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

by Michael E. Gerber

The most tragic possibility of all for an Adolescent business is that it actually survives! You’re an incredibly strong-willed, stubborn, single-minded individual who’s determined not to be beaten. You go into your business every morning with a vengeance, absolutely convinced that it’s a jungle out there, and fully committed to doing whatever’s necessary to survive. And you do survive. Kicking and scratching, beating up your people and your customers, ranting and raving at your family and friends—because, after all, you’ve got to keep the business going. And you know there’s only one way to do it: you’ve got to be there—all the time. In Adolescent Survival you’re consumed by the business and the possibility of losing it. And so you put everything you have into it. And, for whatever reason, you manage to keep it going.