Many of you may have watched Netflix’s Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker which tells the story of Sarah Breedlove, a poor woman who became the first female black millionaire through her hard work and determination. She made her fortune by creating and marketing hair care and cosmetic products for black women. The series is based on the book On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A’Lelia Bundles, which is available on Overdrive/Libby.
As you get closer to honoring the role of women, as mothers, in our lives, allow yourself to get inspired by the following stories (available as ebooks) about fearless women who braved numerous challenges and fought countless odds, to ultimately set up their own successful businesses.
The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon & Sarah Zimmerman– AUDIOBOOK
The true story of a fearless young woman who not only reinvented herself as an entrepreneur to save her family but, in the face of ferocious opposition, brought hope to the lives of dozens of women in war-torn Kabul.
Geek Girl Rising: Inside the Sisterhood Shaking Up Tech by Heather Cabot– AUDIOBOOK
Introduces listeners to the fearless female entrepreneurs and technologists fighting at the grassroots level for an ownership stake in the revolution that’s changing the way we live, work and connect to each other. Listeners will meet Debbie Sterling, inventor of GoldieBlox, the first engineering toy for girls, which topples the notion that only boys can build. They’ll get a peek inside YouTube sensation Michelle Phan’s ipsy studios, where she is grooming the next generation of digital video stars while leading her own mega e-commerce beauty business.
#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso –AUDIOBOOK
Sophia Amoruso, the founder and executive chairman of Nasty Gal, a $250-million-plus 
fashion retailer with more than four hundred employees, shares how she went from dumpster diving to founding one of the fastest-growing retailers in the world.
My Journey by Donna Karan
Traces Karan’s early days as an intern at Anne Klein, the creation of her Seven Easy Pieces (which forever changed the way working women dressed), and the meteoric rise of her company.
Own It: The Power of Women at Work by Sallie Krawcheck
Here former Wall Street powerhouse-turned-entrepreneur Sallie Krawcheck draws on her experiences at the highest levels of business, both as one of the few women at the top rungs of the biggest boy’s club in the world, and as an entrepreneur, to show women how to seize this seismic shift in power to take their careers to the next level.
Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business by Barbara Corcoran- Audiobook
Barbara shares her hilarious stories about growing up, getting into trouble, failing miserably, and then starting over again. In each chapter, she comes back to one of her mom’s unconventional lessons, and how it applies in the real world of business. Whatever your calling, the homespun lessons that work for Barbara will help you use what you’ve got to create success in your life.
What It Takes: How I Built a $100 Million Business Against the Odds by Raegan Moya-Jones
Founder of global baby brand aden + anai, Raegan Moya-Jones doesn’t hold back on what it really takes to build a $100 million business from her kitchen table.
Work Wife:The Power of Female Friendship to Drive Successful Businesses by Erica Cerulo & Claire Mazur
Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur, founders of the fashion and design website Of a Kind, bring to light the unique power of female friendship to fuel successful businesses. Drawing on their own experiences, as well as the stories of other thriving “work wives,” they highlight the ways in which vulnerability, openness, and compassion—qualities central to so many women’s relationships—lend themselves to professional accomplishment and innovation.
-Archana, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian