Books that inspire my personal & business philosophy

4 October 2025

A big part of how I approach business and life comes from one of my biggest passions: reading. Books have been my greatest mentors, shaping the way I think, the way I am building my business and the way I live my life. Here are three that continue to inspire me daily.


Atomic Habits by James Clear

This book is a constant reminder that big change doesn’t happen overnight — it’s the 1% improvements that make all the difference. Especially in my first few months as a first time business owner, the Kaizen philosophy of continuous small steps forward was a critical theme that helped me get off the ground, from 0 to 1. Now, as the business evolves and grows, the same philosophy means continually refining the way we communicate with owners, tenants and contractors. Even days when I feel like little progress has been made with business development, I would tell myself, if I can get 1 Google review today, it’s a 1% improvement, or 1 good phone call or if I can tell a dozen people that my business exists, I’ll count that as a win.


The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett

This book gave me a front-row seat into the lessons of someone who has built, failed, and built again. The themes of marketing, standing out in crowded markets, and most importantly embracing failure have stuck with me. Property management is a business full of challenges and unexpected hurdles. I’ve never been afraid to take action, but Bartlett’s perspective reinforced the idea that failing fast is part of moving forward. It’s how you find better solutions, grow stronger, and ultimately stand out. This is something the resonates deeply with my personal traits & characteristic.


The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Money is a subject often avoided, yet it dictates almost every decision in our life. This book dives into timeless lessons on financial literacy, investing, and the power of compounding interest. For me, it has helped shape not just my personal financial foundation, but also how I think about the long-term sustainability of my business. Property management is about trust, owners trust me with their most valuable assets — and having a deep respect for financial principles allows me to manage with care, foresight, and responsibility.


These books are the frameworks for my business and personal philosophy. My approach is rooted in constant learning, genuine care, and the belief that small, consistent improvements will transform an industry that has needed change for far too long. If you’re an owner or tenant who has felt let down by the traditional way property management operates, know this: we’re doing things differently, and it’s working.

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How Property Managers Protect Landlords If Things Go Wrong

by Daniel Hillier • 18 February 2026
The strongest protections keeping landlords legally compliant and safe as possible in an event where breaches have occured, all revealed right here.
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How Good Property Managers Approach Tenant Management (What Landlords Should Expect)

by Daniel Hillier • 12 February 2026
What landlords should expect from their property manager handling tenants to decrease tenant dissatisfaction and increase owner satisfaction.
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Goal Setting

7 January 2026
Goal setting is incredibly important, as part of my personal and business development, I take a unique approach to setting and measuring my goals. If you’ve ever seen my Google Calendar, it looks incredibly complicated and jam packed. In reality, it’s not. I use my calendar to set reminders, to ensure I don’t forget to call back that owner, or the council or the local water provider. And it’s all colour co-ordinated, so it can look completely wild and overwhelming to the untrained eye. A critical function of my calendar is to help me set goals. I set goals for the week, for the month, for every 3 months, 6 months and for every year. The unique thing about my goal setting is that I will record a video, and prompt myself to open the video in my calendar, say in 6 months time for example. The video is generally 5 minutes long or so, and I talk about what’s happening in my life at that time, how the business is going, any issues and problems I am facing, and importantly, where I want to be at the time I open the video. Before starting EZPZ, I set goals and thought about goals, but I never had a habit of really sitting down, taking 5 minutes to simply record a quick screenshot of my life, as it was in that moment. I have learned some valuable lessons from making these videos. The first thing is, whatever is bothering me or causing me problems and stresses right now, likely won’t be an issue in 3 months time, heck, it likely won’t be an issue in 3 weeks time. It’s often trivial and amusing when I look back at a video I sent myself 3 months ago to open. The benefit of this reflection and hindsight allows me to digest problems in a healthier and less taxing way. In the present, when facing issues or problems that are high in stress, I find asylum knowing this problem will pass. I used to get very stressed, and truthfully I still do - stress is an important tool for growth and action. But ensuring that the stress is not overwhelming or taking a physical toll on me is super important. Reminding myself of the videos is reassuring and helps me keep a holistic mindset. As we close off the first full year of business operations (2025), EZPZ has been able to far exceed expectations and smash goals which I had previously set. The volume of listings that are now under management are a clear reflection of the large appetite for quality property management services in Melbourne. As I navigate the path of entrepreneurship, goal setting will continue to be a critical part of ensuring the success of the company, and me personally.  Best, Daniel