Loading...
7th out of 159 books
—
160 voters
The E Myth Revisited
In this first new and totally revised edition of the 150,000-copy underground bestseller, The E-Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. He walks you through the steps in the life of a business from entrepreneurial infancy, through adolescent growing pains,
...morePaperback, 269 pages
Published
April 12th 1995
by HarperBusiness
(first published 1985)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
5,655)
This is a fine book showing some of the flaws of small businesses and why so many fail. The author uses a fictional small business owner who started a pie shop and running herself ragged. She has a great gift in making pies but is burning herself out. She was thinking about how she her job was making and selling pies when her business could and should be so much more.
Successful companies don’t actually sell the products that they make. They fulfill an emotional need of their clients....more
Successful companies don’t actually sell the products that they make. They fulfill an emotional need of their clients....more
Chad Warner
rated it
Recommends it for:
entrepreneurs, business owners
Recommended to Chad by:
Dean Whittaker, Entrepreneur Magazine
When I told a business owner at a local event that I had started my own technology services business, he recommended that I read this and learn how to "work on my business, not in it." I had heard the phrase and other mentions of Michael Gerber and The E-Myth in Entrepreneur Magazine and elsewhere, but after this personal recommendation I had to read it. This book is an eye-opening read for any small business owner.
The E-Myth (Entrepreneurial Myth) is that businesses are st...more
The E-Myth (Entrepreneurial Myth) is that businesses are st...more
I read this a few years ago. It was the text for one of my husband's business classes. He said it was a good book... and I said, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" (qualifies as one of the most rare phrases to escape his gorgeous lips) So I had to read it, see.
It's actually pretty amazing. I'm betting I'll never start my own business, because the things I do tend to be less-marketable services and commodities. Reading, doing laundry, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer... Don't th...more
It's actually pretty amazing. I'm betting I'll never start my own business, because the things I do tend to be less-marketable services and commodities. Reading, doing laundry, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer... Don't th...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
About half a dozen important ideas buried in a mass of cloying, poorly written prose.
The 268 pages dedicated to this text could have been cut to 60 and the book would have been better for it. As it is, prepare to skim.
The author's habit of inventing characters that compliment him on his own ideas is a recurring and increasingly annoying technique. He also compliments his invented characters for their eloquence and drops repeated advertisements for his own company in the...more
The 268 pages dedicated to this text could have been cut to 60 and the book would have been better for it. As it is, prepare to skim.
The author's habit of inventing characters that compliment him on his own ideas is a recurring and increasingly annoying technique. He also compliments his invented characters for their eloquence and drops repeated advertisements for his own company in the...more
view 1 comment
If it weren't for the condescending, overly-simplistic, overly-drawn out, incessantly repetitive tone of this book, it would be good--it does have meaningful concepts, it just should have been twenty pages long. I've spent years working in consulting where process works when people don't. This book took sixty pages to suggest that the poor overworked technician hire help. Another fifty pages to explain that you need good processes so that you can hire low-skilled people. That you define a role a...more
One of the worst titles for one of the best business books I've read in a long time. The "E Myth" stands for the "Entrepreneur myth" which, in Gerber's opinion, has caused many small American businesses to fail. Gerber believes that the notion that people of a certain type drive success in business, is pretty much dangerous bunkum. Systems drive business, and if you construct the right systems, the business will run itself. Of course, it's a bit more complex than that. In fa...more
I skimmed this book five years ago after hearing about it from some North Point staff members. I thought I understood the basic ideas, so for the last five years the book sat on my shelf. Until this week. I had a chance to listen to the book this week, and will likely add it as required reading for all our new staff members.
Great lessons:
1) Most people get into business (ministry?) because they like doing something and wish they could do it for themselves. Naively, t...more
Great lessons:
1) Most people get into business (ministry?) because they like doing something and wish they could do it for themselves. Naively, t...more
Read this on the recommendation of a photographer friend who has been able to run his business successfully. This book opened my eyes to practical implications of the oft cited fact that as a photographer, I am now a business owner. It forced me to take a hard look at how we structured our business and to evaluate how to install systems that will allow us to grow our business without being overwhelmed.
His BIG IDEA is that many of the individuals who start business are not entrepreneurs...more
His BIG IDEA is that many of the individuals who start business are not entrepreneurs...more
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 ...more
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 ...more
I want to give this one three and a half. I got one thing out of this book - and I think it was an important thing - that is the focus on the idea that while one's business reflects its owner's personality, it must operate independently of that owner to sustain itself. Other key points included a business needing to express a primary aim outside of the commodities it provides, and what the stages of infancy, adolescence, and maturity can look like for a company, and how it's important to start...more
This book is INVALUABLE for any small business owner. I have worked in several small businesses and have seen the pitfalls described in this book at everyone. I have even worked at a well-known large chain, and the same things happened there too. Just because a business is large and successful doesn't mean it knows what it's doing. So this book gets four stars for content alone.
