Elizabeth Lyons is a best-selling author of five books who is obsessed with entrepreneurs’ backstories. Now she wants to help them with her latest book, “Enough: The Simple Path to Everything You Want — A Field Guide for Perpetually Exhausted Entrepreneurs.”
“I help entrepreneurs write, publish and launch their first book so they can grow their brand, expand their impact, increase their influence and leave a legacy,” Lyons says.
Az Business talked with the West Valley resident about her road to “Enough” and how it will help entrepreneurs.
Az Business: What is the inspiration behind “ENOUGH?”
Elizabeth Lyons: Quite simply, I’d had it. As an entrepreneur who’s been building her business for years while raising 5 kids—both areas in which I felt wildly capable one day yet completely clueless the next — I got to the point where I wondered when exactly I would finally feel like I HAVE enough. And further, when I’d be certain that I WAS enough (even if I was sitting at home on my couch on Friday night with a pint of Haagen-Dazs and a spoon).
My roller coaster of overwhelm, triumph and mind-boggling confusion came to a head in Lululemon of all places, and it was a pivotal moment of realization. Having and being enough didn’t boil down to (necessarily) a sustained income bracket, thrice weekly massages or 300,000 Instagram followers. It boiled down to me (as well as every other person on the planet) knowing what exactly Enough looks and feels like—to each of us.
Over the next eight months or so, I wrote this book while exploring why we’re chasing Enough and not simply claiming it right where we stand.
AB: How is this book different from your previous books?
EL: My first 4 books focused on surviving the first few years with twins or trying to find some semblance of sanity while simultaneously being a mom of many and an entrepreneur. ENOUGH was written as a blueprint for entrepreneurs—both male and female—who are tired of feeling like they’re running the wrong way on a moving walkway, and wondering if anyone else has moments where they feel like things might not ever come together.
AB: How will this book benefit not only entrepreneurs but business owners?
EL: ENOUGH shares the raw, unfiltered truth about what really goes into being an entrepreneur or entrepreneurial on any level and in any role. It reminds readers that no matter what stage of the game they’re in, the struggle is truly real for everyone—but so are the triumphs! It helps readers identify what their own enough truly looks like; eliminate distractions and bad habits in order to create a solid, intentional execution plan toward their ideal lifestyle; and finally call a truce with their inner critic so they can fully accept their unique story and potential to impact others.
AB: What comes next?
EL: I said I wouldn’t write another book after my second, yet here we are. So it would probably be disingenuous to suggest that I won’t write another one. I likely will at some point, but for now my focus is on my clients’ books and brand growth. Through co-authoring and one-on-one coaching, I help high performers write, publish and launch their books so they can powerfully tell their story, grow their brand, and impact others.
AB: I want to write a book, but where do I start?
EL: I’m asked this all the time. Not knowing where to start seems to be the most comfortable reason not to start, which I completely understand.
Most people will tell you to simply start writing. I, too, used to give this advice, but it’s about as helpful as saying “just eat healthy” to someone who wants to lose 10 pounds and is already gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan and runs 3 miles a day. My clients and I start with one critical question: WHY do you want to write a book? Note: this has nothing to do with why you SHOULD write a book. And, if any part of your WHY resembles “because so-and-so told me I should write a book,” crumble that up and begin again. Why do YOU want to write a book? The first 7 words of your declaration, in fact, need to be: “I WANT to write a book because…”
If your answer is, “I want to write a book to grow my brand and provide leverage for my business,” that’s completely fair and it’s the case for the majority of people with whom I work, but it’s profoundly helpful to back up half a step. What about your story and insights is different from what’s already out there? I’ve found that when my clients own what makes their story unique and what makes them willing to be vulnerable enough to share it, that ownership carries them through the moments of doubt that will undoubtedly present themselves during the writing and publishing processes.
NOTE: You can buy a copy of “Enough: The Simple Path to Everything You Want — A Field Guide for Perpetually Exhausted Entrepreneurs,” by Elizabeth Lyons, here.
