Jana Carman

Stella! Jana Carman

This book details the life-journey of Stella Baum Braunstein, an entrepreneur during a period when that term seldom referred to a woman. It begins with her early years as the child of Eastern European immigrants in the low-income section of Philadelphia, and a teacher who characterizes her as having leadership qualities recognized by others even when she herself did not see them. While still a teenager, Stella worked for a jeweler. Her sales ability so impressed him that he sent this 18-year-old on a buying trip to New York City, authorized to order up to $10,000 worth of Trifari jewelry. This led to custom-designing jewelry, then to persuading the owner of a dress salon to grant her a space for a jewelry concession in his store. Eventually she had her own dress salon stocked with top of the line fashions from NYC and West Coast designers. Stella's other businesses included "Décor by Stella" (decorating homes). She had three convenience stores for a period of sixteen years, during which she won national recognition for innovative practices. In real estate she was a "Million Dollar" realtor, and in her "spare hours" she added working at a farm market. This book fulfills Stella's twenty-year dream of sharing her business methods and experiences as well as showing others how they can succeed. Her motto has always been: "If they can do it, you can do it - better!" Look for chapter 12. This great Self Help chapter zeroes in on Stella's method for recognizing and following your dreams, and the steps you can take for your personal success.