“Regarding Richard Branson’s “Losing my Virginity”, this is a book every entrepreneur (existing or upcoming) should read. Richard Branson shares his experience of being a “virgin” in business and how he managed to become one of the world’s successful businessmen in slightly over twenty-five years,” Liz Wachuka is the managing director and a co-founder of Inner Space Africa Company Ltd
What you need to know:
Liz Wachuka has created a niche in the book industry. Apart from being a reader, she is determined to boost the reading culture in Tanzania. Here’s what she says about reading books
Which books are your favourites?
I love reading books that impress upon behavioural change. Motivational and inspirational books fall under this category and they include titles such as my all time favorite, “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, “Think Big” by Ben Carson, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki and my latest favorite, “Losing My Virginity”, which is an unusual, frequently outrageous autobiography of one of the great business geniuses of our time, Richard Branson.
These books are real. For instance, “Think Big” showed me that it is possible for a ‘nobody’ to become ‘somebody’ just by reading the right material and applying what you read. The book “Who Moved My Cheese” helped me to understand the power of adapting to change, the power of seeing challenges as opportunities instead of obstacles, and why being complacent and in your comfort zone is dangerous to you and those around you. On the other hand, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” taught me (and is still teaching me) about financial independence. I wish I had read this book ten years ago. The financial mistakes I’ve made within that timeframe would have been avoided if I had known then what I know now after reading it. I am now making up for all the wrong decisions I made about money then.
Regarding Richard Branson’s “Losing my Virginity”, this is a book every entrepreneur (existing or upcoming) should read. Richard Branson shares his experience of being a “virgin” in business and how he managed to become one of the world’s successful businessmen in slightly over twenty-five years.
Any moral lessons we could pick from the books?
The most common of them all is that, first and foremost, you must have confidence in yourself in whatever you decide to do.
Secondly, from these books I have learnt that the people you surround yourself with determine who you become. For instance, if you keep hanging around with idlers and retrogressive minds, then you too will become exactly like they are. Just like eagles don’t hang out with chickens, if you want to succeed and achieve something in this life, you need to surround yourself with people and reading materials that steer you in the direction you want to go. The lessons to learn from these books are many and the only way to benefit from them is by getting the books and reading them.
What books would you recommend to fellow Tanzanians?
We are all different, with diverse tastes and preferences. However, we all need to constantly upgrade ourselves starting from our way of thinking, our way of doing things, our mindsets, to name but a few areas. In view of this, I would recommend motivational and inspirational books for everyone, including young children. To start with, everyone should get a copy of “Think Big” by Ben Carson. This book has powerful lessons.
How many books have you read so far?
There are times I would read a book (700 – 1,000) pages in one week, and other times I would read one book in two weeks. As my responsibilities have increased and my taste in books matured, I can now say I read at least two books every month. Giving you the total sum of books I’ve read since I started getting interested in novels at the age of 10 years is therefore nearly impossible. So let me just say I have read hundreds of books, probably thousands, both in physical form and e-books. And I am still unstoppable.
Which books are you reading currently?
I have three books that I am reading right now; “His Needs, Her Needs” by Willard F. Harley, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey and “From Gomba to the White House” by Rehmah Kasule, a Ugandan woman entrepreneur who is doing amazing things by changing the lives of young women.
