The Lady with Balls: A Single Mother's Triumphant Battle in a Man's World

by Alice Combs

Overview

During the 1970s, Alice Combs, undeterred by a former employer’s condescending pronouncement, “You’re just not corporate material,” transformed herself from divorced mother on food stamps to successful entrepreneur. Determined, Alice overcame her initial ignorance of the recycling and baler-wire industries, and recovered from the novice mistakes she inevitably made while teaching herself to operate the company she created,Vulcan Wire, which would slowly grow to become a thriving multimillion-dollar business despite an embezzling partner, cutthroat competitors, and several employees who proved unreliable when they were most needed. Alice refused to be intimidated and simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. Her exceptional achievement in a traditionally all-male arena is an inspiration for all women who aspire to the heights of success in their chosen fields.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780998785417
Publisher:	QED Press
Publication date:	07/19/2019
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Alice Combs grew up in Tarzana, California, and married at age twenty. She put her own college education on hold and did pink-collar work to put her husband through college. Eleven years later she became a single mother of two young daughters. Alice finished college, then worked briefly at a now-defunct department store until she was told, "You're just not corporate material." Humiliated, Alice was determined to be her own boss. She discovered she was indeed corporate material, as long as it was her corporation. Alice has become a sought-after speaker who wants to empower women who wish to pursue careers in business.

Table of Contents

Risking Jail

Learning the Ropes

My Early Go-Nowhere Career

The Ticking Clock

Planning Ahead

Disappointments

Forecast Versus Reality

The Clock Keeps Ticking

Tossing and Turning

Almost Ready to Sail

Sailing

Not So Easy

Desperate for Help

First Female Shipmate

My Godfather

Man Overboard

So Many Fish in the Sea

Christened by the Garbage Men

Finally Launched

1979–1989

Modernizing

The Embezzler

New Uniforms

The Charlatan

Blindsided

Searching for a Soul Mate

1992–1997

Capsized

Marital Problems

Desperate for Relief

1997–2018

Loving Life

Seven Basic Business Lessons

Reflections

Editorial Reviews

“Alice Combs undertook a journey into the world of business that many women know little about—the hidden world of products that allow the economy to thrive. In her memoir, Alice is revealed as a creative, courageous and prescient woman and mother who remains humble and honest about her life efforts. The title is aptly drawn from the man’s world in which she competed and excelled.” —Dr. Linda Lambert, author of The Justine Trilogy

“Alice Combs’s memoir about her struggle to create a career for herself in a male-dominated business world is a page-turner. Alice is such a vivid character—I came to admire her courage and her determination to do what was right for herself and her two girls. Well worth reading, the book is a clear reminder of how exceptionally strong women have in recent times made real headway for younger women in the workplace.” —Ida Rae Egli, author of No Rooms of their Own: Women Writers of Early California, 1848–1869

“In The Lady With Balls Alice Combs certainly manages to keep plenty of balls in the air: she launches a successful woman-owned company, lands on her feet after a difficult divorce, finds a happy second marriage after thirteen years of love affairs that weren’t, fights off predatory competitors, and deals with difficult employees and the stresses of the life she has chosen. Combs is a tough and determined woman, and this is a very candid book about her life.” —Michael Lipsey, author of I Thought So – A Book of Epigrams and I Thought So Volume 2 – More Original Epigrams

“Alice Combs provides a refreshing and unabashed tale of business-building success that’s an endless source of motivation and practical wisdom for any entrepreneur who wants to succeed in the face of overwhelming odds. The Lady with Balls is a rip-roaring, can’t-put-it-down, roller-coaster ride!” —John C. Robinson, best-selling author of Webinars That Sell: How to Turn Your Online Presentations into Virtual Cash Machines

From the Publisher