We're on a mission to get
books in brains.

BetterBookClub started in 2006 as an experiment at an ad agency in Nashville, Tennessee. Arnie Malham, the agency’s founder and avid business book reader, had a problem—a growing stack of books he’d conquered in his home.

When his wife requested the stack be kept somewhere (anywhere) other than their den, Arnie brought his books to the office, put them on a shelf, and announced that anyone could borrow a book and absorb the knowledge.

Over the next few months, almost no one borrowed, read, or even leaned toward any of the books. Then an idea emerged—what would happen if he rewarded people for reading? He added a point value to the inside cover of each book and decided he would reward team members for reading books and earning points.

The BetterBookClub concept gained momentum and the revolution began. Arnie’s wife was thrilled the books were out of her way, Arnie was thrilled others were absorbing concepts he had read about, and team members benefited from both the knowledge they gained and the reward system.

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We wrote the book on culture.

BetterBookClub is a central part of a culture that attracts the best people to do the best work. In “Worth Doing Wrong,” Arnie discusses this and other strategies to invest in your team, smash business goals, and build a rockin’ workplace.

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