BookLife Talks with Shellie Hipsky
A sponsored Q&A with the author of 'Ball Gowns to Yoga Pants'

A motivational media company that started as a side business while she was a tenured professor quickly netted Hipsky the title of Entrepreneur of the Year from VIP Events Concierge in 2015. Today, in addition to authoring 13 books, Hipsky, who was just awarded first place in the business category at the 2020 The Authors’ Zone Awards, heads up a number of initiatives, including a magazine and a charity dedicated to empowering women.

What’s the story behind this book—why and how did you write it?

My 13th book, Ball Gowns to Yoga Pants: Entrepreneurial Secrets for Creating Your Dream Business and Brand, was written because so many women around the world were asking me how I started my businesses as a side hustle while I was a tenured university professor. How had I made them such a success that I earned the titles of Best Woman in Business and Entrepreneur of the Year? I am the CEO of Inspiring Lives International, the president of the Global Sisterhood nonprofit, and the editor-in-chief of Inspiring Lives Magazine. I wrote Ball Gowns to Yoga Pants to be the book people need to define their dream businesses and brands. Here readers can access the research on how millionaire entrepreneurs accomplished their goals so they can begin or level up their own companies.

Is there one piece of advice you were given that you’d like to share with other entrepreneurs just starting out?

Ball Gowns to Yoga Pants includes Dr. Shellie’s Success Secrets, and I’d like to focus on one for the readers of Publishers Weekly: “Being authentic in your leadership and marketing will attract the right clients and customers.” One of the reasons I have such amazing companies is that I am true to myself and show, through my marketing, who I really am. The title of my book came from my daughter noticing that I no longer wore power suits to work daily; I was either ultra-glam in a ball gown for a charity gala or running around with my kids in tow making business deals on my cell. Because I show my many sides to the world and have a heart-centered leadership approach to running my companies, I have the right people come to me wanting to engage in business with me and my brand.

If you could pick anyone to give this book to, who would it be and why?

I would give it to the woman who has the goal of being a successful entrepreneur but is not yet sure of the steps to make her dreams a reality.

What is the one thing you most want to tell readers about you or your book?

Right now is the perfect time to learn the success secrets to leading your ideal business and brand so that you can formulate a plan, market the brand, and be your own boss. Ball Gowns to Yoga Pants is the book that will guide you every step of the way as you monetize your talents and skills.

What’s next for you?

I will be continuing to live the entrepreneurial journey. As a part of the humanitarian work that the Global Sisterhood 501(c)(3) does, we are setting up entrepreneurial centers around the world, from Tanzania to Nepal, to teach women how to provide for their families. Through one of my other businesses, I teach female entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders via my EmpowerU Master Class, my VIP 1:1 sessions, and hosting Brilliant Business Boards. I have had the honor of keynoting internationally, at venues from the University of Oxford in England to Passion to Profits in Hollywood, and I look forward to teaching entrepreneurs from the stage, based on the teachings in my 13th book. There is always a new project around the bend that I will plan based on my vision, put my heart and soul into, and make a success. The only question that remains with the next big leveling up of my career is will I be wearing a ball gown or yoga pants?