Working on our book, “Wonder Women”, Katy and I spent considerable time researching stories of how women had contributed to the success of brands old and new, and we have included 40 tales in the first section. Over 50% of the stories features American women so we’re delighted that the book has just been launched in USA.

In the book we grouped the stories into four categories – A Woman’s Intuition, Girl Power, A Women’s Work and A Woman’s Place

As part of the series of blogs about women in the USA, today and for the next three days we thought we would give you  a taster of  a story from each category – today A Woman’s Intuition

A Woman’s Intuition

Intuition, especially a woman’s intuition, has often got a bad press. Written off as fluffy, fuzzy, unreliable, crystal ball gazing and having no place in business, it is perhaps now finally having a resurgence.    

Increasingly it is being recognized as a powerful attribute, a skill. It can be likened to a type of high-speed super logic where the unconscious mind works faster than the conscious one. To have and be willing to listen to your feelings can be useful and insightful, especially in marketing which is as much of an art as it is a science.

Sara Blakely believes she may be the only woman in the world who is actually grateful for cellulite and back fat. She says it was the reason behind her drive to turn $5,000 she had saved from selling fax machines into a $250-million-a-year business.

Whenever she is asked where that idea for her business came from, she says with delightful honesty: “My inspiration was my own butt.”

Working in the hot Florida climate, Blakeley disliked the appearance of the seamed foot on her tights, especially when she wore open-toed shoes, but she liked the fact that their control-top eliminated panty lines and made her body and her butt appear firmer.

Her intuition told her that lots of other women were likely to sympathise with the problem and would be interested in a solution.

She decided to follow that instinct, and thanks to her perseverance in the face of sceptical manufacturers, some clever trade marketing which included taking a buyer to a restroom to show her how well they worked and an endorsement from none other than Oprah she has turned her idea into a hugely successful business and inspiration from many other entrepreneurs. 

You can read all the stories and interviews in the Wonder Women book, available via amazon USA , amazon UK, or The Book Depository