Book Review: 100 Days of Brave by Iolanthe Gabrie
I wish I'd had this book when I started my business! Iolanthe Gabrie lays out a roadmap for getting your business going, from the mere kernel of an idea to a fully functioning business, in just 100 days, helpfully divided into trimesters, each with a different focus.
I loved how Iolanthe avoided the temptation to delve deep into the different parts of establishing a business, thereby ensuring that her book would remain relevant in the longer term. She treats her readers as capable adults in need of information and is neither condescending nor overly wordy. Her chatty style is easy to read and understand, and thankfully falls well short of the ‘hey gurl’ style that seems to be very popular at the moment and that I personally despise.
She provides advice from her own mistakes in business without going into lengthy anecdotes or off on tangents. Far from the relentless ‘here's how to do everything yourself’, she recommends where and when professional advice or services will be useful.
The discussion about copyright in particular is excellent. Iolanthe's acknowledgement of how easy it is to breach copyright in the social media era is tempered with advice on how to stay on the straight and narrow.
I also loved her practicality about what starting and running a business can mean for you personally – she talks changing friendships and well-meaning but unhelpful advice from family and suggests, not solutions (that would be a self-help book of its own), but attitudes and approaches that can be helpful in maintaining your positivity, if not your relationships.
On social media, I appreciated her distinction between 'do all the things’ and ‘you only have so much time’, although I did feel that the mention of specific platforms will age this section of the book faster than the rest. I would have preferred to see principles for working out what suits your business rather than direct recommendations.
Whether you're blowing gently on the tiny spark of an idea or fanning the flames, 100 Days of Brave will give you a solid base for a business that's both successful and legally compliant.
Review by Amanda Dickerson, copywriter and editor.
100 Days of Brave: How to launch a business you love in three months by Iolanthe Gabrie is available now.
