Love At First Business

A powerful New York executive, Tasia Malakasis (pictured) moves back home to Alabama (11 years ago) to start her dream business:  Fromagerie Belle Chevre where she now crafts award-winning goat cheeses.

Her key advice:

"Entrepreneurship takes a certain personality. Don't tackle something unless it makes you feel alive every day." ~ Tasia Malakasis

Learn more about her escape from Corporate America to following her passion here.

Photo credit here.

Life's Short: Start a Business

The Pied Piper of the Blogging World

That's what I have been called by my savvy sister Te-Erika over at My Savvy Sisters -- an online magazine dedicated to providing resources, inspiration and guidance to women that will empower them to survive and thrive in life.

Te-Erika asks me:

"What are the top 3 reasons women won’t plan their Escape From Corporate America?"

Read the interview here to find out why many women don't leave Corporate America:

Savvy Blogger We Love - Laurel Delaney (Escape From Corporate America)

What a thrill to be featured. A big thank you to Te-Erika Patterson, inspirational journalist and author, for making this interview happen.

Finding Strength to Persevere

Securing Financing Is Critical To Any Business

There is a big gap when it comes to finding financing between female and male entrepreneurs.  Female entrepreneurs usually have to provide lenders with more documentation – such as personal financial statements, appraisals of assets and cash flow projections – than male entrepreneurs.

Do you think it is primarily a "female" issue?  Weigh in if you have the time.

In the meantime, read a good article about it here.

How Not to Be Afraid of Failure

Bluster or Blowhard?

Another thought-provoking piece by Karen E. Klein and published by Bloomberg Businessweek:

Must Women Entrepreneurs Learn to Bluster?

Truth be it, I had to look up the word to figure out what it meant in the context in which it was being used because I only thought of bluster as "a fierce wind blowing!"  But take a look at the definition above, especially how the two examples referenced are from "men."  And don't miss the word "blowhard" either because they might be interchangeable.

Great article by Karen -- definitely worth a read -- and how refreshing to catch Camile Alcasid's insights:

Camille Alcasid, a software engineer who runs Santa Monica, Calif., new media consultancy Westside Websites, says she routinely experiences the double standard. "Men can get away with bluster because it is more accepted or expected in society and in the workforce, while bluster is sometimes confused as noise when not properly executed or received," she says. Working in a male-dominated field, she says, "I've come to learn some of the tricks men do to cover up for what they don't know and how they expose or conceal their flaws and strengths, depending on the situation."

Ladies ... What do you think?  Can you muster up the bluster?  Or should you bother?

Illustration credit:  Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, Escape From Corporate America blog

Jam'n to Her Own Business

Learn how Dafna Kory (pictured) spends nine months of the year working full-time on her budding food business (INNA jam is the name of her company/blog here), and supplements her income the other three months with editing gigs.

You can get to where you need to go -- starting and running a profitable business -- with baby steps.

See how she's doing it here.

Photo credit: Dafna Kory website

Animate Out of the Gate with Your Business: Here's How

These wonderful user-friendly animation tools make it easy to set your business apart from others by expressing yourself in a distinctive, fun-loving way.  Check them out and see how you can use them to bring positive attention to your business.

1. GoAnimate
2. Animasher
3. Xtranormal

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  The official Escape From Corporate America blog

From Superdoglover to Superentrepreneur to Supercollar®

Jane Angelich, CEO of supercollar®, has two passions:  her dogs and her business.  She invented a product, supercollar® (pictured above), that satisfies both her passions and at the same time fulfills the needs of her customers who are dog lovers too.  And to accomplish this she just happened to leave corporate America at the age of 39.

Jane got her big idea one day when noticing her fireman husband's utility belt. Firemen need to carry a lot of tools around their waist and do so by having them attach to a retractable belt —the tools can be pulled, used, let go, retracted, and returned to their spot quickly.

Learn how you too can get a new, entrepreneurial leash on life (pardon the pun) -- just like Jane did -- by reading USA Today columnist Steve Strauss's five tips on how to do it here.

Illustration credit here.

Astia Propels Women Entrepreneurs

A resource you should know about:  Astia (www.astia.com).

