Book Review by Jas – Birth of a Unicorn: Six Basic Steps to Success by Heather Wilde

Birth of a Unicorn: Six Basic Steps to Success by Heather Wilde

Blurb:

Have you ever dreamed about creating your own company? Have you wondered what it takes to make it to that elite, inner circle of the “Unicorn Club”?

In this book, you’ll find the true story behind one of Silicon Valley’s famous companies on its rise to the top. Peek behind the curtain as you see the highs and lows from an insider perspective, on the roller coaster that is the startup life. What emerges is a lasting friendship, a billion-dollar company, and an understandable framework of success for you to replicate.

You’ll learn:
● How to find the balance between your career and personal life.
● Why emotional awareness and critical thinking are as important as specialized knowledge.
● How to identify the real skills you need to build a “Unicorn” team.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Heather, along with her husband, was one of Evernote’s first employees. Heather, unlike other self-help writers who have built successful businesses in Silicon Valley, shows us the reality of building a Fortune 500 company, which includes the strain it can cause on relationships, health, and emotions. Heather walks down memory lane to the time where she and her husband worked hard with the other founders of Evernote, how the workload brought them together but also separated each other. Heather also came to a point where she had to prioritize her marriage amidst the increasing workload and how as a couple, she managed to do it. The challenge doesn’t stop just there, as she had to deal with fatigue and sleep deprivation.

The core of her coaching methods rests on six basic needs for humanity: uncertainty, significance, love/connection, growth, contribution, and certainty. I love how she placed an emphasis on love and connection because, without these two elements, life gets very meaningless. I also think that as entrepreneurs embrace greater challenges, they often forgo their health, family, and friends, which are the very reasons why they started working hard in the first place.

Some of the marketing efforts she made can serve as inspiration for anyone having small businesses and I feel that her opinions are honest and they come from a place to help people.

The formatting of the book was a little confusing and the headings were all over the place, which made it confusing. The narration sometimes gets a little repetitive, especially surrounding the relationship with her husband however, this is a worthwhile read.

Book Review: Little Johnny Goes to the Fair (Little Johnny Series) by Dr. Samuel E. Sanchez

Author Interview – Samuel E. Sanchez | Your Health Journal
Little Johnny Goes to the Fair

Blurb:

Little Johnny, and family, visit the Maricopa County Fair.  While at the fair they meet Mr Farnsworth, the fair’s owner, and Mr. Ybanez, the fair’s director.  During thier time at the fair, Mr. Ybanez share the story of the “Good Samaritan”.  This story changes their lives forever. 

Come one, come all and see how it changed their lives. 

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This is a short book for children, mainly Christians, around 12 years old as the story is a little long but with a great message underlying it. The book consists of about 46 pages and it can be finished in one sitting. However, it would be great if parents accompany the reading to explain what the story is all about to them. The book is about twins, Little Johnny and his twin sister who live a happy life with their parents. Little Johnny wants to go the County Fair but his parents requested the twins to help with house chores and feeding the horses. The kids happily abided to their parents’ request and soon, they were on their way to the Fair. Upon arriving at the Fair, they learnt that they had a surprise from the fair’s owner. The fair director also shared a story with them on how Christian families should not practise double standards and treat everyone equally regardless of their race and religion.