Almost Reckless: A Creative and Pragmatic Approach to Taking Risks

In this spirited blend of memoir and business guide, Smilovic (The Creative Pragmatist), founder and creative director of the fashion brand Tibi, encourages entrepreneurs to reject data-heavy decision-making in favor of measured risk-taking. She begins by recounting her youth in Georgia, where she started testing out business ideas at a young age and hopped between friend groups, drawing lessons from these experiences on the importance of trying new things to hone one’s gut instincts. After relating her stint in advertising at Ogilvy and American Express, she describes how, upon noticing a gap in the market for high-quality clothes at reasonable prices, she started her own women’s clothing line while living in Hong Kong in 1997. Rather than following well-trodden paths, she took risks, connecting with fabric suppliers before mapping out a concrete business plan and being unafraid to show pieces to clients before they were perfect. Continuing to adhere to her personal vision helped turn Tibi into the multimillion-dollar business it is today, she explains, doling out advice on the importance of viewing friction as opportunities to learn and defining and clearly communicating one’s principles. Though her emphasis on listening to one’s inner voice offers a counterpoint to more orthodox business literature, some tips, like her rejection of the notion that people need to separate their work and home life, lack nuance. Still, Smilovic’s candor will resonate with those seeking to chart their own path. (Mar.)