Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

more photos (1)

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

Michael E. Gerber

4.03 · Rating details · 64,630 ratings · 2,066 reviews

E-Myth \ 'e-,'mith\ n 1: the entrepreneurial myth: the myth that most people who start small businesses are entrepreneurs 2: the fatal assumption that an individual who understands the technical work of a business can successfully run a business that does that technical work

Voted #1 business book by Inc. 500 CEOs.

An instant classic, this revised and updated edition of the ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 269 pages

Published January 1st 1995 by Harper Business (first published September 1st 1985)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The E-Myth Revisited, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

Best Business Books

843 books — 1,576 voters

The 100 Best Business Books of All Time

426 books — 751 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.03 ·

Rating details

· 64,630 ratings · 2,066 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

Apr 04, 2010 Chad Warner rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: entrepreneurs, business owners

Recommended to Chad by: Dean Whittaker, Entrepreneur Magazine, Seth Getz

Shelves: favorites, business, non-fiction, sales

This book tells how to get your business to run without you. It shows how to work on your business, not in it. It explains how to get your people to work without your interference. It tells how to systematize so the business could be replicated 5,000 times. It shows how to do the work you love rather than the work you have to do.

The E-Myth (Entrepreneurial Myth) is that businesses are started by entrepreneurs seeking profit. In actuality, businesses are started by technicians (employees) who dec ...more

flag 150 likes · Like · see review

Dec 02, 2007 Christopher rated it did not like it

Shelves: business

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 text. Classy. ...more

flag 136 likes · Like · see review

Jul 10, 2011 Travis rated it did not like it

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

flag 81 likes · Like · see review

Jan 28, 2008 Wellington rated it it was amazing

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. For instanc ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Jul 04, 2013 Farnoosh Brock rated it it was amazing

Shelves: business-spirit

It felt like overnight MBA school. Or better.

A 5-star through and through. I never got my MBA. I've build a 6-figure business after resigning from my long corporate career, and I'm never going to go for the MBA, but listening to Michael Gerber's E-Myth Revisited book, I feel like I just went to overnight MBA School.

I listened to the book at 1.5x the speed over several flights and learned SO MUCH and I feel that even if you are a pro small business owner, you'll get a lot out of this book.

This i ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Feb 02, 2016 Sophie rated it really liked it

The The E-Myth Revisited deals with two major misconceptions about running a business: that every small business owner is an entrepreneur and the assumption that working on your business is the same as working in your business. This book is an absolute must-read for business owners and while on occasion the writing is a little cheesy there are plenty of really important topics discussed in a clear, informative manner, which will help you grow your business in a productive and successful way. ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Jun 19, 2010 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015, again-and-again, 2018, 2010

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, they think they'll have more f 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, they think they'll have more flexibility or earn more of the profit. Seldom do they consider the start-up costs, the risk and the need for discipline or systems. These people, says the author, are technicians. They have a technical skill, e.g., baking pies (preaching) but lack either the management tools or the margin to initiate improvements and grow the business.

2) As a result, most--up to 80%--of new business start-ups fail, and fail miserably.

3) Enter systems. Systems allow one to scale and automate and refine in a way that a single individual often cannot. Imagine, says the author, designing a business model that can be replicated 5000 times! Engineer as much of the operations as possible to be fool-proof. Break down the components into small pieces that can be managed by someone with very little innate ability and/or training.

4) Be cautious of talent. Too often, hiring "talented" managers can screw up the system because they begin to turn dials and make changes. It may seem counter-intuitive, but these self-starters can really cause big problems quickly. They have a role, but it's in the R&D department, not on the execution side.

5) Turn training into a game. Make it fun for new staff to learn what is expected.

6) Measure everything . . . so you can diagnose more efficiently.

7) Script everything . . . so you can more easily achieve consistent/predictable results, and maintain the agreed-to standard.

8) Check-lists are common-sense necessary for anything you plan to do at least twice. Get over the feeling these are for idiots; they ensure that they right things are done in the right order.

9) There are sales techniques (scripts) that work. Period.

10) This is a book I'll probably add to my "Every January" list for the next few years alongside Acts, The Effective Executive, Getting Things Done, The Art of War, etc. ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Jul 15, 2013 Filipe Lemos rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: No one, really

Shelves: non-fiction, audio

This book is appears in all must-read-business-books-lists.
Well, not on mine.

While I agree that standardization of processes can go long way, the McDonald's of the world already exist. Trying to create another one, is as likely as to aiming to be the next Facebook.

