By Nicole Irving

As an entrepreneur, I have screwed up on occasion with a capital “S.” I was certain I was the only one in the world to do so. But, alas, I was not. Author Kristen Hadeed, CEO of Student Maid, recounts her screw-ups and how they became the building blocks to her career in her new book, “Permission to Screw Up: How I learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong.”

“Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong” by Kristen Hadeed is an open and honest first person account of how her need for a $99 pair of jeans while in her junior year of college led her to start her own cleaning company. This journey gave her the opportunity to make lots of mistakes, which ultimately made her a better leader.

In her book, released Oct. 10, she shares how keg stands with her employees did not gain her points for the best leader award, but being vulnerable and honest did. She tells the tale of how when the majority of her staff walked out one day, she won them back, not by giving out raises, but by getting her hands dirty, literally, with them. And, when Hadeed let that star interview candidate walk out because she did not fit Student Maid’s “hiring checklist,” she made the change to lead with her gut and not a list.

Hadeed goes on to explain how her father, a successful attorney who could very well have picked up the pieces when she let them fall, especially when she encountered potential trademark problems, did not. It was those hard lessons of “figure it out yourself” that resonated with her. When it came time, she mirrored those lessons to her team, which lead them to be self-sufficient and strong.

While screwing up is not something all entrepreneurs want to admit to, it does happen. But it is what comes after that that is important. Hadeed’s candid and humorous tales of her “imperfect story” is a breath of fresh air, in a time when “being perfect” seems to be the only path to success.

“Permission to Screw Up: How I learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong” by Kristen Hadeed

$27, Amazon.com