I picked up the audio book, “E-Myth Revisited
The book is about starting your own business and the mistakes that most entrepreneurs make in the process. It gives some fascinating insights into different business startup methods and how many are destined to fail right from the start.
The book lists three “hats” the budding entrepreneur must wear. They are…
- Technician
- Manager
- Entrepreneur
Author Michael Gerber says that the majority of new business startups are done by “technicians”, people that are good at a certain task such as a mechanic. The technician is the laborer, the one who produces the products or service. The manager ensures that processes and finances run smoothly and regularly. The entrepreneur develops the goals, and steers the company in the direction needed to attain those goals. Of these three dispositions, the entrepreneur is key… without it, the technician will end up overworked and underpaid. As the company grows, the business owner will want to draw away from the technician and manager work and delegate these jobs to others.
As someone who has been a “Technician” all of his life, this insight into the other necessary qualities of business planning has been very eye opening. The book gives many examples of business run from the “technician” perspective. In the past when I used to sell to auto repair shops I was always amazed at the mechanic who would start up a new shop and try to do all of the work himself. He usually had a phone in one hand and a wrench in the other. The difficulty of trying to do everything himself would soon lead to burnout and a quick return from businessman to employee.
In the coming months as we look at putting together a workable business plan the resources provided by this book and the comprehensive e-myth website will prove to be useful tools. For management resources we’ll look no further than our favorite management guru, Rosa Say, and her very informative blog, Talking Story. In the technician area, blogs such as lifehacker and lifehack.org will provide some useful tricks and tips, while fellow blogger Dwayne Melancon always provides real world business experience on his Genuine Curiosity Blog.
If a business startup is in your future be sure to pick up this book or get the audio version
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