Level Up: Rise Above the Hidden Forces Holding Back Your Business, by Stacey Abrams

An inspiring and revealing guide to starting and scaling a small business, from powerhouse duo Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson Like many entrepreneurs, famous politician and activist Stacey Abrams didn’t start a business because she dreamed of calling herself an entrepreneur. Her part-time job (and its $17,310 annual salary) as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives necessitated her striking out on her own as a consultant—her first small business. Then Stacey and her friend Lara Hodgson founded an infrastructure consulting firm – called Insomnia Consulting because they were out at 3am – and then another company, and then another. Fifteen years into their shared entrepreneurial journey, they’ve tackled the obstacles many entrepreneurs face: how to grow sustainably, hire thoughtful staff, and keep pace with the Goliaths in your industry. Now, for the first time, Stacey and Lara share their inspiring and relatable personal story and the lessons they learned the hard way to show how every business owner can confront the forces that conspire to keep small businesses small. Praised for her “resilient, visionary leadership” (Barack Obama) and celebrated as a “passionate advocate for democracy” (Madeleine Albright), Stacey now brings her fierce sense of justice to the challenges facing American entrepreneurs. Level up arms readers with the confidence, know-how and knowledge to overcome the obstacles holding back their business