Sharon Vosmek (pictured-right), is CEO of Astia, a global not-for-profit organization that propels women's full participation as entrepreneurs and leaders in high-growth businesses, fueling innovation and driving economic growth.  "Women are a part of the economy that if tapped for their full potential and abilities, could provide us the economic recovery we seek," says Vosmek.

According to research conducted by Babson College, 'if women entrepreneurs in the U.S. started with the same capital as male entrepreneurs, they would add a whopping 6 million jobs to the economy within five years -- 2 million of those in the first year alone.'

Source:  No. 14

Astia blog

Photo credit Flickr.

Posted by:  the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Do It Your Way: Create Your Own Business

 _______________________________________________________

In creating a business of your own, don't look back.  Only focus on making the best of your brilliant idea.

Having said that, let's re-visit an old article that is still relevant and timely for today's business climate, especially for those who are looking at leaving corporate America to start their own business.

She Did It Her Way

Now, I ask you this:  How are you doing it your way?

I welcome hearing from you.

Graphic source here.

Posted by the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Alicia Morga, Look No Further: Women Entrepreneurs Can Be Found Right Here!

Hi, Alicia,

In response to your commentary, "Where Are the Women Entrepreneurs?," over at the Huffington Post, you can find women entrepreneurs right here and at the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO)!  You and VCs just need to look harder.

Thanks for your interest.

Best,
Laurel Delaney

Illustration credit here.
Note:  Full disclosure:  I serve as the Chicago Chapter Chair for WPO.

Women Entrepreneurs Bolster Growth For Economy

Jackie Taylor (pictured) and her colleagues at the Michigan Women’s Foundation hope to help women entrepreneurs bolster growth for the economy.

MWF recently launched the Women’s Angel Fund, a revolving loan fund that will provide early-stage support for women-owned businesses and disadvantaged women who are starting or growing businesses in urban areas.

Learn more here.

How To Go After Grants

Guts and Gumption Fuels Economy

Entrepreneurs are the force that will keep our economy moving forward and women entrepreneurs in particular will have a significant impact on our economy.

Read more:

Small Business Owners: Will 2011 Bring Our Mojo Back?

Women Business Owners Help Overall Economic Prosperity

Whether you are interested in starting a business in the United States or as in this case, Pakistan, working women face difficulties.

As a result, the Dawood Capital Management Limited (DCML) in collaboration with the British Deputy High Commission announced the launching of a special fund -- LadiesFund -- catering to the saving and investment needs of women in Pakistan.

The initiative comes as studies show that women are much better savers than men and can help in overall economic prosperity if allowed to start small businesses

Read more here

Illustration credit here.

Take a Blank Canvas Approach to Your New Business

This is a fantastic interview with Tere Blanca, commercial real estate executive and entrepreneur.  She left Cushman & Wakefield in 2009 to start her own brokerage and advisory firm Blanca Commercial Real Estate. 

Blanca shares her insights on the real estate industry and what it takes to launch a business successfully.  There are wonderful gems of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs within this interview.  You just have to look for them!

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit here.

Happy 2011 Escape From Corporate America Fans, Colleagues and Friends!

May this be your best year ever.  Start that business.  Set realistic goals.  Attain a few.  Finish what you start.  Grow.  Be happy!

Best wishes for a successful 2011!

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Happy Holidays From Escape From Corporate America: Indulge and Enjoy

Wishing you all the happiest of holidays and joy (success) throughout the new year.

Photo credit:  Laurel Delaney, downtown Chicago, retail window dressing

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, Escape From Corporate America

Are you a Chic CEO?

There's a new website in town:  CHIC CEO.  It is designed give female entrepreneurs the how-to information they need to get started in launching a business.

Chic CEO (http://www.chic-ceo.com) believes that women should have the business knowledge and support they need right at their polished fingertips. They need easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement instruction in its most basic form. By providing this valuable information, Chic CEO hopes to eliminate the guesswork for women trying to start businesses.

Learn more here.

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  Escape From Corporate America blog (established 2004)

Start a Business Part-Time or Full-Time?

Starting a business can be awfully scary from the standpoint of answering these two critical questions:  How will I make money?  What happens if I don't?

Oftentimes, to minimize risks, people start a business gradually -- with one foot in the new business and the other in a full time job that offers a steady stream of income.

