It’s been a long road, and I want to thank the many people who inspired me to persevere. The first would be my wonderful husband Mark, who always said, “Take your time, do it right.” And our incredible sons, Elliott and Austin, who first encouraged me to write a book when I expressed surprise that, when asked, every entrepreneur told me, “I turned out this way because my mom believed in me.” They introduced me to many of their friends who, along with their moms, agreed to be interviewed.
Thanks to Adam Braun, who introduced me to his agent, who introduced me to mine, Ryan Harbage, who believed in the book from the start. To Susan Leon, who did the first edit, and to David Hayward, who did the next edit. To Shauna Shapiro for introducing me to Tesilya Hanauer at New Harbinger, who immediately understood what the book was about. To all the wonderful folks at New Harbinger who put so much effort into this book. To James Marshall Reilly for showing me how to write a book proposal. And especially to the sixty-plus entrepreneurs and their moms who shared their experiences so that others may learn how to raise an entrepreneur. I couldn’t have done it without every single person, and so, to all of them, I am grateful.
Margot Machol Bisnow is a writer, wife, and mom from Washington, DC. She spent twenty years in government, including as an FTC Commissioner and Chief of Staff of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, and eight years writing a popular daily online social newsletter. Her son Austin has written successful pop songs and started the popular band Magic Giant. Her son Elliott founded Summit Series, a noted international conference series for millennial entrepreneurs, and led the purchase and development of Powder Mountain ski resort in Utah as a permanent home for their community. Her husband, Mark Bisnow, founded a national newsletter company, Bisnow Media, which was acquired in 2016. Their dog is the only one in the family who gets enough sleep.
Elliott Bisnow founded Summit Series, which has hosted thousands of young entrepreneurs at frequent events, and whose philosophy is that good business should be good for the world; Forbes called it “The Davos of Generation Y.” Summit is an investor in Uber, Warby Parker, and change.org, and has spearheaded philanthropic efforts that include building a seventy-one-square-mile marine-protected area in the Bahamas. Elliott cofounded Bisnow Media, which was acquired in 2016, and served on the United Nations Foundation Global Entrepreneurs Council.
Austin Bisnow is the lead singer of Magic Giant, the Los Angeles-based folk revival band known for anthem-like sing-alongs and euphoric live experiences, whose single “Set On Fire” charted #4 on Spotify’s US Viral 50. He is also an accomplished songwriter and producer who has worked with artists, including John Legend, will.i.am, David Guetta, and Steve Aoki. Austin and his brother Elliott teamed with Grammy-winning producer Benny Blanco to cofound the Get Well Soon Tour, a nonprofit that raises the spirits of hospitalized children across America.
This book is dedicated to my family: my wonderful husband Mark, our extraordinary sons Elliott and Austin, and my own inspirational parents.