Fearless

April 26, 2021
Minkoff, cofounder of her eponymous fashion brand, debuts with an enthusiastic set of tips for succeeding as an entrepreneur. She offers 21 rules for responding to challenging situations: “give yourself permission to stop asking for permission,” for example, is a rule that allowed her to move to New York City at 18 to work in fashion while her classmates were heading off for college. “Look for the opportunities in front of you,” meanwhile, motivated her to put together a collection of “downtown cool girl” apparel as a side gig while working for an established designer, and “collab over compete” inspired her to launch the Female Founder Collective where women share resources and ideas. While the rules always come with inspiring insight into Minkoff’s life, they sometimes land as clichéd (“change is inevitable”). On balance, though, the well-grounded advice is noteworthy for what it reveals about Minkoff’s character: her serial entrepreneurship, inventiveness, sense of style, work ethic, and accomplishments come through. Minkoff convinces as an inspiring role model, and her fun, can-do attitude shines. Agent: Steve Troha, Folio Literary Management.