Birth of a Unicorn: Six Basic Steps To Success by Heather Wilde
Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc (November 11, 2020)
Category: Business: Women & Business, Entrepreneurship, Personal Finance, Self-Help/Motivational, Non-Fiction
ISBN: 978-1620063347
Available in Print 158 pages and ebook 184 pages
Description
Birth of a Unicorn: Six Basic Steps to Success is the story of what it takes to found a billion-dollar company — also known as a unicorn. It’s told from the perspective of a founding employee, and shows the years and years of emotional strain, stress and dedication that building a successful company takes — and a framework to follow if you’d like to try it yourself.
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 start-up life. What emerges is a lasting friendship, a billion-dollar company, and an understandable framework of success for you to replicate.
Guest Review by Sage Nor
Talk about the kind of book that can reach you just at the right time! ‘Birth of a Unicorn: Six Basic Steps to Success,’ by Heather Wilde is part memoir and part self-help book all about the path to success.
Heather and her husband, Leon, are two of the team members who took the note-taking app Evernote from a user base of only a few thousand users to over 200 million users worldwide. Of course, before they achieved success in the app industry, Heather and Leon struggled quite a bit with life’s ups and down.
This memoir begins in 2001, on the day that the Twin Towers fell in New York City. At this time, Leon was a pilot and he just happened to be scheduled to fly over the Towers at the exact time that they were hit. Luckily, Leon’s plane was grounded that morning, and he was unhurt, but the terror and anxiety that Heather experienced that day stuck with her for a long time, and she began suffering from depression as a result. What followed after were years of uncertainty and difficultly finding her footing in the tech business world.
Eventually, Wilde and her husband decided to give up their life in Boston in order to move to Mexico where they lived on a sailboat so that they could work on Evernote with their team.
Wilde’s writing is poignant and expressive without getting bogged down in the overly detailed anecdotes that some memoirs seem to rely on. Her expressive writing about anxiety and depression were especially moving and something that I think a lot of people can identify with. There were so many passages in this book I had to highlight so that I would remember them. Give ‘Birth Of A Unicorn’ a try, I promise you won’t regret it!
About the Author
Heather Wilde was the eighth employee of Evernote, where she oversaw the company’s growth from thousands to 100 million customers. She has published popular games, trained Fortune 500 brands, advised hundreds of start-ups, and managed some major non-profit programs. At her non-profit, Serenze Global, and as a fractional CTO through her company ROCeteer, her award-winning work keeps the Unicorn Whisperer constantly traveling across the globe to find the next unicorn.
Website: https://heathriel.com/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/heathriel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heathriel
IMDB: https://imdb.com/name/nm7705219/
Giveaway
This giveaway is open worldwide for print or eBook and ends on May 22, 2021,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
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More Praise for Birth of a Unicorn
“Among her significant accomplishments is her work at Evernote, a note-taking app that Heather built from a couple of thousand users to in excess of 225 million users, making Evernote the world’s most used note-taking app. It is that journey that this book shares – and from that well-related story the steps toward creating a startup company as well as guidance for ways to make an impact by positive changing life to embrace personal passions and purpose. While those words may seem like PR humbug, reading this superb book will convince every reader of their validity.
Exploring each of Heather’s six needs opens the door to inspirational changes in attitude and vision and success. Proffered in one of the most supportive guides available today, this book is not only a fine guide for us all: it also makes the perfect gift for young people on the verge of discovering life’s possibilities! Highly recommended.”-Grady Harp, Hall of Fame & Top 500 Reviewer-Amazon
“Heather Wilde’s book is creative and compelling and the writing captures the excitement of taking an idea and making it a reality. At times this book is so riveting – you can’t wait to find out what happens next.
What may surprise you is how much you learn about other cultures. Heather and her husband lived on a sailboat in Mexico for much of the time they worked remotely for Evernote. They also hired employees in India.
Some of the highlights of the book are the stories about their Bengal cat who played a role in their happiness and survival. You will laugh with amusement when you read about this cat’s influence in difficult circumstances.
The tales of food adventures inspired some of my cooking. When I read about the fries drenched in chicken drippings, I just had to make some roast potatoes. I even created a new chicken dish with what I had in the refrigerator. This made my husband happy!
What did amaze me was how my questions at the start were answered later in the book. How do you get an internet connection while on a boat? Where do you charge a laptop or a phone when sailing around? Heather Wilde is a brilliant, resourceful woman who learns major life lessons from all her experiences. Her writing is warm and honest.
I think you will enjoy this book and take away important points for further reflection. The thing I learned most from the book is not to make anyone else responsible for your happiness.”- The Rebecca Review, Top 500 Reviewer & Vine Voice-Amazon
“When I decide to read a book, I generally have some expectations about what I will gain from reading it. If you are like me, I urge you to set aside your expectations about Birth of a Unicorn – Six Basic Steps to Success by author Heather Wilde.
Instead of the book focusing on the growing pains of Evernote, the author focuses on her own personal journey with Evernote. Ms. Wilde opens up completely about some of the innermost portions of her life – personal and business – sharing the ups and downs, the good and bad. You will get to know some deeply personal aspect of her life.
The story she tells is interesting and entertaining. You can feel her emotions, her happiness and frustration. One trait which was prominent throughout the book was her commitment to excellence. If you plan to build a business from the ground up, you need to be fully committed. You need emotional flexibility and resilience.
The interior design is well done, making it an easy read. The cover design is creative, capturing the concept of a big new idea brilliantly. And the final nice touch is a bookmarker with the “Unicorn Horn/Lightbulb.” Interesting and insightful, more about the personal qualities necessary for success than a story about Evernote.”- John Chancellor, Top 1000 Hall of Fame, Vine Voice
“A personal, honest and engaging account of being a founding employee of a “tech unicorn” and a fascinating insight into remote working.”-Beck Nickolls, reedsy.com
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