If In Doubt, Wash Your Hair: A Manual for Life

Product Information

Really enjoyed this brilliant, inspiring and empowering book!! Anya Hindmarch is a world famous businesswoman, entrepreneur, CEO, and a mother to five children (3 of whom are her step children who she's looked after since they were small). In the early 2000s, she created an it bag that everyone had to have, known as the "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" bag. I remember even my mum had one! Every family has their own moments when -parents are afraid if they gave more affection to their younger child than the older ones

If it's fun and something you enjoy but doesn't have a market (won't bring in money) then it's a hobby not a business. But, having hit fifty, I suddenly felt that I had a lot to say. Not because I have always got it right, but mostly, actually, because I haven’t. And now I realise that that is OK too. Through a lighthearted, almost humorous prose, she highlights those practical solutions that helped her navigate a busy and eclectic life and emphasises on the importance of creative thinking and visualisation: making her work an inspiring handbook for budding entrepreneurs. Award-winning designer Anya Hindmarch started her fashion empire as a teenager in 1987 after being inspired by a second-hand Gucci bag she was given by her mum. Now, at 54, she has 15 luxury stores worldwide, has received an MBE and a CBE and counts the Duchess of Cambridge as a loyal customer. The above excerpt from Anya Hindmarch's If in Doubt, Wash Your Hair has been reproduced here with permission from Bloomsbury Publishing.

Pages

Anya Hindmarch is the epitome of women in business. As a reader, I don’t feel pressured to be perfectionist, living unrealistic life. Instead, I now understand that fear & excitement are the same thing. You just have to embrace it. Anya shares about her journey as a businesswoman in fashion, most notably for the “I’m not a plastic bag” campaign, her life experiences and juggling life as a working mother (as do many successful career women). Her writing style is succinct and clear, with lists at certain points just like her personality. It’s motivating and straightforward like speaking to a friend. She makes entrepreneurship sound so easy, yet not everyone could have made it a success like her. Being organised is critical to running a business and critical to running a family, and becomes essential when you manage both... it is vital to my mental well-being." If in doubt, wash your hair’ was often what the designer responded with, when asked to advise busy mums and working women. “It’s one of those things that can change your day, even if it’s so trivial and silly. And it stands for so much else.” That said, the winning takeaway from her book is that ‘emotion is a female superpower’. “Workplaces have traditionally been perhaps male, and emotion considered a weakness. I was upset after someone said something unfair to me at work one day, and was told, ‘Anya, you must take emotion out of this.’ It made me stop and think: no, emotion is what we do really well. Men know too that it is emotion that builds businesses and loyalties. We must never lose it, not just in the office but at home too!” Anya Hindmarch is a mother of five, stepmother, entrepreneur and globally renowned businesswoman. In If In Doubt, Wash Your Hair, she shares what she has learned during her busy and eclectic life, what she still worries about, and what advice she has received along the way.

I never imagined that I would write a book. I am by nature an intensely private person and there were so many reasons not to put my head above the parapet and commit to paper for all eternity the jumble of thoughts that passes between my ears. Anya has a host of accomplishments to her name – she’s been awarded Designer of the Year by various institutions numerous times, she received an MBE in 2009 for services to the British fashion industry and a CBE in 2017 for services to fashion. She’s also a UK trade ambassador and is a trustee of both the Royal Academy and the Design Museum. And now, she can add author to the list, having written her first book, If in Doubt, Wash Your Hair. We read it, and we have some thoughts. If in Doubt, Wash Your Hair Review I love lists and keep 2 digital diaries (work & persona) and an old fashion journal to jot down to-do lists, thoughts & feelings.To all my fellow start up fashion entrepreneurs, buy this and read time and time again as you journey evolves through this ever changing landscape With a party off-limits, Hindmarch is celebrating her book launch with a popup wash-and-blow-dry bar. “I saw a photo of a woman sitting under one of those old-fashioned salon dryers, with the sun on her face, drinking a cup of coffee. And I thought – after the year we’ve had, that’s where I want to be.” Before too long, touch wood, parties might happen again. But still, I might stay in and wash my hair. I realise, though, that it is not the same in all organisations, and we could be better even in my own organisation, for example in the imagery we use to advertise our products. There is a lot more work to do. Businesses need to consciously resist the temptation to hire ‘people like them’. We need to realise we are hugely disadvantaged if we do not hire a workforce that represents our customers. We need to ensure a pipeline of good candidates. And we need, perhaps, to force the issue for a bit, to create more role models as we have done for women.