It gets zero stars on being well-written. Good lord, this guy needed an editor. Every statement you say...more
It gets zero stars on being well-written. Good lord, this guy needed an editor. Every statement you say...more
The E-Myth is a how-to/help guide for diagnosing the problems with small businesses and how to begin to solve them.
I was sent this by a business consultant who felt the IT company myself and my partner run is falling into the pitfalls described in this book - and in a way it is. However, I wouldn't say that reading the E-Myth was a eureka moment, which suddenly made me realise what we have to do in order to grow our business (because that is our issue, rather than simply running it). ...more
I was sent this by a business consultant who felt the IT company myself and my partner run is falling into the pitfalls described in this book - and in a way it is. However, I wouldn't say that reading the E-Myth was a eureka moment, which suddenly made me realise what we have to do in order to grow our business (because that is our issue, rather than simply running it). ...more
Simple read and inspiring. While there were a couple concepts that needed translating to my specific business and a few items that may go better with a grain a salt, I still give it 5 stars because it does simplify the complex framework that is running a small business. Many folks don't realize the hard realities that lead to business failure and this title does a good job of summing up what's really required to build something successful. If you're just starting your business or maybe you're qu...more
In Michael Gerber's follow up to E-Myth, Gerber has written one of the best business books that competes with classics like Jim Collins' Good To Great and Built To Last. E-Myth Revisited presents the facts about small business in the United States then leads you through a specific experience Michael Gerber had while consulting. Each chapter presents thoughts and ideas heavily cemented in principles that will encourage you to rethink your approach to business as an entrepreneur but also as a cons...more
A good book with a simple, but powerful message for businesses / entrepreneurs: take your personality out of your work and create business systems (or, in Gerber's thought process, franchises). Work _on_ your business (system) as much or more as you work _in_ your business. And the point of creating a good system or franchise, is for someone else to eventually buy it out from you (getting you enough money to retire or move on to the next project/business system/franchise).
The format ...more
The format ...more
The E-Myth is of a class of airport traveler business self-help book that's ordinarily so far outside my orbit that I usually don't even have to avoid it. When two intelligent, trusted friends independently recommended this 20-year-old book within a week or two of each other, I eagerly picked it up.
I shouldn't have bothered. The E-Myth is a plodding, self-important, relentlessly pedantic book full of flat cheer and self-serving affirmations. I'm looking forward to hearing why my fri...more
I shouldn't have bothered. The E-Myth is a plodding, self-important, relentlessly pedantic book full of flat cheer and self-serving affirmations. I'm looking forward to hearing why my fri...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Work on the business, not on the work. Don't be a technician, be an entrepreneur. This book identifies the entrepreneurial challenge - one of systematization, not "doing the work yourself." The wide misunderstanding of this task leads to most small businesses failing, or driving their owners insane.
A classic in the field - annoyingly written with a smug and "I can't believe it's not butter!" style, but the concepts are so core to what the objectives of an entreprene...more
A classic in the field - annoyingly written with a smug and "I can't believe it's not butter!" style, but the concepts are so core to what the objectives of an entreprene...more
This is a good book to read if you are thinking of starting your own business. It helps you realize that just because you are good at something doesn't mean you will be good at running a business that does that. For example, not every cup cake maker can go and start their own successful cup cake business. It takes business skills and knowledge. The key to succeeding at your own business is to imagine that you are trying to create hundreds of businesses just like yours and have every process ...more
A complete set of guidelines for not only, young entrepreneurs starting up a business but also for anyone running a business.
Michael Gerber , explains why is it that most of the small business fail , why is it so important to make sure that all three aspects of ones personality are always in control , the three characteristics being , Technician , Manager and Entrepreneur.
Michael goes further explaining all the aspects that one will or is encountering in the course of mana...more
Michael Gerber , explains why is it that most of the small business fail , why is it so important to make sure that all three aspects of ones personality are always in control , the three characteristics being , Technician , Manager and Entrepreneur.
Michael goes further explaining all the aspects that one will or is encountering in the course of mana...more
This is one of the top 10 all time best business books (so far!) according to the NYT. I have to agree.
This book outlines the classic issue ALL entrepreneurs face. Creating a business which provides a job for the entrepreneur vs. creating a business which frees the entrepreneur to pursue other opportunities and choose how and when they work.
