I read the E-Myth, and so what
February 13th, 2008 by Allen Voivod
As a small business guy, lifestyle entrepreneur, microbusiness owner, et cetera, I’ve been told over and over again that I should read what used to be called “The E-Myth” by Michael Gerber (now The E-Myth Revisited).
Well, the other night, I finished it. And when I asked myself what I would write on our blog about it, the first random thing that popped into my head was a chapter title from Richard Bach’s A Gift of Wings - “I shot down the Red Baron, and so what.”
Bach was writing about his experience as a stunt pilot on a Roger Corman movie, The Red Baron. Which has absolutely nothing to do with this post or The E-Myth, but the “so what” sentiment kind of captures how underwhelmed I was.
That’s not to say I didn’t learn anything from it. The Technician vs. Manager vs. Entrepreneur thing was very enlightening for me, for example. It gave me the gift of sanity - I’ve been a little crazy and frustrated in my head about our business sometimes, and to see so clearly why it was happening was a big “Aha!” for me.
It could simply be that people were hyping the book so strongly to me, there was no chance of anything but a letdown. How many times have friends told you that you HAVE to go see such-and-such movie, and when you see it, you’re left wondering, “What’s the big deal?”
Same idea. I’ve recently heard people say they’ve read The E-Myth three and four times, and gotten something different out of it every time, especially as they grew and progressed in their own businesses. A fair point. But it’s going to be like that for any business book, I’d wager.
At this point, the thing I’d be most interested in is reading more about Gerber’s own background. He tells his story in the book, but my goodness, if that was blown into a full-length biography, I think that’d be one of the best and most instructive reads of the year.
As for The E-Myth, I think on balance I’m glad I read it. Would I recommend it? Yes … but if people are telling you it’s going to radically change the way you think about your business, take that with a grain of salt, read it for yourself, and trust your own judgment.
Just my $0.02 on it.
I didn’t like The E Myth Revisited when I first read it many years ago. I didn’t really get it and I didn’t like the writing style but now I love it and it is one of the first books I recommend to my clients and prospects.
People recognise themselves and their own situation in the book and it starts to show a way out of the chaos and grind many small business owners find themselves caught up in.
I particularly like Chapters 12 and 13 which emphasise that the business must be designed to work for you by clarify your primary aims and the strategic objectives of the business.
Comment by Paul Simister — February 19, 2008 @ 11:20 pm