The way I work in the corporate world, and the way I see myself working in an enterprise of my own, isn't factory work, follow the manual and nothing but the manual, don't think just execute bogus.

We're human working for humans, everyo ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Feb 04, 2009 Meg rated it really liked it

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 think you get paid for any of ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Mar 31, 2013 Mario Tomic rated it it was amazing

This book is an absolute MUST READ for anyone looking to start or manage a business. It's evergreen wisdom that will give you a nice foundation how to plan your business and the proper way to manage it. Even if you don't wanna start your own company this book will definitely help you understand more about business in general and how the structure of a stable company works. This is a really valuable book full of wisdom, don't miss out! ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2015 Elise Edmonds rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

The principles in this book are very good, and I think Gerber nails the reasons why so many small businesses fail. The distinction between the roles of Entrepreneur, Technician and Manager are well thought out and reflect reality.

The systems Gerber recommends putting into place are stringent, and I feel it would be difficult to transfer them to certain types of business - service businesses, and highly skilled technical businesses for example. It's very much geared to businesses that provide goo ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

May 18, 2014 Sarah rated it did not like it

I found this book poorly written and condescending. The formula Gerber prescribes for struggling small business owners could have been easily explained in a few bullet points without the endless anecdotes about "Sarah's Pie Shop" and annoying made-up terms. (Stop trying to make Turn-Key Revolution happen! It's not going to happen.) ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Aug 19, 2012 Robert rated it it was amazing

"A life laking in comprehensive structure is an aimless wreck. The absence of structure breads breakdown" - Quote from The Third Wave, Alvin Toffler. So Mr. Gerber makes the point that in a broken world our businesses need to be the shelter from the chaos with what Mr. Gerber calls "Impeccable order".

“The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Jan 19, 2009 Nicholas rated it really liked it

Shelves: business

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The general stuff was good. A lot of the specifics are born out of an older era of thinking. Just think of those few innovative companies that did away with the organizational charts. Think of those companies that laugh at it because it doesn't reflect reality. But is that because the idea of the chart is wrong or people just don't know how to make them properly. Perhaps the chart should be cut into a big jumble of different tasks all of which can be passed around like little bracelets. Your job ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Sep 15, 2019 Sher❤ The Fabulous BookLover rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction-reads

3.5 Stars

Very repetitive, but it has some good concepts to think about.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 03, 2016 Kellye Bojorquez rated it it was ok

Maybe I'm being unfair. Maybe, because I'm a writing teacher, this book bothered me more than it should have.

To be fair, there are some good (though not groundbreaking) business ideas here, mostly common sense concepts that are good to refresh and reemphasize.

But I found a few of Gerber's writing habits irksome. His needless repetition belittles his audience. His habit of belaboring a point by adding to it a litany of fragments that simply restate the concept was tiresome. His long, rambling, Maybe I'm being unfair. Maybe, because I'm a writing teacher, this book bothered me more than it should have.

To be fair, there are some good (though not groundbreaking) business ideas here, mostly common sense concepts that are good to refresh and reemphasize.

But I found a few of Gerber's writing habits irksome. His needless repetition belittles his audience. His habit of belaboring a point by adding to it a litany of fragments that simply restate the concept was tiresome. His long, rambling, and oddly, overly detailed autobiographical anecdotes were unnecessary and often unrelatable. But the main concepts also confounded me at times.

The E-Myth is that, inside each business owner are three warring factions: the Entrepreneur, the Manager, and the Technician. Until we get those three personalities to cohabitate peacefully, we won't be successful in business. Gerber has a habit of capitalizing things, as if to coin a phrase for an already well-known concept and brand it as his own. Be prepared for a lot of that. Make no mistake: if your business is failing, he says, you are the problem. So this is primarily a concept piece, a philosophical work on the paradigm he feels successful business owners should take, not a how-to manual.

For him, business is a proving ground-- a dojo of sorts-- in which a man can test his inner mettle, and create a world that is ordered, and gives him what we all crave: relationship, order, and "more life." It's an exercise of his life purpose, his inner humanity. Okay. I'll give him that.

