Writing and editing my book, Birthing the Elephant: the woman’s go-for-it! guide to overcoming the big challenges of launching a business, was a labor of love. It took a year to finish. Part portable success coach, part action guide, Birthing the Elephant takes aspiring women entrepreneurs step by step through the first 22 months of a start-up, showing them smart moves to make and pitfalls to avoid.

In the book, we had wonderful interviews from successful entrepreneurs and I felt passionate about getting it out into the world and making the book a success.
But when it came to finding a high-profile endorser for the book cover, we hit a major roadblock. We tried the co-founder of eBay, but she was about to resign to launch a political career. We tried the co-founder of Zipcar, but she had left the company. Finally, our publisher suggested Jessica McClintock. She was a self-made entrepreneur with a thriving design empire — and she’d had her ups and downs along the way. She was perfect!

I found her phone number and called. Voice mail, of course. I left my name and a message. No response. I waited a few days and left a second message on voice mail. Nothing. On Thanksgiving Eve, I don’t know why, but I got a strong feeling that I should call again. I picked up the phone. Bingo! Jessica was working alone in her office. I told her my book was written to help aspiring entrepreneurs pursue their dreams. She listened, then said that she didn’t usually endorse things, but if I sent her some information, she would take a look.

I Fedexed a package right out for Saturday delivery to Jessica’s home, as she requested. But it was a holiday weekend. Would she take the time to look it over? I soon had my answer. That Monday when I listened to my voice mail, I was greeted by a fabulous quote from Jessica! To this day, I wonder what compelled me to call on Thanksgiving Eve. But it reminded me that with passion and persistence, we can always find a path to our dreams.