Published: 24 February 2012

What does it take to build a successful business? A yearning for learning.

Michelle Gamble

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"I am absolutely passionate about learning and have had a lifelong love of learning," says Michelle Gamble, owner of Marketing Angels. "I read everything I can get my hands on. I adore learning about different types of businesses and industries, as well as innovative ways to market effectively on a small budget. When you have your own business, you are constantly learning, always challenged and often inspired."

Michelle was inspired to start her own marketing consulting business after watching her husband struggle with the marketing challenges of his own small business.

"He was typical of a lot of small business owners who are good at what they do but clueless about certain aspects of marketing, often wasting a lot of precious cash on advertising that doesn't work," recalls Michelle.

The mother of three founded Marketing Angels to offer marketing expertise to small to medium sized business on an as-needed basis. Michelle wanted to have time for her family, and she knew that owning a business would offer her the flexibility and autonomy she desired. The only problem was that, although Michelle knew marketing very well, she did not have a solid grasp of basic business principles. After all, it was her first time starting a business.

Fortunately, Michelle loves to learn. She went to Australia's premier source of real-world business education for women: the Australian Businesswomen's Network (ABN).

"The information and education provided by ABN has really helped me educate myself about everything I needed to know to run a successful business," says Michelle.

ABN not only taught Michelle about the basic principles of business through webinars, articles, and networking events, but it also helped her to refine her business model.

"ABN offers a constant source of fresh educational material through ABN member stories, Suzi's blog posts, and twitter feeds," she says. "These daily updates all help keep me inspired to innovate and improve my business."

Further, ABN allows Michelle to interact with her peers using cutting-edge social networking technology.

"Sometimes it can get very lonely when you're running your own show," says Michelle, "so it's nice to be part of a broader network like ABN, where other members of the community face the same challenges. Like most businesswomen, I don't have much time outside of normal business hours to attend networking events. ABN has harnessed the online tools that allow us members to network and learn from each other more efficiently than any other online community I've seen. That's what makes it work so well."

Satisfy your yearning for learning and build your business

Business education is the backbone of the Australian Businesswomen's Network. Whether you're just getting started or looking to expand an established business, we have specialised business training programs to meet your needs - available anytime, from any place.

As a premium member, you open the doors to over 80 webinars - available to you on-demand, 24 hours a day. Plus, you get discounts on courses, including the MentorNet Mentoring and Training Program.

We're committed to your education. That's why we are so proud to have won Best Business in the Education and Training Category at last year's City of Sydney Business Awards.

Call us on 1300 720 120 for more information about membership. Or visit our website to learn how membership provides you the business training to feel confident in your skills.

Michelle's Advice for Building a Successful Business:

Have a solid business plan, including financials, marketing and a vision for what you want to achieve with your business on a personal level. Learn as much as possible about business planning and management. It will make an extraordinary difference to how confidently you run your business. See the wisdom, guidance and advice of other business owners. There's nothing like first hand experience as a teacher.

Marketing Angels is a marketing consulting firm that provides outsourced Marketing Managers and Directors for small to medium sized businesses.