But, having now read the entire book, I can say it reads like a cautionary tale against going into business. One of his big ideas is the Franchise Prototype, guided by an infinitely detailed Operations Manual with a scientifically proven set of systems for each and every thing your business does (from cleaning toilets to selling widgets to greeting customers and answering phones). Just the thought of literally researching and systematizing (and organizing and assigning tasks to specific people) for every.single.thing we do from making coffee to filing invoices sounds like a monolithis task. But he claims that, with the right system for Absolutely Everything, you can easily train and hire total nincompoops (he is very clear that you don't need experience or talent in your employees-- in fact, experienced and talented employees are way more trouble and expense than they're worth, and are still as unpredictable as any other human), and your customer will get the best possible experience, every time.

He takes his concept from the franchise models of places like McDonald's, which, though certainly not a model of quality, definitely stands as a model of consistency. Give the customer a consistent experience, Gerber urges, and he will feel in control.

This is where the difference between pre-9/11 American business and out post-9/11 culture is most apparent. He gives a sample sales script (according to the Systems mentality, every interaction between customer and employee should follow an unvarying script) that is painful. It sounds like a TV announcer from the 1950's. But Gerber cautions that if, after careful research into the demographics and psychographics of your chosen customer, you create a marketing system, use it "as long as it works," and then when it stops working, change it. Your business is dynamic, and all of your employees should be looking for ways to innovate and improve systems. Naturally, because hiring untalented nincompoops who like to follow a script naturally spawns a team of proactive, forward-thinking innovators. I found that a little confounding, too.

In fact, Gerber is from a different world: one filled with honest, hard-working employees just waiting for a Boss to Believe In. And once they buy into his Big Idea (the "Game" as Gerber calls it), they will play that game with gusto because they love and look up to him. I have rarely met a person in my generation who venerates his boss like this.

But maybe that's why Gerber and I don't click. I'm a Gen-Xer in post-9/11 America, and he's a hippie poet who smoked weed in his VW bus until he had to go corporate to make a living. He's made a great life for himself at E-Myth Worldwide, and I'm happy for him. I'm grateful for the bits of this book I will use as reminders. I probably won't read another of his books. ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2008 Melissa Jill rated it really liked it

Shelves: business

This book is one of the most highly acclaimed reads for small business owners. I started listening to it on CD a few years ago and then got distracted and just finished it recently. I got the gist of the message a few years back and it truly shaped my business and focus from that point forward.

The E-Myth (Entrepreneurial Myth) is that businesses are started by entrepreneurs seeking profit. In actuality, businesses are started by technicians (employees) who convince themselves that they could be This book is one of the most highly acclaimed reads for small business owners. I started listening to it on CD a few years ago and then got distracted and just finished it recently. I got the gist of the message a few years back and it truly shaped my business and focus from that point forward.

The E-Myth (Entrepreneurial Myth) is that businesses are started by entrepreneurs seeking profit. In actuality, businesses are started by technicians (employees) who convince themselves that they could be their own boss and work for themselves. They make the assumption that by understanding the technical work of a business, they also understand the business that does that technical work.

Like many photographers, I started my own business because I like photography. And like most photographers who own their own business, I did everything myself to start out with. I did the book-keeping, the shooting, the editing, the product production, sales, marketing, graphic design, and networking. I wore every hat and very quickly realized I would burn myself right out if I continued on this path. The author states that there are 3 different roles that need to be covered in order for a small business to succeed: the technician, the manager and the entrepreneur. Most everyone who starts a small business does so because they like the technician work -- in my case taking and processing photos. But if they continue to cling to that role the business will ultimately, and fairly quickly, fail. They must be a manager and even more importantly, an entrepreneur -- having a vision and thinking about the big picture of where they want their business to go. But they won't be freed up to be a manager or entrepreneur if they are overwhelmed with the technical work of the business. They need to take on employees or outsource the work of the business in order to grow. I talk to so many photographers who are just starting out and I hear the same thing over and over again. They are spending all their time behind the computer editing and know they need to focus on other areas of their businesses but they just don't have the time. In order to get over this hump and have a chance to succeed, they need to let go of part of the technician in themselves and embrace the manager and entrepreneur.

Once a business grows and has more employees handling various roles in the business it is of utmost importance to systematize. Everything you do should be a system that can be duplicated. You will be far more efficient and profitable if you systematize, systematize, systematize. Design your business as if you were going to try to make 2000 others just like it. Then you will be able to easily train others to do much of the work IN the business so that you can focus on working ON the business. I have dedicated myself to the process of systematizing everything we do at Melissa Jill Photography for the past few years. A ton of work has gone into developing our workflow and systems manual. I can definitely see how this hard work has paid off.

