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• Books that influence Me as a Business Owner. Part 1: Nathan Miller

In this series, we are talking to successful business owners about books that influence them the most. “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly” said Francis Bacon, as more and more people are publishing their own book, these words become increasingly relevant. Sometimes I think that every second business mentor is a “published author” - this series of blog posts is designed to bring your attention around to something that you haven’t read or need to come back and revisit. The focus will be on the classic business books that helped to shape current business owners.

Let me introduce you to Nathan Miller , Managing Director of Smart On Hold. Nathan, was spending hours on the phone every day, calling local businesses to discuss radio advertising packages. While making these calls he noticed something interesting - while most companies would put the radio on when he was on hold, a handful of companies would play engaging messages while he was waiting. He discovered that when he heard telephone on hold messages, the companies created an impression of being large and professional and he didn’t hang up.The impact on Nathan was profound. This is how the idea of Smart On Hold was born.

Nathan has been working hard on improving his product and company operations since 2003 - over 13 years in business. In his video interview, Nathan credits the following books as being a consistent source of truth through incredible changes in technology and markets.

How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie

So many people see this as a simple book! It has been around for a very long time, but Nathan thinks it should be at the top of everyone’s reading list. He first read it during his late teens and looking at his business operations in hindsight, this particular book had a huge impact.

The Success System That Never Fails - William Clement Stone

William Clement Stone is not well known, but is a very successful person and provided a lot of answers in his book. There is an audio version of this book and for people who are not big readers, it is the perfect solution to consume the valuable information provided in this book on the go.

Ask and It is Given - Esther and Jerry Hicks

Although a more recent book, Ask and It is Given has ideas that are relevant to your business life and comes highly recommended by Nathan.

Subscribe by email and instantly get FREE Illustrated eBook. Adequate ‘positive’ cash flow is essential for the survival of any business, yet this is something that over 50% of small business owners struggle to manage.