Pelc’s new book offers a refreshingly raw and unconventional story of resilience and reinvention.
At the age of 19, Karolina Pelc left post-communist Poland with little more than a card dealer’s licence and a one-way ticket to London. Twenty years later, she founded, scaled and sold a multi-million dollar gaming company. It is a remarkable rise, but her story clearly demonstrates that luck is something you build, not just something you wait for.
What makes Her Play particularly relevant for today’s SME audience is its honesty about the realities of leadership. Pelc does not present entrepreneurship as a polished success story or linear path, but she explores the messy decisions, personal sacrifices and psychological challenges that accompany growth.
Working in a male-dominated sector, the author reflects on how she spent years imitating a traditionally masculine leadership style before recognising that authenticity was her competitive advantage. It is an insight that will resonate strongly with many modern business leaders who might be struggling to define leadership on their own terms.
Her Play avoids the clichés of many leadership books, staying practical without becoming instructional. It explores the human side of entrepreneurship in a way that will feel deeply relevant for founders building businesses in unpredictable, fast-paced environments.
Her Play: Make Your Own Luck by Karolina Pelc is out now, published by Unicorn.