Yet, the part-time path also comes with its own set of challenges.  Here's a look at why.

Starting a Part-Time Vs. Full-Time Business

Where Is The Highest Percentage of Women-Owned Businesses in the Nation?

Maryland and the District of Columbia have the highest percentages of women-owned businesses in the nation.

Women in D.C. own more than 34 percent of businesses, ranking first, according to newly released 2007 Census Bureau figures. Following the District, Maryland women own more than 32 percent of businesses, placing second, according to the 2002 census. Virginia came in 10th, at 30 percent, with the entire region trumping the nation's 29 percent rate.

Read more here to learn why this is happening.

Start Small, Work Hard

Two Westport female entrepreneurs are celebrating their thirty-second anniversary at the locations where they started, Top Drawer on the Post Road and Pathfinders Travel on Riverside Avenue.

Two local women, Janet Bangser at Pathfinders and Joan Rotman at Top Drawer, find themselves in this happy position.  Conversations with both tend to indicate three fundamental ingredients to success.  There is always the so-called X factor but basically for these women it came down to a familiarity with the business going in, an affinity for detail, a pretty good idea of their customer base, and service, service, service.

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit:  Pathfinders Travel

Next Step In Life: Launch a Business

The president of the Women’s National Basketball Association, Donna Orender (pictured), resigned to launch an independent marketing company named Orender Unlimited.

After five years ...

“It was simply time for me to take this step in my life,” Orender said in the statement. “My work on behalf of women and girls around the world will only deepen as will my ongoing engagement in sports.” 

Learn more here.

Photo credit here.

Quit Working For Someone Else and Start a Business

Two women in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, U.S.A. are sharing their experiences after starting their own small businesses.

For both Stephany Christensen (photographer) and Kelli Fry (massage therapy business), they are not only the owners and boss, they are the only employees.  The two women are just some of the millions of Americans who own their own business.

Read more about this here.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Enjoy the day and be grateful for the abundance in your life.  Get inspired ... check out "I'm thankful for ..." -- hat tip to Bob Marovich at The Black Gospel Blog for turning me on to the piece.

And thank you for your readership!  It means the world to me.

Charming Bellabeads 925

Dina Amico- Kriescher, is the founder and CEO of Bellabeads 925, a stylish new line of customized charm bracelets (pictured) that sells through home parties.

Bellabeads 925 now has over 2,000 consultants throughout the country and is growing rapidly. Bellabeads 925 Charm Consultants are business women who strive to be their own bosses, and many are moms realizing the dream of a happy work/life balance- thanks to the direct sales industry.

Bellabeads Charming Story

While traveling through Europe with her family, founder Dina Amico-Kriescher was looking for a way to bring a touch of the old world charm home. Inspired by the beauty of the Italian glass, and high quality jewelry she found in quaint seaside villages throughout Italy, she instantly fell in love with the custom charm jewelry and brought back a unique collection to share with family and friends. Her intrigue for the concept and natural entrepreneurial spirit soon gave birth to Bellabeads 925, making jewelry design a party!

Bellabeads 925 is part of the Noah’s Ark Animal Workshop Corporation founded by Amico-Kriescher in 2004, and is a family-owned, US-based company headquartered in the Chicago suburbs with distribution globally. Bellabeads 925 jewelry is sold through independent Charm Consultants within the direct-sales format throughout the US and Canada.

Learn more here.

How Cloud Computing Works

As you contemplate starting a business or if you currently run one, cloud computing will be a serious consideration to grow your business.

Here you can learn everything there is to know about cloud computing in one clean swoop.

Why Cloud Computing Will Change the Way We Work

Photo credit: Laurel Delaney, for the Escape From Corporate America blog

Want Access to Capital? Get a Male Partner.

Natalie Macneil writes "Women Entrepreneurs:  Does Your Business Need a Man?" for Forbes.

Read it and let me know what you think.

Why Laurie Johnson Quit Her Corporate Gig to Tap Dance

Laurie Johnson (above tap dancing in video -- love the shoes and adore her talent) had it all:

A six figure income, a flashy new car, full health benefits, company travel and dining expenses and many other perks. I was good at my job, got along well with colleagues and knew I could move up in the company. Everything was picture perfect on the outside, but on the inside I was dying a slow, miserable death.

