Outsider Advantage book review

I started reading this book, and it made me sad because I wish I had written it.

I started looking for books about confidence, imposter syndrome, and running a business, especially for people who have never run a business before and didn't grow up around entrepreneurs.

I found this book, and I thought the title was absolutely brilliant: The Outsider Advantage.

I started reading it and found out that Sierra started her business with only $10 in her pocket. We've all heard those stories about entrepreneurs who say, "I was at my last bit, and then I did it." Yeah, but how?

She tells you how.

She literally says, "I posted an outfit online. People started commenting on it." Then she wondered, "Can I do this again?" So she did it again. Then she did it again. Then she kept doing it again.

"I started reading this book and it made me sad because I wish I wrote this book."

Sierra's unfair advantage, which we learn about in the book, is that her mother is a stylist. She already had an eye for putting outfits together, understanding body types, and playing with textures and fabrics. She just didn't know what she was going to do with those skills.

She moved from Houston, Texas, to Los Angeles to work in PR, public relations, and marketing. She didn't realize she could build a business once she leaned into the skills she already had.

I actually emailed Sierra. I hope she gets it. She's built a huge multimillion-dollar brand now, so I'm sure someone is monitoring her inbox. I told her I started reading the book and it made me sad because I wished I had written it.

I'm a lawyer who stopped working in big law because I started a podcast. I love storytelling. Now I encourage lawyers and law students to tell their stories, to create, to share, and to do different, creative, and wild things.

That's what Sierra is doing, just in a completely different industry.

She's speaking to people from the South who dream about moving to the West Coast. She's speaking to people from marginalized communities who didn't grow up with a silver spoon or a trust fund or a whole group of people cheering them on.

I saw so much of myself in her story.

For context, only 5% of all lawyers in the United States are Black Americans. I'm a Black American woman. I'm the first lawyer in my family. I was the first person to move 1,500 miles away from home to attend law school in Louisiana.

I've always described myself as "the first."

I never would have called myself an outsider.

This book opens by saying, "Here's the roadmap most people follow. Here's the path I took instead."

That is my entire life's story.

It was fascinating to discover someone else living that way in a completely different world.

I had never even heard of Sierra's company. Originally it was called BabesandFelines.com.

Her brand is for curvy women, which might explain why I wasn't familiar with it. Maybe it's because I live in the Midwest. There are a lot of reasons.

But now I get to learn Sierra's story, fall in love with her storytelling, and then discover her brand.

Even if I never buy anything, I can tell people about it.

Have you heard of the no-gap jeans? You should try those.

I don't have much of a booty, so I've never needed a pair of no-gap jeans. But there's this entire world and industry I never knew existed, and I discovered it because of books.

Thank you, Sierra.

One of my favourite ideas from the book is that help is part of growing and evolving.

No one does anything alone, no matter how self-sufficient they appear.

"Help is part of growing and evolving. No one does anything alone no matter how self sufficient they may appear."

As a podcaster, I have an entire team working behind me. People write episode notes. People edit content. People schedule content.

There are always people behind the scenes.

Even if my husband has never had his name at the bottom of my website saying, "Website designed by Theo Denanyoh," I've always known he was the one who originally built it.

I love that Sierra reminds us to be careful of people who claim they've done everything on their own. Learning to ask for help is actually a sign of strength.

Another quote that really stood out to me was:

"If any of this journey of mine feels familiar to you, pause and sit with the discomfort. Face it. The successful person you are becoming is on the other side of this mountain."

This comes from a chapter where Sierra talks about leaving an emotionally abusive relationship.

At first, you think her boyfriend is just checking in because he cares. Then you realize he's keeping tabs on her.

She had to decide she was worth more than that.

I wasn't expecting to learn about relationships while reading a book about entrepreneurship, but it makes perfect sense.

When you build a business, you've already decided to create something that doesn't exist or improve something that does. You're already doing something most people never attempt.

That confidence and self-trust spills into every area of your life.

You start thinking, "I've built this company. I've hired this team. I've created something from nothing. Why am I accepting less in my personal life?"

That was such an interesting perspective.

She had to advocate for herself in the same way she advocates for her customers when designing clothing that actually fits their bodies.

I thought that connection was fascinating.

Would I reread The Outsider Advantage?

Absolutely.

My rule is that I have to read a book three times before I buy it and let it join my permanent collection.

This one was so good that before I even finished reading it, I set a timer and started working on something that had been sitting on my to-do list for months.

That's the power of Sierra's story.

If she can do it, I can do it.

I love, love, love that.

Get your copy of Outsider Advantage. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

https://youtu.be/7_7T2iGgTrs?si=try5K00fJz21Hll7

Until the next book review, 

Kyla