Guest post written by The Woman at the Wheel author, Penny Haw
Penny Haw was a journalist and columnist before turning her attention to fiction. Her works of historical fiction celebrate the achievements of remarkable, real women. Penny lives near Cape Town, South Africa with her husband and three dogs, all of whom are well walked.
Releasing on October 3rd, The Woman at the Wheel is an inspiring historical fiction novel is based on the real life of Bertha Benz, whose husband built the first prototype automobile, which eventually evolved into the Mercedes-Benz marque.
Bertha and Carl Benz were undeniably entrepreneurs. Carl’s vision of creating a horseless carriage at a time when many were yet to trust the steam train was radical. However, it was Bertha who took the pluckiest, first entrepreneurial step when she negotiated a deal with her father, allowing her to invest her dowry and inheritance in Carl’s idea before they married. From there on, Bertha worked alongside Carl behind the scenes to design, build and promote the Benz motorwagen, which became the world’s first commercially viable automobile. For the most part, only her husband knew the extent of her understanding of innovation, business, partnerships, investment, public relations, and market perception. Bertha’s intuition, coupled with her technical and fiduciary knowledge, made her the ideal partner for Carl, whose primary strengths were his engineering brilliance and resourcefulness as an inventor.
An early reader of The Woman at the Wheel was struck by how many of the challenges encountered by the Benzs in Germany in the 1800s prevail today. “Every modern day, entrepreneurial start-up needs a Bertha in their team. Her story is full of great lessons,” he said.
It’s rewarding to hear that Bertha’s legacy is not only fascinating and encouraging, but also useful. She isn’t the only female entrepreneur who has inspired historical fiction. Here are some other intriguing works of historical fiction based on the lives of real female entrepreneurs.
A Beautiful Rival by Gill Paul
Cosmetic tycoons, Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein created the global beauty industry at a time when women were expected to be content with the roles of wives and mothers and the use of make-up was considered improper. Independently, they created potions, lotions and salon treatments, which burgeoned in popularity and made them both millionaires. However, the women were lifelong rivals, each making decisions based on what the other did. A Beautiful Rival is fascinating with almost as many entrepreneurial “how to” as “how not to” lessons.
Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander
Josephine N. Leary was born into slavery in North Carolina in 1856. She trained as a barber. However, when she was freed in the mid-1870s, Josephine set out to learn how to manage money and make shrewd investments in the real estate market. By 1881, she’d acquired six properties in Edenton and, when a fire destroyed some of them, successfully rebuilt the premises, affirming her place as an astute real estate magnate. Carolina Built not only highlights key entrepreneurial qualities but also demonstrates the challenges of maintaining a work-family life balance as an entrepreneur.
The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little
Written from Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s less famous sister, Antoinette’s perspective, The Chanel Sisters is arguably a handbook to perseverance, independence, and survival. Coco and Antoinette were taken in by Catholic nuns when their mother died and no one—not even their father—wanted them. Eventually, they set out to prove themselves worthy to a society that never welcomed them. Their journey was neither easy nor straightforward, but the sisters were determined, creative and resourceful. The Chanel Sisters reminds us that there are many twists and turns to entrepreneurial success.
Island Queen by Vanessa Riley
Based on the life of Dorothy “Doll” Kirwan Thomas, Island Queen tells the extraordinary story of the woman who began her life as a slave and went on to create a legacy of wealth and power as an entrepreneur, planter, merchant, and hotelier across the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to a luxury hotel in Demerara, South America. Among Doll’s most impressive entrepreneurial qualities were her courage and ability to work the system and retain her autonomy against all odds.
The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki
Although Marjorie Merriweather Post inherited a company from her father when she was twenty-seven, it was her drive and entrepreneurial approach that saw the food company grow into the giant General Foods Corporation. She was inspired by guidelines successful entrepreneurs understand: learn all you can, think for yourself, never take success for granted, know your customers, and work hard. The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post also emphasizes the value of entrepreneurs understanding their business better than anyone else.
The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
Risk-taking is fundamental to entrepreneurship. The Paris Bookseller is an inspiring account of American bookseller Sylvia Beach, who faced jeopardy head on when she opened Shakespeare and Company in Paris in 1919. Not only was it dicey to establish an English bookstore and lending library in France, but when James Joyce’s controversial novel Ulysses was banned, Sylvia took the huge risk of publishing it. The success of the book came with costs, which mounted with the onset of the Depression and the departure from Paris of throngs of English readers. Aside of risk-taking, Sylvia’s entrepreneurship was also demonstrated by her passion for books, authors and readers, knowledge about her market and Paris, and willingness to support others in her industry.
