Book Launch: “Permission Granted” by Professor Maura McAdam Inspires a New Narrative for Women in Entrepreneurship
A packed audience gathered at Hodges Figgis this week for the launch of Permission Granted, the new book by Professor Maura McAdam, a leading voice in entrepreneurship research at Dublin City University Business School.
Blending decades of academic insight with lived experience and the voices of women founders, McAdam’s book offers both a challenge and a call to action: stop waiting for validation and start taking the next step.
“Resilience is a daily habit”
At the heart of the discussion was a reframing of failure—not as something to fear, but as a forward-moving process. Drawing on interviews with women entrepreneurs, McAdam described a consistent pattern: “feeling forward.”
Rather than viewing setbacks as regression, she argued, successful founders treat them as a shift in starting point. “It’s not a backward motion,” she explained. “It’s beginning again from a different place.”
This mindset is central to what she terms “courage capital”—the accumulated learning that comes from experimentation, reflection, and what she calls “smart mistakes.” Crucially, resilience is not innate. “It’s a daily habit,” she said, built through reflection, reframing, and strong support systems.
Permission over perfection
The book’s title, McAdam revealed, came to her before the content. Permission Granted speaks to a common barrier, particularly for women: the belief that readiness requires perfection or external approval.
“You don’t need to have all your ducks in a row,” she told the audience. “You just take the next right step.”
She challenged the tendency to over-plan and seek validation—whether for promotions, speaking opportunities, or entrepreneurial ventures. “You already have permission,” she said. “You always had it.”
From academic theory to “data with soul”
Known for her extensive research career, McAdam described the challenge of shifting from academic writing to a more accessible style. The result, she said, is “data with soul”—research grounded in real stories.
Her work amplifies diverse voices, emphasising that women’s experiences in entrepreneurship are not uniform. By focusing on qualitative insights, she aims to capture nuance often lost in statistics alone.
Breaking the stereotype
The event also addressed persistent biases in how entrepreneurship is perceived. McAdam noted that when students are asked to name entrepreneurs, the same figures often emerge: white, male, US-based tech founders.
This narrow image, she argued, continues to shape who feels they belong in entrepreneurship. “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it,” she said, calling for greater visibility of diverse founders and broader definitions of entrepreneurial success.
A broader vision of entrepreneurship
Beyond start-ups and venture capital, McAdam advocates for a more inclusive understanding of entrepreneurship as a mindset—one rooted in curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving.
“Entrepreneurship is not just about creating a business,” she said. “It’s about how you approach challenges in all areas of life.”
A roadmap rooted in real lives
The book, described at the launch as both practical and deeply personal, draws on years of research, case studies, and lived experiences. It also marks a departure for McAdam, who for the first time shares elements of her own journey, including early academic setbacks that shaped her resilience.
The result is a guide that resonates beyond academia—offering what attendees described as a “roadmap” for navigating uncertainty, building confidence through action, and embracing imperfection.
A timely message
As conversations around gender equity in entrepreneurship continue, Permission Granted arrives as both critique and catalyst. With women-led ventures still receiving a small fraction of global investment, McAdam’s message is clear: structural barriers remain—but so does untapped potential.
Her closing message to the audience was simple but powerful:
Don’t wait to be chosen. Choose yourself.
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