Read her story here.

See all her wonderful tap-dancing videos here.

Keep on dancing Laurie!

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney for the Escape From Corporate America blog

More Tools for Your Entrepreneurship Toolbox

From business tools to expert insights, find simple ways to manage your cash flow and streamline everyday operations.  It's all brought to you by Yahoo! Small Business and sponsored by OPEN from American Express.

Go here to get your Business Solution tool.

Note:  The interview featuring Richard Branson cracks me up because I never hear the interviewer, Seth Godin, say one word or ask one question!  Branson discusses -- all in one long breath -- how there is no difference between an artist and an entrepreneur (totally agree).  

Pictured:  Diane Von Furstenberg who is featured on the Business Solution site.

Photo credit here.

A World Where Women Are the Dominant Force

Lots of good things cooking over at Intuit on the topic we are so passionate about:  women.  When you have time, be sure to check out the following:

1. Read the press release:  Intuit Empowers the 'She-conomy' at The Women's Conference 2010 
2. Visit She-conomy for tips on starting and running your own business.
3. Join the conversation at Intuit's Women's Resource Center
4. Review the latest research report:  The Intuit 2020 Report

Bottom line:  You matter ladies! 

Illustration credit:  Intuit Small Business Blog

Ms. Burch Supports Women Entrepreneurs

We wrote about Tory Burch September 28, 2009 and her great sense of entrepreneurial style here.  Now she's launched the Tory Burch Foundation with the goal of economically empowering women.

With Accion USA, our microlending partner, we provide women with the financial support they need to start and grow businesses through microfinance. The average loan is $8,000 and creates or saves 2.4 jobs.

Read all about it here.

Illustration credit here.

Glass Ceiling Not An Obstacle?

According to "Glass ceiling not the obstacle it was" by Joyce Lobeck, provided you operate with resourcefulness, perseverance and downright stubbornness, there is less of a barrier in the workplace.  She goes on further to state:

Over the last several years, the number of women business owners in the U.S. has increased significantly, doubling from 5 million to 10 million between 1992 and 2006, she said.

“Without a doubt, women have been very courageous and entrepreneurial in charting their own destiny,” Davis said.

The question is:  If there is less of a barrier in Corporate America for women, why are so many turning to business ownership?

Read the article here.

Climb Your Way to the Top

Laura Schwartz (pictured) has written a nifty little book, "Eat, Drink and Succeed."

Background:

Laura Schwartz was 19 when she arrived at the White House in January of 1993.  With no political connections, she landed a volunteer position answering phones in the press office.  But that was just the beginning.  She climbed her way up the ranks of the Clinton Administration, as the Midwest Press Secretary, Director of Television and ultimately, Director of Events, where she produced the President's event on the world stage.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  She's now running her own business:  White House Strategies.

If you wish to kick up your business and your life a notch, this is a must-read book.  Congrats to Laura on her achievements.  We are very proud of her.

Wake Up, World! Change Your Attitude About Women Entrepreneurs

As it applies to Bangladesh or anywhere in the world for that matter:

Social attitude towards the operation of women entrepreneurs needs to be changed. Sometimes rigid social norms, values and attitude act as a barrier to rural women entrepreneurship development. 

Read more here.

Related resource:

Building Women in Business:
A Situation Analysis of Women Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh

Photo credit here.

Learn to Be a Calculated Risk Taker

Women business owners need additional support and it's essential for the economy to give them that support. Why?

Quick snippet before we get to the meat of the post:

According to the report entitled "Women Owned Businesses in the 21st Century," put together by the Department of Commerce, while women own about 30 percent of privately-held businesses, they account for only 11 percent of sales and 13 percent of employment, but the numbers of women striking out on their own are increasing and could well be the key to turning our country's economy around if women can get the kind of financial support that men-owned businesses typically have.

Learn more here.

Photo (pictured, Valerie Jarrett) credit here.   Visit Council on Women and Girls | The White House as mentioned in article.

5 Ways to Increase Your Web Traffic

Hello ladies! Here are five (5) SEO tips that will help you increase your Web traffic:

5 SEO Tips

And while we've got your attention, there's more. We've added a "Share" button at the bottom of each post. Now you can forward our entries to your Facebook and Twitter accounts with a mere click of a button. Be the first to hit the Buzz button or email a post to someone you know who might benefit from the information.

