Go Against the Flow

Designed to inspire millennial women to start businesses of their own, filmmaker Charu Sharma's Go Against the Flow offers insights and advice from 27 women who have founded or co-founded their own companies. Noting that women are culturally conditioned to nurture others rather than promote themselves—and that they earn an average $4,600 less than men in their first jobs—the documentary encourages young women to be “disagreeable” in pursuit of success, arguing that entrepreneurial ideas are necessarily untried and unfamiliar, so rejection and pushback are to be expected. Beyond developing the right attitude, working hard, and having a thick skin, the women here serve up some practical advice: talk up plans and get feedback; invest in a technological framework that will grow with your business; and realize that the people you initially hire may not always have a place in your expanding company. One CEO says she faces work/life conflicts in terms of what she'll regret most down the line, missing time with her kids or a business event. Another says there is simply no division between her work and life, but acknowledges that as a business owner she controls more of her time. The interviews are punctuated with humorous set pieces and a dreamy animated sequence of a little girl morphing into a college graduate. Although most of the companies represented here are tech and/or web-based (i.e., Ning, Women 2.0, Getaround, Cloudflare, HerCampus), the business advice shared is universal. From initial inspiration and motivation, to assessing ideas, pitching to potential investors, dealing with discrimination, and recovering from failure, the experiences and perspectives of these women will be useful to anyone thinking of starting a company. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Puffer-Rothenberg)