studies. My copy of this book was obtained from a Goodreads giveaway and I would recommend it to any woman in the business world, especially those just entering the business workforce.

[Teresa Bruchsaler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio version; This is read by the author. Her enthusiasm is contagious. She shares stories from her interviews and summarizes at the end of each section, calling it "words of wisdom." The book has amazing stories and great insights, but it is all pre-COVID. I would love to see a follow-up on how these stories might change or adapt or even an entire new book... same premise, just new "advice" and stories to share. Her goal is to motivate women to go after their career goals while sharing how hard it is to "have it all."

[Loraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the whole, this was okay. There is some good advice in the summaries, but the stories of the various women felt very cursory . A lot of "and then she just buckled down and turned the whole company around" which leaves you feeling like you didn't get much of the story at all. It feels like the author just spoke to each interviewee for 10 minutes on the phone. I wanted more meat to these stories.

I was also pretty appalled at the author's defense and excuse of Justine Sacco's super dumb racist tweet- she was the one who tweeted, "going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just kidding, I'm white!" Kerpen uses this as an example of a youthful, foolhardy social media mistake that could haunt you later. And excuses the racism by claiming it was not racism (thanks white lady, for deeming yourself the sole arbiter) because she has black friends and family, how could it be racist?

Sorry, but white people don't get to decide what's racist. The joke punches down. At black people. And AIDS victims. It's horrible and she deserves all the backlash. But Kerpen thinks she's a lovely young lady who just said the wrong thing in the wrong place. Which says a lot about Kerpen.

Also, the use of bitmojis and a super girly font in the call-outs is pretty cringe-y. And feels really dated already, even though this book was just published.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the content, the stories and the tone throughout. I did not like the delivery vehicle though. I felt like the #hashtags and the cartoon characters diminished the incredibly powerful messages and in turn, the powerful women and their stories.

[Jody Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a very hard time getting through this book. It was more a rah-rah session than practical advice for entrepreneurs or working women. There were some interesting interviews, but focused heavily on the corporate machine. The section on how to dress was particularly bothersome for me, and feeds into the stereotypes of what women “should” do to “fit in.” I am finding more and more professional women embracing themselves and discarding the way women of the past had to comport themselves. Today, an authentically passionate woman in her career with tattoos and combat boots is taken just as seriously by me, perhaps more so, than a woman in stilettos with a fake smile.

[Estela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I appreciated the different perspectives of every woman in their business/career and all their tips. I would recommend this book to anyone. There are stories about middle aged women starting their career, teens starting theirs early on and women who didn't want to be an entrepreneur but found the right path for themselves. Anyone could see themselves in these stories and benefit from giving it a read.

[Adrienne Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very quick read — I finished it in a day because all of the stories were so captivating yet also relatable. I love how the book encourages you to Work It in a way that is both comfortable and authentic to you as an individual. The author’s confessions of introversion and how she never let that hold her back make her all the more likeable. I would recommend the book to other women as I think there are highly useful tips no matter what stage you are in your career.

[Carina Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Funny and relevant advice about succeeding in the working world, especially touching on the challenges women face. And very interesting to read about the experiences of so many successful women and how they made some of their life decisions.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally don't like books like this, but I liked this one more than I thought. This book has a great deal of practical advice for career women. The author is in marketing and I think this book would be particularly valuable for women in marketing.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just another white woman telling you how to succeed in your career. I wouldn't write it off completely- some tips were helpful here and there. But I won't really recommend it or anything, I think there are better books out there.

[Naomi Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book, read by the author. There is quite a variety of stories of real women and their journeys in the business world. A lot of great take aways that are inspiring and motivating.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have confidence is basically the message here, and the methods of how are pretty typical for these types of books. The individual stories are nice and made this feel like not a total waste but I've read most of this before in different formats.

[Alexis Guida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. Not all of it resonated with me but there were so many great tips and anecdotes. Some were emotional and others were sensible. All in all I felt there was something for every working woman at any stage in this.

