Kelly Ehlers, now the head of the multimillion-dollar marketing firm Evoke Agency, was fired from her corporate job five months into her pregnancy during the Great Recession. This experience, she said, forced her to start her own business and later inspired her upcoming book, "Nice Girls Win," which challenges the notion that women can simultaneously achieve everything without sacrifice.

At the time of her dismissal in 2010, Ehlers and her husband were both unemployed with limited savings. Facing the prospect of having a child with no job security, Ehlers decided to create her own opportunity. "Bulls**t. Nobody's going to hire somebody who's five months pregnant," she recalled telling herself, leading her to "hire herself."

What began as a social media consultancy leveraging emerging platforms like Facebook and Twitter has grown into Evoke Agency, based in Madison, Wisconsin. The firm now boasts clients such as GE Appliances, Kraft Heinz, and Henkel. Ehlers also launched a beauty-media platform called The Tease. Her book argues against the "girlboss" fantasy, suggesting that the pursuit of having it all at once is a myth and often leads to unsustainable hustle.

Ehlers' entrepreneurial journey was marked by significant challenges, including a lack of childcare and financial instability. She recounted working late into the night and worrying about affording diapers, sometimes pooling loose change for necessities. She also recalled a stressful conference call where she hoped her infant son would not cry, as the family could not afford childcare at the time. This personal struggle informed her perspective on the "lean in" culture, which she felt led to an unsustainable pace of work.

Building a Business

The timing of her layoff, Ehlers noted, proved to be unexpectedly opportune. She founded her business as social media was gaining wider adoption, a time when many companies were skeptical of its marketing potential. "There was no budget for it," she said. "I'd go consult with people and they'd say, 'I don't even think this is going to stick around.'"

Despite initial skepticism, Ehlers bet on the transformative power of social media for consumer engagement. She described being "shoved" into entrepreneurship, a path she hadn't planned but one that ultimately led to significant change. The firm, which now employs 50 people, competes with larger agencies, a success Ehlers attributes to a philosophy she calls "smart nice."

This approach emphasizes building strong client relationships through attention to detail and personalized gestures, such as her "Project Orchid" initiative, where employees and clients receive orchids to recognize achievements. She believes this focus on relationships, rather than just transactions, has been foundational to the company's referral-based success.

Ehlers' advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to act decisively and embrace discomfort rather than overthinking. "Don't overthink it. Just start. Get out there and put yourself in motion," she urges. She also recommends directly engaging with industry professionals for guidance and support.

Reflecting on her experience, Ehlers sees her story as emblematic of an economy that increasingly favors those who can absorb risk. She asserts that true power comes not from ruthlessness but from confidence and demonstrated capability within one's chosen field. "You don't have to become ruthless to become powerful. You just have to decide the room you're in belongs to you – and then prove it."

Preorders for "Nice Girls Win" are available in mid-August.