If you haven't yet read this book and you are a small business owner -- get on it! You will be happy you did.
...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2018 Patrick Sherriff rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: business

I am a small business owner, or at least I thought I was before I read this book, but now I realise I'm not. Yes, I'm a self-employed English language teacher in Japan, but what I have isn't a business so much as a job. The crucial difference being what happens if you stop pedalling. If I did, the bike would quickly grind to a halt and topple over. That means I have a job. A business on the other hand is an institution (even a small one) that could be run by someone else. The real difference, as I am a small business owner, or at least I thought I was before I read this book, but now I realise I'm not. Yes, I'm a self-employed English language teacher in Japan, but what I have isn't a business so much as a job. The crucial difference being what happens if you stop pedalling. If I did, the bike would quickly grind to a halt and topple over. That means I have a job. A business on the other hand is an institution (even a small one) that could be run by someone else. The real difference, as Gerber explains, is the system. With a system (think game plan, plot structure, lesson plan) you are free to approach your business from a different perspective. And that perspective is to treat your business as a prototype, a testing ground where you keep innovating, measuring results and standardising successful practices until you have built a system that works. Divide what work needs to be done into categories (like doing the accounts, the marketing, making the widgets) and decide who is responsible for each job. The jobs might all fall on your own shoulders at first but that's OK, at least you are approaching the work as a business and at some point you could hire people into the different jobs and give them a manual (you have a system now, remember?). The aim is to free yourself of having to do the menial tasks and be able to focus on the future of the business. Easy right? In theory. And this is where Gerber excels. Approaching work as a system means you are free to make mistakes, free to experiment and free to develop what you have into something really great. I'm on board.

The only downside to Gerber's book is the rather artificial case study, Sarah and her pie shop, that keeps popping up at the end of every chapter. I get that Gerber needed an example to demonstrate his points, but by the end of the book I was eager for Sarah to be bitten by a zombie or vampire and turn the pie machine onto her mentor and then, we'd see how robust a system Gerber really has. Still, his insights from a book written before internet business had really dawned are invaluable. In the category of must read for entrepreneurs and would-be conquerors of the known business world.

Download my starter library for free here - http://eepurl.com/bFkt0X - and receive my monthly newsletter with book recommendations galore for the Japanophile/crime fiction/English teacher in all of us.
...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 01, 2011 Daniel Taylor rated it really liked it

Shelves: foundational-business-books, self-help, business, marketing, foundational-marketing-books, leadership, productivity

Self-employment does not make you an entrepreneur.

In this classic, Gerber highlights the three functions in a business: the Entrepreneur, the Manager, and the Technician. Self-employed people stay on the Technician-level and thus limit themselves.

He then moves onto the three stages of business growth, Infancy, Adolescence, and Maturity and shows how the role of the functions change as you grow.

Finally he outlines a Business Development Program, a practical Turn-Key system for putting his ideas i ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 22, 2015 Alex Stevenson rated it it was amazing

Hands down the best book on business I've read yet. You often hear the same generic motivational narrative and watered down advice over and over. This book was the complete opposite - it shows you the core of what a business really is and gives you practical advice on starting a successful one. A must read for anyone into entrepreneurship, and even if you aren't it'll give you invaluable advice on how to use systems to achieve results in your every day life. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2019 Thuy rated it did not like it

That was a painful read and a waste of time. The tone was condescending. I'd be more upset but the book was only 99¢. It was one giant advertisement for their consulting services. No actual answers or evidence to back up their claims. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2017 Nicole rated it did not like it

Couldn't get past the repetition and corny dialogue. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 26, 2012 Omar Halabieh rated it it was amazing

The book revolves around a central idea, that there exists a myth ("E-Myth") which states: "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 belief in the Entrepreneurial Myth is the most important factor in the devastating rate of small business failure today. Understanding the E-Myth, and applying that understanding to creation and development of The book revolves around a central idea, that there exists a myth ("E-Myth") which states: "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 belief in the Entrepreneurial Myth is the most important factor in the devastating rate of small business failure today. Understanding the E-Myth, and applying that understanding to creation and development of a small business, can be the secret to any business's success."

To overcome this myth and it's accompanying challenges, the author argues for the deployment of a Franchise Prototype model. It begins with the owner realizing that "your business is not your life...the primary purpose of your business is to serve your life, you can then go to work on your business, rather than in it".

One might than ask themselves, how do I convert my existing business into this new operational model? This is where the Business Development Program, comes into play. The program introduced by GERBER in this book is based on the execution of the following seven steps:

1- Your Primary Aim: " What do I value the most? What kind of life do I want? What do I want my life to look like, to feel like? Who do I wish to be? Your primary aim is the answer to all these questions."

