The E-Myth Revisited

September 27, 2012

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Since we are focused on choices this month, one of the more challenging choices a business owner makes is how much time to spend working in the business versus how much time to work on the business. In his book, “The E-Myth Revisited, Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What To Do About It”, Michael Gerber explains how the person who likes to work in the business as The Technician can also work on the business as The Manager and The Entrepreneur.


My favorite part of the book is in Section 3 where the author talks about the three key activities that form the foundation of the business. These activities are:


  • Innovation – Creativity is thinking new things, Innovation is doing new things to advance the business.
  • Quantification – What do the numbers say about how far Innovation has moved the business. If you don’t measure it, did it really happen?
  • Orchestration – Optimization of the business by embedding best practices into the standard operating procedures of the business.



As my own vision for my business is “Making Leadership a Way of Life”, these three activities help me realize what a sustainable leadership mantra entails. Whether you work in a small business or large business, for-profit or non-profit, this book will help you understand what it takes to be successful over the long haul.

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