“There is a myth in this country – I call it the E-Myth – which says that small businesses are started by entrepreneurs risking capital to make a profit. This is simply not so. The real reasons people start businesses have little to do with entrepreneurship. In fact, this is belief in the Entrepreneurial Myth is the most important factor in the devastating rate of small business failure today.”
- The E-Myth Revisited, page 3
"That fatal assumption is: if you understand the technical work of a business, you understand a business that does technical work."- The E-Myth Revisited, page 13
Gerber emphasizes that there is more to a business than just the technical work that the business does. This is because in order for the business to be successful, it has to be good at more than just the technical work. He points out that most small business owners have a very strong grasp of their craft and make the assumption that they would be qualified to run a business that does that kind of work. But that’s simply not true.
In this state, the business owner becomes trapped as the technician – the doer of the work. Yet, every business owner really needs to be three people in one: The entrepreneur, the manager and the technician. The entrepreneur is the visionary. The manager is the pragmatic personality who appreciates planning and order; to some degree status quo. There has to be some degree to balance between all three personalities and the business owner must move beyond the comfort zone of just being the technician.
"Your business is not your life… This is where you can put the model of the Franchise Prototype to work for you. Where working on your business rather than in your business will become the central theme of your daily activity."- The E-Myth Revisited, page 98
When I first read Gerber’s idea that business owners should take on a franchise mentality, I was a bit shocked. “Create a franchise? Is he crazy?!?” But as I read more, I came to appreciate that Gerber was purporting that business owners could benefit from franchise development concepts as they move towards a fully functioning business.
The idea of developing a franchise prototype is that the work can be replicated and scaled again and again. Who wouldn’t want that?
Gerber also suggests 6 rules that guide the franchise game.
"I don’t believe your business to be the first order of business on our agenda. You are."- The E-Myth Revisited, page 136
We spend countless hours each week doing work-related things. It’s easy for it to become all consuming. One of the telltale signs that work is consuming your life is that you have no other updates for friends or family when they ask you how you’re doing besides how work is going. Gerber reminds us to keep a healthy perspective and relationship to our work. Specifically that your business is not your life, but that it can still play an important role in your life.
Rather than just envisioning your business, Gerber suggests setting a primary aim that is reflective of the kind of life that you want to lead and who you wish to be. It’s about establishing a greater purpose beyond the business. Having encountered the dark side of this situation myself, I can wholeheartedly endorse the importance of keeping your work in perspective.
Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited offers up a wealth of great information and strategies for small business owners. In my own experience with this material, I found it very easy to identify myself in the small business lifecycle and have already started to implement Gerber’s advice for growing the business beyond where it currently is in order to live the kind of life I dream of.
Michael E. Gerber is a true legend of entrepreneurship. Inc. Magazinecalled him “the World’s #1 Small Business Guru.” He started over 40 yearsago addressing a significant need in the small business market: businessesowned primarily by people with technical skills but few business skills, andno place to go to get meaningful help. Over the years, Michael E. Gerber’scompanies have helped tens of thousands of small business owner-clientsto successfully transform their businesses into world-class operations.
