Book - Sabrina Horn

Available now

Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Making it is at the heart of what drives every entrepreneur, executive, CEO, and founder. Yet, in the course of running our companies, we sabotage success by faking it. Exaggerating product capabilities, inflating revenues or our resume, omitting critical details or shirking responsibility, we stray from the trail we are blazing. Of all the business and career memes to gain popularity, few have compromised integrity more than “Fake it till you make it.” The problem with faking it is that it’s just not sustainable. After a day, a week or a few years, the truth does come out. Bottom line: faking it has ruined the reputations of countless leaders and destroyed the businesses they’re responsible for.

In her book, Make It, Don't Fake It: Leading with Authenticity for Real Business Success, Sabrina Horn, an award winning CEO and public relations expert, revisits the core of leadership and makes a call for more reality-based, authentic business practices. Through the double lens of running her own PR firm and advising thousands of other executives for thirty years, Horn shows readers how to gain the clarity of thought necessary to make sound business decisions. In her no-nonsense, straight-shooting style, Horn delivers real, workable strategies with firsthand accounts of painful mistakes and lessons learned.

A book for aspiring and seasoned leaders alike, Make It, Don’t Fake It empowers executives to disarm fear and organize risk, deal with losing and loneliness, plan for the unexpected, deal with complex situations, and create a strong culture and organization designed for long-term, sustainable growth.

In her forthcoming book, Make It, Don't Fake It: Leading with Authenticity for Real Business Success, Sabrina Horn, an award winning CEO and public relations expert, revisits the core of leadership and makes a call for more reality-based, authentic business practices. Through the double lens of running her own PR firm and advising thousands of other executives for thirty years, Horn shows readers how to gain the clarity of thought necessary to make sound business decisions. In her no-nonsense, straight-shooting style, Horn delivers real, workable strategies with firsthand accounts of painful mistakes and lessons learned.

ANDY CUNNINGHAM, Steve Jobs’ Publicist, Bestselling Author, Get To Aha! and CEO, Cunningham Collective

Sabrina shares her insights and wisdom gleaned from years of working with tech executives, venture capitalists, and influencers about how doing the right thing results in the right thing to do. In Make It, Don’t Fake It, Sabrina shows us that faking it is for losers. Learn how to make it with ethics, passion, confidence, pride, and resilience.

DAVE DUFFIELD, Founder of PeopleSoft, Workday, and Ridgeline

Sabrina approaches business and life from an integrity-first perspective and “keeps things real”—a strategy that I believe is fundamental to building successful and enduring products and companies. Make It, Don’t Fake It shows readers why and how with great candor, honesty and creativity.

JAY FULCHER, Chairman & CEO, Zenefits

Whether you are a first-time entrepreneur or a seasoned executive, Make It, Don’t Fake It is an essential guide for leading with purpose and integrity. There are no “growth hacks” or short-cuts to success. Sabrina delivers a compelling message at a critical time.

DAVID J. MOORE, Founder/CEO of 24/7 Real Media, President, WPP Digital, Chairman of Xaxis, IAB, and Co-Founder/CEO of BritePool

This is a no nonsense, straightforward guide to succeeding in business as well as life. Sabrina’s insightful, commonsense approach to success has led her to it time and time again. Her book is a roadmap from which all can learn.

RAY ROTHROCK, Venture Capitalist, Board Member, CEO, and Philanthropist

Sabrina Horn’s Make It, Don’t Fake It, loaded with gems of leadership and stories of her personal growth as founder and CEO, is a required and meaningful primer for both budding and experienced leaders. Her emphasis on transparency, values, and culture is interwoven throughout. The impact this emphasis had on her decisions when the chips were down or up is as clear a lesson any leader or CEO should think about and implement. Refreshing are the stories of failure, what they meant and how she rebounded. Her practical advice is first-rate and should be taught in business schools everywhere. I’ve known Sabrina for 30 years, and this book is a marvelous testament to her mission and to her life as a successful businesswoman.

PETER SOBILOFF, Managing Director, Insight Partners

Sabrina Horn offers up a pragmatic real-world approach for today’s business leaders, which will increase their probability of success in navigating the complex labyrinth that will be required to achieve their goals.

R “RAY” WANG, Founder and CEO, Constellation Research, 2X Author

In a world of deep fakes, fly by night tech CEOs, and erosion of our key institutions, Sabrina’s insights show why authenticity matters more than ever in business, life, and society. This is a must read book that gets back to basics!

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

A serious-minded business leadership guide...Make It, Don't Fake It is candid, accessible, and a welcome contribution to business and leadership collections.