The book “If in doubt, wash your hair ” is a memoir by Anya Hindmarch, a globally renowned entrepreneur, the founder of an award winning global brand known for it’s craftmanship and creativity, a mother of five and also a step mother. In this book, she shares her life experiences from the challenges of managing business, family and her own personal happiness at the same time. So you have to find a way to make them want to stay with you. You have to deploy your passion and energy and positivity so that they will love the journey and the excitement of building something, they will believe in the business, they will love working with the team. I have come to realise that maybe I worried more than I needed to about this. Very often, as much as the salary and benefits and progression, job satisfaction is about liking your team, and enjoying working together to build something. It’s about: Am I having fun? Am I proud of what I’m doing? Are we collectively making a difference? Are we reaching our goal?If you came for hair care routine, sorry you missed the memo. Anya Hindmarch shares great advices for women especially mommies with career to build. Although I am not yet a career woman, far from being a mom, I have no problem taking in her words. I love that she doesn’t speak so highly of herself, she’s so humble (I really want to meet her in real life!) and her life stories that she shared are perfectly flawed aka normal. Don't stres about the nitty-gritty details/documentation. Entrepreneurs are more doers than reading through tons of small print (hat's what you hire lawyers etc for). Reading the title – If in Doubt, Wash Your Hair – you may think that this is a simple book, one to glance at mindlessly beach-side, but while the tone is light, the content is significant. Anya is very transparent about what it’s like to be an entrepreneur managing a multi-million dollar business, but she also lays bare the price she’s paid for her success, both emotionally and mentally. Having reached this halfway mark, I thought I would put my fears to one side and share – as a mother to a daughter, as a friend to a friend – what I have learnt, what I worry about, what I think (rightly or wrongly) and the advice I have gathered, borrowed and stolen along the way. This advice covers thoughts on being a woman, a mother, a stepmother, a wife, a woman in business and an entrepreneur, and on dealing with the challenges that come with trying to keep them all going at the same time. I give it openly and, I hope, kindly.

Covid- 19 swept through our lives while I was writing this book. It changed so much, while at the same time reinforcing all the things I already knew. It emphasised the fragility of our planet. It made us stop and consider our core values and what was really important to us. It made horribly clear the overriding importance of looking after our physical and mental health and our families. It brought home to me how much good fortune I have had in my life so far. The book is brimming with her tips and ideas on how to be a working mother/parent, how to run an organisation, how to be more organised and tidy, how to look after your kids (and ideas on how to get other people involved), how to be a step-parent, how to be a partner, how to find a mentor, how to care for ageing parents, and how to be yourself authentically (and trust yourself), and how to let go of the idea of perfection. Creativity is about solving problems and finding ways to do things well and it is probably needed most in the least creative business. It's also impressive, that after all of these years, she's lost none of her drive or passion & continues to create delightful, high quality products, concept stores and unique pop-ups which are oozing with wit and charm and get the customer involved, and joining along for the spirit-lifting fun ride.

Also Sister Angela "If you accept that you will never be fully satisfied, then you will e very happy indeed" Anya reflects on her ambitions for her children and concludes: "If you just love your children to bits and make them feel incredible and confident then that's the greatest gift you can give them" Such a powerful statement as we often feel we need to provide criticism to help progress, but forget each of us have our own inner critic that's doing a great job at that already. What we need is love and encouragement. A hands-on, practical guide to managing the stresses of daily life' Evening Standard, Highlights for 2021 The title of this book “If in doubt, wash your hair” has caught my attention. As soon as I saw the title, I immediately wondered what in the world that this book could possibly be about.