Build Like a Woman: The Blueprint for Creating a Business and Life You Love

The lukewarm debut from business consultant Griffith trots out familiar advice on how women can get in touch with their “authentic self” while starting their own company. The lifestyle guidance is enthusiastic if trite. For instance, Griffith encourages resilience in the face of adversity by telling how Frida Kahlo took up painting while recovering from a near-fatal streetcar accident. The suggestions are often bogged down by hollow self-help lingo, as when Griffith urges readers to “design a life that is a total reflection of you” without elaborating on how to do so, and declares “amplification is the path to authentic power,” by which she apparently means to be confident in oneself. The guidance on setting up a business is thankfully more specific, weighing in on how to spot trends, select a business model, and market one’s company (she recommends blasting a consistent message across promotional channels for maximum effect). There are a handful of curveballs, such as the suggestion to practice salesmanship by making “outrageous asks” meant to inspire others’ admiration of one’s chutzpah, but most of the advice is overly familiar or vague. Heavy on cheerleading and light on originality, this doesn’t make much of an impression. Agent: Abby Walters, CAA. (June)