Many thanks for your readership!

Posted by: the Official Escape From Corporate America Blog

Women Need Higher Levels of Capital at Startup

Women own more than 7.8 million businesses, or nearly 29 percent of the total in the U.S. But their firms generate only 3.95 percent of all revenue. This disparity in number of firms versus revenue speaks to a profound opportunity loss and unrewarded risk.

Further, newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that, even though the number of women-owned businesses grew 44 percent between 1997 and 2007, our already small market share, as measured by revenue, declined more than 10 percent, dropping from 4.41 percent in 1997 to 3.95 percent in 2007.

What's the solution?

One key to improved performance by women-owned firms is starting with higher levels of capital. A Kauffman Foundation study this year found that women-owned firms typically start with less capital and therefore underperform in terms of revenue, assets, and profitability. The banking community can be particularly helpful in overcoming this shortfall. By providing greater energy and engagement with current and potential women business owners, and assisting them to establish better business models, plans, and resources so as to secure larger pools of capital and credit, bankers can help push the growth, market position, opportunities, and revenue of women-owned firms more quickly. Business revenue will rise, and everyone will win.

Read the entire article here.

How to Meter and Increase Your ROSE

Here's my latest contribution over at Verio, a world-class web-hosting company for SMBs around the globe.

How to Calculate and Increase Your ROSE

Introduction here:

What does Return on Social Effort (ROSE) online mean? It is a new performance measure (we just coined it!) used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of an online social effort based on achieving desired results over a specified time period. The idea is to monitor and measure the profitability of that effort, so there’s really no right or wrong way of calculating it. What’s crucial is to first determine what you want to get out of your social media effort before analyzing or measuring it. The reason for this exercise is to justify your company’s social media marketing or listening (after all, it all starts with listening!) program.

I hope you find the article useful to effectively growing your business.

Posted by: Laurel Delaney, Escape From Corporate America blog

Fix the Women?

The real question becomes: Does hiring and promoting women make your company diverse?

Find out here.

P.A.M.F. = Power, Ambition, Money and Failure

What does P.A.M.F. mean to women? According to Barnard College, these four areas -- power, ambition, money, and failure -- represent a stunt to climb into leadership positions, whether it be through Corporate America or launching a business (as I see it).

To treat this impediment to reaching one's potential, Barnard College has launched the Athena Leadership Lab that will teach women the practical elements of leadership.

What makes the Athena Leadership Lab so unique?

It marks the first time that a college or university anywhere in the country will make practical skills-based leadership training available to individuals of all ages, experiences and skill sets, throughout the year – without having to enroll as a full-time student. Anyone in the area – including men – can enroll and take workshops and classes on the Barnard campus.

Learn more about this wonderful development here. Course catalog can be found here.

Posted by: Laurel Delaney for the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Unleash Your Creativity

True Female Leadership

While in Border's this past weekend, I discovered the July/August 2010 edition of Ode Magazine and caught, "The Female Way of Leadership" (shown below).
Really interesting commentary and it's based on the book (as featured at the top), "Female Leadership," by the same author: Karin Jironet. For me, I always think of female leadership as a bent for entrepreneurship.

Karin is a theologian and Jungian psychoanalyst working with executive leadership development, both individually and in groups. She offers psycho-spiritual retreats in The Hague, Rome, Zurich and New Delhi.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Ode magazine is making Karin's excellent contribution available to everybody. You have to subscribe to the magazine first to read it (or go out and pick up a copy at your local bookstore). You might also consider ordering her book and paying a visit to the Jung Arena that features her work.

Women Business Owners Spend BIG Bucks

The 2010 Buying Behavior Survey from the Women Presidents’ Organization -- a global peer advisory organization connecting top women entrepreneurs who own multimillion dollar companies -- show women business owners will spend more than half a million U.S. dollars each on business expenses this year.

The survey reflects the power of women-owned businesses through their buying behavior. The majority of respondents obtained all of the credit they wanted last year and indicated that the amount of credit currently available to them is about the same as was available before the recession.

Read more here.

