The E-Myth is an important read for inspiring entrepreneurs if for no other reason than to keep you on track with doing what’s important for your business. Specifically making sure that you are always working on your business.
The overall message of this book is for small business owners to have systems and processes in place for their business. The main model that Michael Gerber uses is the franchise model that ensures that companies like McDonald’s can operate anywhere in the country and still provide the same level of service to their respective communities.
As business owners, the last thing we seem to want to do is work on our business. Especially when it comes to systems and processes. An important thought by Mr. Gerber was that you should put systems in place that reflect the big vision for your company, not just systems for today. A lot of business owners create systems that work great for today but as soon as they grow, the systems break down because they aren’t designed with a larger scale in mind.
One thing I didn’t enjoy as much about this book was the relationship with Sarah, who he coaches throughout the book. The conversation seemed ridiculous at times and borderline annoying. Knowing what I do know about book publishing and what it entails to put a book together, I do get why Michael Gerber puts this piece in the book in order to capture the human element. I just wasn’t that big of a fan.
If you are thinking about starting a business or have been a business owner for a few years, this book is a great reminder of what can happen if you aren’t strategic in your business planning. If you are careless, you end up owning a job which is the not quite the idea when you start out.