For millions, a major component of the American dream is to start one’s own company and, ultimately, to become one’s own boss. The question is—just how exactly does one do that? Every successful entrepreneur has their own story to tell. But the story in Dare to Become is especially intriguing and uplifting because Julie Gareleck didn’t have major venture capital dollars to fall back on, nor does she have an MBA from Harvard. What she did have, however, was a sense of drive—of grit—and of a burning desire to achieve her dream.

Now in her mid-40s, as the founder and CEO of Junction Creative, one of the nation’s leading marketing firms, Julie started in high school working for her mom and dad in their restaurant in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She did it all there, from waitressing to scrubbing floors. But along the way, she also learned the basics of how to run a company.

As she made her way into the corporate world and was confronted by inscrutable and insensitive bosses, Julie’s dream to start her own company began to form. She finally realized that the time had come to take the leap. Her refreshing, honest, and authentic account details the extraordinary trials and tribulations of Julie’s bold decision to go on her own, starting from the day she quit her job.

Dare to Become provides a unique perspective on how to finance your start-up without going into debt, how much to pay yourself, when to hire an employee, the differences in managing a Gen Z worker as opposed to a baby boomer, and much more. This is the real, everyday gospel of what it’s like to go through the inevitable ups and downs of starting your company. And best of all, Gareleck provides essential advice for the entrepreneur, all learned from her own experiences along the way.

There are many books on entrepreneurs and their start-ups, but this is the rare volume that takes you into the vortex of how to make sure you’re really on the right path to success.