A guide to activating your entrepreneurial mindset
Thinking big and small
Thinking Big and Small is an inspiration and practical roadmap for anyone looking to step onto the entrepreneurial path. It discusses the attributes and attitudes aspiring entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs need to achieve great things.
Sometimes, to stay in the game,
we must change it.
Thinking Big and Small uncovers the universal attributes of successful entrepreneurship. These attributes combine the creativity of an artist with the rigour of a scientist. They compel us to dream big and act meticulously, allowing us to navigate the macro and micro dimensions of genuine opportunity.
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With cheerful yet thought-provoking pragmatism, Hester Spiegel shows us that while it takes a particular kind of person to disrupt the status quo, the entrepreneurial mindset is accessible to us all.
If you dare to dream bigger and look for a place to start, this book will be your practical guide.
Thinking Big and Small’ provides invaluable insights into the unique challenges and opportunities faced by founders. My own journey has taught me that embracing both grand visions and meticulous execution is key to building a sustainable business. This book captures that essence beautifully and will undoubtedly inspire and equip aspiring entrepreneurs to achieve great things.
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- Anna Gong, CEO & Founder Perx Technologies
“Hester masterfully blends empirical evidence with her substantial experience to guide those pondering a shift towards entrepreneurship. This book is an essential roadmap for career transitioners looking to navigate entrepreneurship's challenging yet rewarding landscape. It helps move you from "Could I?" to "Yes, I can!". I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone ready to take that leap of faith towards their dreams.”
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- Billy Naveed, Head of Growth at Smile Group, Founder Young Founders School
3 Reasons to read Thinking Big and Small
Read Thinking Big and Small when you are looking to:
01.
Successfully transform your life and career as you are looking for more purpose, independence and freedom, but are unsure if you have the energy and confidence to be successful at entrepreneurship. This book will help you step onto the entrepreneurial path with courage, providing inspiration and a practical road map. Embrace the entrepreneurial mindset not just as a means to an economic end, but as a transformative force capable of reshaping your life and work.
02.
Balance ideas with execution: ideas are free, making them happen is the hard part. Success happens when we turn ideas into actions. This book will help you execute your great ideas and grand visions so that one day they become reality.
03.
Invite a little more creativity in your life. Are you feeling you are on the path to stagnation? Get a dose of the entrepreneurial mindset to engage with your curiosity and creativity and add back growth in your life and work.
Why I wrote the book
I believed certain things to be true in life and work, but did not find it. I wondered if I had it in me to change the game. I forgot everything I had learned, let go of my carefully built-up network in corporate life, and took a leap of faith towards my dreams. How I came out on the other end, I wish for everyone who is open enough to learn, let go of ego, and create something the world has never seen before, to experience. This book is the result of my own experience re-inventing myself twice, substantial expertise from being an intra- and then entrepreneur, countless interactions with successful founders (parts of which are included in the book), and research on the topic that fuels me with excitement every day: entrepreneurs who have the guts and the grit to make novel things happen. While it takes a particular kind of person to change the game, with this book I want to show that the entrepreneurial mindset is useful and accessible to us all.
But who needs another book anyway?
That is why we cater for action
Launch your startup or small business now with Ladies who Launch, a programme based on Thinking Big and Small, tailored especially to the needs of seasoned professional women with entrepreneurial ambitions. Next cohorts:
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29-31 May '25 (3 days online)
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2-4 Sept. '25 (3 days off site, Bintan, Indonesia)
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16 Sept.-18 Nov. '25 (10 weeks, 1-4hrs/week, online)
For your transitions & launches
Design your powerful transition
What happens when the script no longer works?
When the promotion doesn’t come.
When the relationship ends.
When the plan disappears overnight.
Time stops feeling predictable, and control slips through your fingers.
That’s when you find yourself in a transition.
It’s disorienting. Unscripted.
But maybe also... an opening?
