BNH Book Review: Tech Boss Lady

“Tech Boss Lady: How to Start-Up, Disrupt & Thrive as a Female Founder”
by Adriana Gascoigne
2019/Seal Press
$28/219 pages

From the time she was a child, Adriana Gascoigne knew that she didn’t want a nine-to-five job as an adult. Both her parents were entrepreneurs who did whatever it took to keep the family afloat, and Gascoigne pitched in after school and on weekends. For her, self-employment was natural; even so, she found herself working in a boys-network Silicon Valley office after college.

Before #MeToo was a thing, she was harassed for being a woman. Undaunted, Gascoigne persevered until she spotted a problem and created a solution, finally becoming the entrepreneur she always knew she could be. In “Tech Boss Lady: How to Start-Up, Disrupt & Thrive as a Female Founder,” she offers advice, stressing that every entrepreneur has “absolutely no fear,” which is “quickly followed by acute urgency to propel forward.” If that doesn’t describe you, says Gascoigne, then “hit the bench and sit this one out.”

Stay focused on your goals because hard work “will only get you so far.” Be willing to give other women a hand up. Know how to hire, be a leader and foster a sense of intrapreneurship in your business. Find a great mentor and be willing to ask for help if you need it but exercise caution when you think you might need a partner. Don’t let failure freak you out. And finally, watch yourself for signs of stress or burnout.

“Tech Boss Lady” isn’t bad. It’s not great, either. If you’re an entrepreneur, you already know what’s inside it. And yet, Gascoigne’s style is appealing. She’s smart and bold. She presents ideas just freshly enough to capture the attention of young businesswomen who maybe haven’t seen this information a dozen times.