What It Takes: How I Built a $100 Million Business Against the Odds

Moya-Jones, founder of baby swaddle empire Aden + Anais, delivers a feisty but slim primer on entrepreneurship. The majority of the book is devoted to her story, organized into chapters illustrating her advice—which unfortunately proves far from revelatory. A onetime sales executive, Moya-Jones found herself unfulfilled and unchallenged at work, so she began designing colorful muslin swaddling blankets that were a staple in her native Australia, but were unfindable in the U.S. She left her day job after Aden + Anais surpassed $1 million in revenue, and has since seen the company take in over $100 million. Taking a more general view, Moya-Jones observes that increasing numbers of women want to start businesses due to the obstacles they’ve encountered in the corporate world, namely few opportunities for advancement, limited flexibility, and outright bias. For all her abundant success, readers may find Moya-Jones modest to a fault; she writes that, while there’s no magic formula for success, if she can do it, anyone can. However, her tips—variously concerned with conquering doubt, managing risk, balancing family and work obligations, leading a team, and trusting one’s intuition—aren’t anything new. The resulting book is an easy pass for fans of business guides. (May)