A crucial part of business success is continuous and fresh learning. That initiative is in your hands. The Australian Businesswomen’s Network (ABN) recently closed its “My Favourite Business Book” competition – a month-long look at knowledge and advice from our valuable membership base; what better way to learn, than from each other? ABN community members told us what business book inspired them the most. From this great pool of inspiration, we were able to analyse the results in order to see which authors and books have most affected our community members. And in our commitment to sharing, pass that on to our community. Find out who won the competition, here.
Along with choosing their favourite business book, ABN community members also shared their thoughts on the importance of continuous learning. The general consensus was that ongoing education is a vital part of growing your business. Many entrants said that it’s important to keep developing professionally, as well as personally, to keep up with the constantly changing business environment.
Every member agreed that it’s essential to learn from other businesses’ successes and failures. Education is a vital factor for your business’s success. Here are the results of the My Favourite Business Book Competition:
Business books that received multiple votes:
- How to Retire in 12 Months: Turning Passion into Profit by Serena Star Leonard
- The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
- Become A Key Person Of Influence: The 5 Step Sequence to Becoming One of the Most Highly Valued and Highly Paid People in Your Industry by Daniel Priestley
- Business & Baby at Home: A set-up and survival guide for mums by Sarah O’Bryan
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t by Jim Collins
- Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
- Pivot Point: Making the Decisions that Matter in Business by Monique Beedles
- The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield
Business book authors who received multiple mentions:
- Brian Tracy
- Serena Star Leonard
- Daniel Priestley
- Danielle LaPorte
- Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
- Peter F. Drucker
- Stephen R. Covey
What you said about ongoing education and its importance to your success:
“I am developing a start-up business – the hardest part is actually starting. This book is giving me the confidence that my mall business will work!” – Jane Floyd “Extremely important. Change is rapid, new ideas & concepts feed the mind, inspire and encourage better business.” – Karen Klaich “Very important, because we all need to hold hands with other business owners sometimes.” – Christine Kininmonth “In my mind, it is critical to cultivate a love of learning throughout your life and career.” – Amanda Maclean “I think it is critical, particularly in today’s world where we things are learning and self-education is for changing so quickly.” – Libby Thompson “Essential! If we don’t grow and learn continually then how do we expect our business to?” – Elizabeth Bond “It is extremely important to stay at the top of your game, and the only way to do this is to keep up with the ever changing trends.” – Sandra Broadfoot “Absolutely crucial, especially when you are in the ever-changing world of communication, like I am.” – Deborah Friend
Thanks to everyone who took part in the competition. Special thanks to Wiley for their support and for furnishing our winners with great business books. This post was co-authored by Alison Klemme who recently completed an internship with the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. Alison is studying business management at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida.