Full disclosure: I serve as the Chicago Chapter Chair for the Women Presidents' Organization.

Stand Up For Female Entrepreneurs

Always something ...

After defending women entrepreneurs and their math abilities, Michelle Greer (pictured) was called illogical, idiotic, arrogant, angry, a troll, and the ...

Read the entire piece here:

Woman Defends Female Entrepreneurs on TechCrunch and Gets Called ...

Women Step It Up in Hi-Tech Entrepreneurship

Are things getting better for women versus a decade ago, especially in the tech industry? Some think so.

A new whitepaper published by Illuminate Ventures and entitled, "High Performance Entrepreneurs: Women in High Tech - Summary," states:

... that many more women are starting companies, taking them public and providing investors with bigger returns on smaller investments.

... Growing Influence in Tech: Women-owned or led firms are the fastest growing sector of new venture creation in the U.S., growing at five times the rate of all new firms between 1997 and 2006 – now representing nearly 50% of all privately held businesses.

... Fewer Failures: Despite often being capital-constrained, women-owned businesses are more likely to survive the transition from raw start-up to established company than the average.

To receive the complete whitepaper (you must register first), go here.

Related resource: An interview with Cindy Padnos, founding Managing Director of Illuminate Ventures.

Unstoppable Women Entrepreneurs

Check out these gutsy women entrepreneur innovators on what it took to put them in the driver's seat to success.

Tips From Unstoppable Women Entrepreneurs

Some great pearls of wisdom:

“You don’t stop moving because things are slow, and if they’re not slow, you create some down time to prepare your playing field.”

“Key in going out on my own was doing it for the right reasons. Being angry or disgusted at something is not reason to make a change,” she said. Being an entrepreneur “is about the love of something, not hate.”

“Take a risk early on because there are a lot of opportunities to learn—even if you fail initially,” Peitler said. “Failure isn’t the end game, but another learning opportunity."

“Failing actually goes with entrepreneurship; most, if not all entrepreneurs, have gone out of business and retooled and reinvested. Failing is only failure if you stop trying.”

“Share what you’ve learned with the people around you,” she said. Some Krupp wisdom: “Follow your instincts and your gut.

“Parlay. Parlay. Parlay. Never miss an opportunity; ‘no’ is not an answer.”

The F Word: Failure

One of the single biggest stumbling blocks to business owners is the 'F' word: Failure.

It's not so much what it is but rather what to do about it should it occur. Some call it resiliency, others refer to it as bounce or lessons learned. However you define it, failure is a necessary ingredient to running a healthy business.

Find out why here:

American Express OPEN Forum
Making the Most of Failure by Laurel Delaney

I Vote for Ginny Rometty to Run IBM

Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and support a woman to advance in corporate America!

Read more here.

Pictured: Ginny Rometty, IBM

Posted by: Official Escape From Corporate America blog

Think BIG

Theresa Daytner (pictured) is running her third business, Daytner Construction Group, a Mt. Airy, Md. construction management firm that had 2009 revenue of $3.5 million. She credits much of her success to her willingness to seek out business relationships with entrepreneurs who think big.

Read the entire article here.

She is missing out on one important peer-to-peer learning organization: Women Presidents' Organization.

Full disclosure: I serve as the Chicago Chapter Chair for WPO.

Work: An Extension of Who You Are

To all working women, this one's for you.

Immediate download of PDF file: The Reality of the Working Woman

• With research partner JWT and Ad Age Insights survey on attitudes of today's working women.

Publish date: June 6th, 2010
By: Mya Frazier
Word Count: 12,000

Posted by: the official Escape From Corporate America blog

Women Rebels With a Cause = Entrepreneurship

Frances Osborne provides her suggestions on books about female adventurers (much like women entrepreneurs) that offer a thrilling ride. These are each worth a look.

1. Rebel Heart
By Mary S. Lovell
Norton, 1995

2. Mistress of Modernism
By Mary V. Dearborn
Houghton Mifflin, 2004

3. A Voyage in the Sunbeam
By Annie Allnutt Brassey
1878

4. To War With Whitaker
By Hermione Ranfurly
Heinemann, 1994

5. Gertrude Bell
By Georgina Howell
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007

Go here for the entire writeup.