2- Your Strategic Objective: "A very clear statement of what your business has to ultimately do for you to achieve your primary aim."

3- Your Organizational Strategy: Structure the way the business is going to work, in other words creating the organizational chart - roles and responsibilities.

4- Your Management Strategy: "A system designed into your prototype to produce a marketing result."

5- Your People Strategy: The way the "game" (vision/aim) is communicated to the team at the outset. This includes everything from the position contracts (organization chart), to operations manuals, to the standards for performance and accountability.

6- Your Marketing Strategy: Knowing who your customer is (demographics) and why they buy (psychographics)

7- Your Systems Strategy: The "set of things, actions, ideas and information that interact with each other, and in so doing, alter other systems."

What sets this book apart is the analysis that the author performs, through a sample business, of issues small business owners encounter. This includes the different personas the owner takes on, as well as the evolution of the business through the maturity cycle. This analysis is what allows the readers to appreciate and embrace the proposed prototype framework that the author then introduces as key to success. A must read in the area of entrepreneurship and small business. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 21, 2011 Jim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: business

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 fact, it's a lot more c ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 25, 2010 Jeff rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2010-book-list

Outstanding. Second time I've read it, better this time around. If you are starting a new business or organization, this is a must-read.

Some takeaways:

The Entrepreneur, the Technician, the Manager.

The true product of a business isn't what it sells but how it sells it.

The Entrepreneur asks, "Where is the opportunity?"

Tom Watson, IBM: "Every day is devoted to business development, not doing business."

Mr. Watson had a clear picture of what IBM would look like in the future and began to act like it ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 06, 2011 Chris Mower rated it liked it

I've read this book 3 times now over the past 5 years... well, I read it once very thoroughly and marked it up with highlights and notes... then read/skimmed it the second and third times... truth is it drives me nuts when people invent characters/dialogue in these types of books, and it's even more annoying when the dialogue is unnatural. Grudges aside, it teaches excellent business principles and ideas and thus comes highly recommended for the ideas, just not for the writing style. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 29, 2018 Megan rated it did not like it

This book definitely had a handful of REALLY good ideas. Unfortunately, they were buried by a couple hundred pages of horribly written gibberish. The E-Myth easily could have been condensed into maybe 50 pages, and it wouldn't have been so painful to get through. Gerber's stories of his conversations with "Sarah" are so over-the-top dramatic that I couldn't believe a word of it.

Find a summary online, study the main points, and skip the book. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 12, 2016 Bartosz Majewski rated it it was amazing

Shelves: business

Must read for every enterpreneur. Instant classic

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2020 Nathan Rose rated it it was ok

Shelves: citizens-of-world

This is probably the fourth or fifth time I have sat down to try to read "The E-Myth". My past attempts have always ended in abandonment, but this book is so highly regarded as a business classic that I decided to grit my teeth and to power all the way through to the end this time, no matter what.

Having done so, I am confirmed in my belief that this book does not deserve all the praise it has been showered with. I remember now why it was so hard to finish - the book has a single point which it k This is probably the fourth or fifth time I have sat down to try to read "The E-Myth". My past attempts have always ended in abandonment, but this book is so highly regarded as a business classic that I decided to grit my teeth and to power all the way through to the end this time, no matter what.

Having done so, I am confirmed in my belief that this book does not deserve all the praise it has been showered with. I remember now why it was so hard to finish - the book has a single point which it keeps hitting the reader over the head with, for far too long, and with far too little imagination.

The beginning of the book is the best part. It points out something which is non-obvious, but rings true as soon as you read it: that most small businesses are not started by "entrepreneurs". Rather, they are started by "technicians" - as in, people who have some kind of technical skill.

The typical foray into small business ownership begins when a technician has what Gerber calls an "entrepreneurial seizure". For instance, a hairdresser quits working for someone else and starts a hair salon of their own. Trouble is, although these technicians know how to do the technical work, they are often ill-equipped to deal with the new and different challeges that come with running a small business. That's a pretty good statement of the problem, so I'll give "The E-Myth" credit there.

But reading further, I became highly skeptical when Gerber argues that this one thing - technicians being unable or unwilling to do entrepreneurial work - is the main reason behind why most small businesses fail. Surely I thought to myself, *any number of things* can be the death-knell. For example, the cause of failure can as simple as not offering a product which enough customers want, or not being able to sell it at a high enough price. But no, this is skipped over entirely.

