Alice Combs

Finding Success in a Man’s World

 

The Book

The Lady With Balls

During the 1970s, Alice Combs, undeterred by a former employer’s snobbish pronouncement, “You’re not corporate material,” transformed herself from divorced mother on food stamps to successful entrepreneur.

Resolute, Alice overcame her initial ignorance of the recycling trade and recovered from the many novice mistakes she inevitably made while teaching herself to operate Vulcan Wire, which would slowly become a thriving business despite an embezzling partner, cutthroat competitors, and several employees who proved unreliable when they were most needed.

Alice refused to be intimidated and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Her exceptional achievement in a traditionally male arena is an inspiration for all women who aspire to the heights of success in their chosen fields.

“Alice Combs provides a refreshing and unabashed tale of business building success that’s an endless source of motivation and practical wisdom for any entrepreneur who wants to succeed in the face of overwhelming odds. The Lady with Balls is a rip-roaring, can’t-put-it-down, roller-coaster ride!”

John C. Robinson, best-selling author of Webinars That Sell: How to Turn Your Online Presentations into Virtual Cash Machines 

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"An inspiring read. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes daunting. Alice writes beautifully of her struggles and successes making it in a man's world."

S. Maier, Amazon Review

“In The Lady With Balls Alice Combs certainly manages to keep plenty of balls in the air: she launches a successful woman-owned company, lands on her feet after a difficult divorce, finds a happy second marriage after thirteen years of love affairs that weren’t, fights off predatory competitors, and deals with difficult employees and the stresses of the life she has chosen. Combs is a tough and determined woman, and this is a very candid book about her life.”

Michael Lipsey Author of I Thought So – A Book of Epigrams and I Thought So Volume 2 – More Original Epigrams 

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"Superb and inspiring book! You won't be able to put this rags to riches story down."

—Kevin Mone, Goodreads Review

“Alice Combs undertook a journey into the world of business that many women know little about—the hidden world of products that allow the economy to thrive. In her memoir, Alice is revealed as a creative, courageous and prescient woman and mother who remains humble and honest about her life efforts. The title is aptly drawn from the man’s world in which she competed and excelled.”

—Dr. Linda Lambert, author of The Justine Trilogy and eight books on leadership 

“Written with the same verve Alice Combs demonstrated when building a thriving business from nothing. An exhilarating and inspiring read.”

Norma Watkins, Ph.D.author of The Last Resort and That Woman from Mississippi

“The Lady with Balls, Alice Combs’s memoir about her struggles to create a good career for herself in a male-dominated business world, is a page-turner. Alice is such a vivid character! I came to admire her courage and her determination to do what was right for herself and her two girls. The book is very worth reading, a clear reminder of how exceptionally strong women have in recent times made real headway for younger women in the workplace.”

Ida Rae Egli, author,  No Rooms of their Own: Women Writers of Early California, 1848–1869

 

About Alice

In the 1970’s I rose from a divorced mother on Food Stamps to a successful entrepreneur. After an employer stated, “you’re not corporate material,” my initial ignorance, and business mistakes, I founded a now healthy multi-million dollar annual sales corporation. My story begins when I leave my San Francisco Bay Area home-office to collect a customer’s overdue $5,000. I interrupt their board meeting and refuse to leave without payment. Their president drops me down the stairs. On top of my imminent financial disaster, I fear I will be called the bitch of the recycling industry. I flash back to the relinquishment of my about-to-be adopted baby, former jobs, divorce, humiliation of using food stamps, controlling mother, and the bizarre series of events that led me to become an entrepreneur in industrial baler wire, and my agony before and after I created a false IRS W-2 to acquire working capital—a felony. Eventually I receive the overdue payment and am phoned by a loyal customer who says all his fellow garbagemen are calling me “The Little Lady with Balls.” And they want me to join their garbage association. This leads to increased sales with expansion to a rented office and a saleswoman to cover Southern California. Success in business followed and grew. Also, after many poor romantic choices, I found true love.

Inspiration

Book Alice to Speak

Alice overcame and beat the odds stacked against her. She was a single mother on welfare, trying to make it in a “man’s” corporate world. Not to be deterred, Alice dug herself out to find success and created a multi-million dollar company.
Alice is available to speak at your event on her story, how to beat the odds and true perseverance.

She is available for speaking events, big and small.