The need for control is one of the struggles entrepreneurs have to overcome. Without dealing with this issue, developing the systems and accoun...more
This book outlines the classic issue ALL entrepreneurs face. Creating a business which provides a job for the entrepreneur vs. creating a business which frees the entrepreneur to pursue other opportunities and choose how and when they work.
The need for control is one of the struggles entrepreneurs have to overcome. Without dealing with this issue, developing the systems and accoun...more
Fast, direct classic promoting populist entrepreneurialism.
Lots of advice focused around becoming and being an owner more than a craftsperson. The premise is that the point of a business is to grow to solve larger scale "customer problems" rather than to solve the problem of the business owner (making a living doing what they know/love), the latter being early identified as the reason most small businesses don't work.
From my knowledge of Gerber this angle of his s...more
Lots of advice focused around becoming and being an owner more than a craftsperson. The premise is that the point of a business is to grow to solve larger scale "customer problems" rather than to solve the problem of the business owner (making a living doing what they know/love), the latter being early identified as the reason most small businesses don't work.
From my knowledge of Gerber this angle of his s...more
I saw a video by Gerber as I was starting my own business. At the time, his ideas made sense but I thought they applied to larger organizations, not to my tiny, no employees business. My business also focused on custom work, so the idea of creating replicated processes and documentation seemed contrary to my business goals. Three years later, I read this book and realized that everything he had been saying applied directly to my business. Had I listened earlier, I would not have seen myself ...more
Rachel Meyers
added it
I read this book a few years ago. This time a business coach recommended it and I thought I would read it again with a new perspective in mind. It's a great book and is causing me to change a lot of the practices I use in my business. Basically, the premise is if you don't want your small business to fail, you have to make it work without YOU. Most small business owners, me included, immerse their whole lives into their business and then they grow weary because it has consumed every aspect o...more
While I love some aspects of this book -- particularly the "franchise prototype" and the idea of using templates & systems to streamline organization -- the constant mentions of "we at E-Myth Worldwide" completely shattered the pacing and made me feel like I was reading a sales pitch.
The narrative is also a bit dry, repetitive, and preachy.
I'm not sure why, but I constantly felt like business owners were being belittled throughout the book. Something akin ...more
The narrative is also a bit dry, repetitive, and preachy.
I'm not sure why, but I constantly felt like business owners were being belittled throughout the book. Something akin ...more
The information of this book could've been told in less than 100 pages. He puts too many words to describe something and repeats himself over and over. He'll write the same sentence three times or more after each other, with slight differences, and since he pretends to be having a conversation with "Sara" she'll repeat what he just said. The fact that there are so many E-myth books just proves that he's spinning the worlds largest yarn-ball from a small piece of string.
Conclu...more
Conclu...more
I have had this book on my shelves for a long time. I have always meant to read it, but I just haven't. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with how good the fundamental concepts of this book were. There is a lot of touchy feely stuff that didn't necessarily appeal to me, but it wasn't without value. At the end of the day, this book helps a potential entrepreneur to avoid a doomed venture as a result of an "entrepreneurial seizure." Moreover, it helps one to think through wha...more
This book is worth reading to gain knowledge in a few key areas. The main point of this book is to make the business owner realize that there three main attributes or roles that one must have to be successful. The Entrepreneur, The Manager, and The Technician. The concept is that most businesses are started by Technicians and they typically lack the skills to run a successful company. They need to develop the Entrepreneur and Manager within themselves to become a mature company with the capabili...more
This was a terrific book! I can easily say that every small business owner and entrepreneur should read it!
The first half especially was terrific. It helped me to conceptualize how much effort I was putting into my three business owner "characters": the technician, the manager, and the entrepreneur.
The second half was also good and gave me lots of great ideas for creating processes for my business. But it may be a little over the top for some - if you take him l...more
The first half especially was terrific. It helped me to conceptualize how much effort I was putting into my three business owner "characters": the technician, the manager, and the entrepreneur.
The second half was also good and gave me lots of great ideas for creating processes for my business. But it may be a little over the top for some - if you take him l...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five Star Paintin...: Parts 1 & 2 | 2 | 4 | Dec 08, 2011 08:46am |
Readers Also Enjoyed
Michael founded the company that would eventually become E-Myth Worldwide more than 30 years ago to address a significant need in the small business market: businesses owned primarily by people with technical skills but few business skills, and no place to go to get meaningful help. Over the years, E-Myth has helped tens of thousands of small business owner clients to successfully transform their ...more
More about Michael E. Gerber...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Contrary to popular belief, my experience has shown me that the people who are exceptionally good in business aren't so because of what they know but because of their insatiable need to know more.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