[Kate Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart presentation of how 'Boldest' is a necessary component to success for women (and men) in the workplace. Thanks so much for this book!

[Neha Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! It is simple read that gives helpful and very important tips to be successful at work and home, to become a better version of yourself.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy and quick read with some good notes. Not everything was valuable to me right this second in my life/career but I can definitely see myself coming back to parts of this book over time.

[Jennifer Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good moments but largely reads like some corporate version of chicken soup for the female careerist.

[Raledaili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspiring stories from women across different fields. However there’s no storyline for the book and some of the ideas are duplicated with different versions.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerpen's Work It: Secrets for Success from the Boldest Women in Business is an interesting, entertaining, and informative read that allows one to glean a ton of information in a format that is part conversation-with-a-friend/candid mentor and, only occasionally, part workbook. The book is full of anecdotes from notable women in assorted fields with tangible lessons that are readily transferred to other professions. As one might imagine given the author's background, examples are heavy on the marketing and social media end of the business and entertainment spectrum.

Work It . . . is divided into three parts: (1) Work It Professionally, (2) Work it Passionately, and (3) Work it Practically. Among the memorable lessons I most appreciated were:
--when creating your "bench" (as I think of it), or FAB PAB (fabulous personal advisory board) as Kerpen frames it, it's always crucial to ask yourself how you can help them, too;
--that not everyone is an entrepreneur, and whether you're an entre-, intra-, or nontrepreneur, there are times and strategies for each of these things;
--that we need to trust our gut (our instincts);
--that women need to learn to brag (not in an obnoxious way) about ourselves; and
--that we need to teach girls bravery, not perfection.
That last item may be my tied for first place favorite of all of her recommendations. The second, is her observation that "When you come across a problem that 'only you' can solve, that's your ego talking. Step back and find another solution" (p. 144).

All told, this is a quick and interesting read, and I strongly recommend it.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book to help women in business. It is written by a woman who has a popular podcast and runs a social media marketing business. She interviews other successful businesswomen for her podcast, and she has assembled the stories from these women into this book to provide advice to other women. I think it is a really good book, and written in a very accessible way. There is a lot of good advice and things to think about in this book especially for the modern, internet world that we are living in.

I won this copy in one of the Goodreads giveaways.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carrie gives actionable advice and stories from "the boldest women in business" in an organized story format. Many of the stories in this book are high level and don't dive into the nitty gritty as much as I wanted but still give the end advice.

Some of my favorite advice:
-Choose wisely. Who you work for is just as important as what you do.
-Learn to love getting rejected. It helps you move on to bigger and better things.
-What key decisions would you make today if you weren't worried about looking like a bitch? Try making it.

[Cara Meiselman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in just three days. This book was relatable, relevant and full of amazing tips to help women in their careers. Whether you're a recent grad looking for your first job or a person who has an established career, there is something in here for everyone. I found myself taking lots of notes in the margins. Highly recommend!

[Mabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great women empowerment book. The real-life stories of working women who have experienced success and their challenges on the way are relatable. Carrie's tips and life lessons, I believe, are enlightening.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my full review on my Linkedin

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/book-r...

[Barry Payne]

I have not received this book yet.

[Michael]

Good morning how are you today thank you for your email address please

[Melody Liu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time reading this - stories are shallow and so are the tips. Loads unhealthy and insecure suggestions like trying all you can to desperately connect with "high-level" people yet pretending to be sincere...

Well it surely was a wasted morning for me...

[Margot Note]

"Networking shouldn't be something you do when you have extra time. It's something you have to prioritize" (23).

"Sometimes the only advisor you need to listen to is yourself" (94).

"When you abandon a traditional career path and its expectations, you open up a whole new world of possibilities" (97).

"Helping people can lead to great things as long as you're taking care of your own needs, too" (104).

"You never know who's in a room, so don't be afraid to say yes to things; opportunities can be found in the strangest of places" (104).