As today is World Book Day and it is International Women’s Day tomorrow, we thought we would share some of our favourite books from over the years. We believe that every female entrepreneur should read these either for useful hints and tips or simply for inspiration.
If you feel inspired to finally turn your idea into the business you have been dreaming about, or you want to take those steps towards expanding, why not have a look at our ‘Oven-Ready Document Shop‘ and find the perfect document waiting for you.
Career’s Advice for Ambitious Women by Mrs Moneypenny
“It’s all about who you know and what you know. You can’t have it all, but you have to do it all. Saying ‘no’ is the single most important life skill for women.”
Welcome to the world of Mrs Moneypenny. This high-flying, super-connected, super-woman is on a mission: to help you get ahead at work. In this incisive, hilariously frank book, Mrs Moneypenny tells you everything you need to know, from nurturing your network to the art of outsourcing.
Whether you’re just starting out or a rung from the top, let Mrs Moneypenny be your ultimate mentor.
If you have already read this wonderful book then you should definitely read the follow up book published in 2015 called ‘Mrs Moneypenny’s Financial Advice for Independent Women’, where the hilarious and wise Mrs Moneypenny shows you how to set your own financial finish line, and then how to go about reaching it.
A Book About Innocent: Our Story and Some Things We’ve Learned by Innocent
Another great read especially for those wanting to gain some insight into a business that grew rapidly and has gained international success.
“This book is about the stuff we’ve learned since selling those first few smoothies. About having ideas and making drinks, about running a business and getting started, about nature and fruit, about company life and working with friends, about the stuff we’ve got right and the stuff we got wrong, and about squirrels . . . and camping . . . and doing the right thing.”
Body and Soul: Profits and Principles by Anita Roddick
This is a very unconventional business book. This is a story about Anita Roddick and her leadership role at the cosmetic company, The Body Shop. Anita Roddick exposes the common myths about management and illustrates perfectly that to be successful we need only one tool – a vision.
This is a great book for people who believe in social responsibility and have concern for the well being of people and the earth. It is rare that one will ever read about a business woman that will use her business not just for power and profit but as a vehicle to social awareness.
Jo Malone: My Story by Jo Malone
Jo Malone is the inspirational British businesswoman responsible for creating her globally renowned beauty business and, more recently, her new brand ‘Jo Loves’. This, her first autobiography, tells in full her incredible journey from modest beginnings as a teenager, struggling with dyslexia and leaving school with no qualifications, to becoming an international brand name and one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Her unique talent for pioneering innovation and originality within her field is unrivalled. Yet, despite her success, she has faced huge challenges with courage and determination, including being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 37 and told she only had nine months to live, and her decision to go it alone after selling the original Jo Malone brand to the Estee Lauder Corporation and walking away in 2006.
Jo’s commitment and down-to-earth approach to life, work and family makes her one of the most likeable and well respected personalities in British retail and her honesty, hard work and entrepreneurial grit are an inspiration to all.
Strong Woman: The Truth About Getting to the Top by Karren Brady
This is Karren’s story. . .before being Alan Sugar’s aide on The Apprentice and Vc of West Ham United, how she started out as a sparky 18 year old at Saatchi & Saatchi and at 23, went on to persuade David Sullivan to buy Birmingham City football club – turning that business round to sell it for an incredible Gbp82 million 12 years later. Strong Woman tells how she balances her personal life with her professional, her priorities, her life as mother of two and wife. Karren reveals how she coped when doctors told her after a routine scan that she had a brain aneurysm, that she must have a complicated operation immediately and had a 30% chance of not surviving, and how it has since influenced her outlook and priorities. An overwhelmingly inspiring and real look at work and life, Karren Brady defies convention as a directional business woman in a male industry.