To me, this is the core problem with "The E-Myth" - it says that every business problem stems from a failure to build systems. And every solution begins with deploying the book's "keys to success". It's classic guru advice: *success will be yours, if only you do this one thing*. Anyone with an ounce of experience will recognise that reality is a lot more detailed than that.

Another thing that was eyebrow-raising was the "conversation" between Gerber and the woman who owns the pie shop: "Sarah". Sarah has a problem that many small business owners can identify with - she loves doing the technical work (in her case, baking pies), but she hates doing all the other stuff that come with owning her own shop.

Sarah becomes despondent at the idea of having to spend her time doing entrepreneurial work. After all, she loves baking pies - not sales, managing, and so on. So Sarah asks Gerber point blank: "What should I do if I just want to bake pies?", and swiftly gets told that in this case she should shut her business down and get a job.

But then, just a few pages later, Sarah does a 180 degree turn and becomes eager to learn how to become an entrepreneur! It's a stunning, and quite unbelievable transformation... which makes me suspect that "Sarah" is not really based on an actual person at all - rather, she is probably a device which Gerber invented in order to cast himself in the role of the all-knowing expert. I don't know this for sure, but it's what it felt like when reading.

Earlier, I mentioned the lack of imagination in "The E-Myth". It seems to me that there are many ways to build a fulfilling life, beyond either "getting a job" on the one hand, or building a "McDonald's" type business on the other (McDonald's is the example that Gerber consistently holds up as the paragon of business model success, which all readers ought to try to emulate). You can sell your time as a freelancer, you can become the best in the world at your craft and charge a lot for what you do, you can build a startup and scale through software rather than through franchising. All of these can be good options for different people at different times - but it doesn't fit Gerber's cookie-cutter approach, so no mention of any of them.

So "The E-Myth" is a several-hundred-page book with one decent piece of advice: if you want to be an entrepreneur, you should *build systems*.
- This will ensure a consistent, repeatable customer experience.
- It also means each individual staff member becomes more dispensable (because they are a cog in the wheel, rather than a lynchpin), which gives the business owner more power.

If you understand that, then you don't really need to read the rest. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 28, 2017 Louai Al Roumani rated it it was amazing

I am usually very skeptical about business books; there seems to be an endless stream of new books underlying 'revolutionary' theories on what to do and what not to do in business. Some say you should plan more, others insist the way to go is not to plan; and so on. In spite of this skeptical mindset, I gave this book a chance as recommended by a friend.

Little did I know that I was destined to the best business book I have ever read.

The language is so simple and practical, yet so engaging and ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Is There A Remedy For Panic Disorders? You Bet Your Shirt There Will!	1	1	Aug 31, 2020 01:59AM
Consulting - Announcing 3 Efficient Steps To Enhance Your Consulting	1	1	Aug 31, 2020 01:19AM
Time Is Really A Perishable Inventory - Is Vital To Keep Clients Know This!	1	1	Aug 31, 2020 12:34AM
5 Easy Tips To Gain New Business	1	5	Feb 18, 2020 08:25AM
Tư Vấn Thiết Kế Kiến Trúc	1	2	Jul 05, 2018 07:59PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Business

2,387 users

Nonfiction

423 users

Business > Entrepreneurship

289 users

Self Help

116 users

Buisness

100 users

Leadership

99 users

Business > Management

84 users

Self Help > Personal Development

47 users

Economics > Finance

44 users

Economics

40 users

See top shelves…

About Michael E. Gerber

Michael E. Gerber

374 followers

Books by Michael E. Gerber

E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World-Class Company

The E-Myth Enterprise: How to Turn A Great Idea Into a Thriving Business

Awakening the Entrepreneur Within: How Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies

The E-Myth Manager: Why Most Managers Don't Work and What to Do About It

More…

News & Interviews

6 Great Books Hitting Shelves This Week

Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day. To create our...

Trivia About The E-Myth Revisi...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from The E-Myth Revisi...

“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.” — 34 likes

“The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is living fully and just existing.” — 34 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Michael E. Gerber

Books by Michael E. Gerber

News & Interviews

Trivia About The E-Myth Revisi...

Quotes from The E-Myth Revisi...

See a Problem?

Preview — The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Michael E. Gerber

Books by Michael E. Gerber

News & Interviews

Trivia About The E-Myth Revisi...

Quotes from The E-Myth Revisi...

new topic
Discuss This Book