American women are starting businesses at nearly twice the rate that men are, but only three percent of female business owners have revenues of over one million dollars. Most women entrepreneurs are stuck at the “mom and pop” level, just getting by, or in many cases, running out of cash. In her book Million Dollar Women, Julia Pimsleur shares her inspiring story of building her own company and raising millions in capital in a guide for women like her who have a great idea and need to find the resources to take it into the big leagues.

Reading The Essential Finance Handbook for Business Owners could be one of the most helpful gifts you could ever give yourself as a business owner. It is a great companion for any entrepreneur who is venturing into the world of business, which can often be a daunting place for those starting out. This book has been written to provide expert, easy to understand guidance to business owners to help them to better manage and run their  business financial performance, both effectively and efficiently.

In her beautifully presented and insightfully written new book, Contemporary Design Africa, British/Zimbabwean designer, writer and blogger, Tapiwa Matsinde, showcases the work of some of the most creative, inspirational contemporary designers, artisans and cooperatives from across the African continent. Many of the talented women who are leading the way in developing Africa’s contemporary design industries take centre stage.

Once a shoeless African child, I have had the opportunity to sell technology to companies such as Boeing, to sit at the table with leaders of some of the world’s biggest companies and even to change the movie industry. Who does that? Game Changers do that! Game Changers are the ones who are bold enough and brash enough to believe we can achieve our dreams and change the world in the process.

In her new book, Mumpreneur, the UK’s leading children’s cookery author, Annabel Karmel, shares her insights and experience in building a successful brand and business empire, from the perspective of a full-time Mum of three children. 

In her new book, Playing Big, groundbreaking women’s leadership expert and popular conference speaker, Tara Mohr, gives women the practical skills to voice and implement the changes they want to see—in themselves and in the world.

Do Cool Sh*t: Quit Your Day Job, Start Your Own Business, and Live Happily Ever After is less of a how-to book and rather more of a personal roller-coaster ride of a story on how one hip, trendy and highly ambitious entrepreneur did it for herself. It is unconventional in its approach, yet hugely inspirational, encouraging, funny and liberating for anyone reading it. 

Linda Rottenberg, the co-founder and CEO of Endeavour, in her new book, Crazy Is A Compliment: The Power of Zigging When Everyone Else Zags, (we love this book title!) encourages everyone to start thinking and acting like an entrepreneur. In today’s highly competitive and fast-paced world, she reminds us all of the need to be nimble, adaptive, daring—and maybe even a little crazy—or risk being left behind.

To round off the year, we bring you our top 7 favourite reads for women entrepreneurs - all authored, or co-authored by women. We hope they inspired you as much as they did us.

Let’s face it, there is nothing quite like getting inspiration and advice from other great women entrepreneurs who have been there and done it, bought the T-Shirt, survived business failure and other challenges, made it through the good times and bad times - and ultimately achieved success.