Self Made : Becoming Empowered, Self-Reliant, and Rich in Every Way

"A much-needed and wise book that teaches women not to fear money but to see it as a means of reaching our dreams. Nely shows us how to become money courageous instead of finance fearful. I want to give this book to so many women (and men) I know. Thank you, Nely."
—Sandra Cisneros

"Nely Galan and I have traveled the country together helping women grow their businesses and live their dreams. I know firsthand that Nely is the ultimate self-made woman and your best girlfriend. Her generosity of spirit jumps off the page as she shares the secrets of her hard-won success and her contagious confidence."
—Nell Merlino, creator of Take Our Daughters to Work Day and founder of Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence

Self Made by Nely Galán, Emmy-Award Winning Producer and Media Trailblazer, Ushers in New Revolution in Women’s Entrepreneurship.

There is a new revolution in women’s entrepreneurship. Nely Galán has seen it, is living it, and is now making sure every woman has the tools to achieve it with Self Made: Becoming Empowered, Self-Reliant, and Rich in Every Way (On sale from Spiegel & Grau/Random House May 31, 2016, with a Foreward by Suze Orman). The economic crash of 2008 contained a silver lining, particularly for women. Out of necessity, women—particularly multicultural women—became earners and entrepreneurs and now represent the largest growth engine in the U.S. economy. If growth continues at the current rate, by 2017, majority-female-owned business will be 44% of all business, and 23% of all business with employees. Because of these economic shifts, women from many different cultures and backgrounds are united in a quest for a new financial future—one they can control. As Galán attests in Self Made, there is no true empowerment until you have your own money.

Galán, a Latina immigrant, entrepreneur, and media mogul, asserts that there are no barriers to entry in this do-it-yourself economy. Technology, social media, and the non-centralized sharing economy have made it easier than ever to start a business of one’s own. Being Self Made gets women out of survival mode and provides a model to build wealth.

The book also contains secrets and tips to finding hidden money now. Galán reveals the secrets of “the golden triangle”—specific money and resources targeted to women in the form of grants, contracts, government programs, and private sector resources. In Self Made, Galán also shares lessons from her own life to transform your thinking and get you to an entrepreneurial mindset.

Self Made is a blueprint, a mindset, and a movement, but most of all it is a call to rise up and take ownership in ways big and small. You do not have to look up the ladder to find the self-made woman—you simply have to look around. She is everywhere. From the part-time Lyft driver, to the Etsy store owner, to the unrelenting startup CEO, the one thing all of these women have in common is that they are becoming self-made. Self Made is for every woman with untapped greatness in her, who just needs the tools to get started.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nely Galán is a quintessential maker:  She is a Latina media mogul, an entrepreneur, a first generation immigrant, a teacher, a speaker, an Emmy Award winning producer, and an advocate for gender equity… Above all, she is Self Made.

Dubbed the “Tropical Tycoon” by The New York Times Magazine, Galán is one of the entertainment industry’s most savvy influencers. The daughter of Cuban immigrants, Galán worked her way up to become the first female president of a U.S. television network (Telemundo).

Throughout her career, Galán produced over 700 episodes of television in English and Spanish. Galán also holds the distinction of being the first Latina ever to appear on Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump on NBC—showing on national television that a multi-cultural woman’s place is in the boardroom.  

After becoming self-made on her own terms, Galán has made it her mission to teach women—regardless of age or background—how they too can become entrepreneurs. Her forthcoming book, SELF MADE: Becoming Empowered, Self-Reliant, and Rich in Every Way, will be published by Spiegel & Grau/Random House in 2016. Inspired by the new revolution in women’s entrepreneurship led by multicultural women, Galán wrote her new book as a manifesto to ignite the Self Made movement, uniting all women on a quest for an economic future they control.

Galán is also the founder of the nonprofit The Adelante Movement (“Move it forward!” in Spanish), which seeks to train and empower Latinas to become entrepreneurs. Soon, not just Latinas, but women of all backgrounds began showing up to her events, a clear signal to Galán that all women, and particularly multi-cultural women, were leading a new economic women’s movement. The revolution around financial self-reliance had already begun. The Self Made book is the culmination of nearly four years on the road meeting and training women, who have collectively become the largest growth engine in the country.

Galán, a featured speaker at SXSW 2016, speaks to a wide variety of issues, including diversity in corporate America, the economic power of multi-cultural women, and the Self Made movement and how it is transforming individuals, households, and economies. Galán is a sought-after speaker on the subject of women entrepreneurs, and the role of diversity in the US economy. She has spoken at Coca-Cola, American Express, General Electric, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Gates Foundation, the Clinton Foundation and the United Nations. Galán is also frequently cited for her influential work as a board member for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, number one resource for Hispanic and Latino scholarship programs, and The Coca-Cola Company Advisory Council. She is an Emeritus member of The Smithsonian Board and was featured in HBO’s The Latino List documentary and national museum show as one of the most influential voices in the Latino community.