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

Michael E. Gerber

1 Small Business Owners are NOT Entrepreneurs
For anyone starting a business or struggling to take his or her business to next level, I highly recommend The E-Myth revisited.

Falsely, many business owners are self-employed individuals with the extra burden of maintaining the aura of being an Entrepreneur.

Michael Gerber's book provides a successful model for becoming a true business owner. First, he explains how there are three distinct personalities involved in running a business. Secondly, and my favorite part, he clarifies the distinction between working ON your business instead of working IN your business. Finally, he constructs a working model on how to build a successful business.

Chapter 1 describes "The Entrepreneurial Myth." Mr. Gerber emphasizes over and over again, most business owners make the fatal assumption that if they understand the TECHNICAL work of a business, they understand the BUSINESS that does the technical work. Just because you know how to be a carpenter or accountant doesn't mean that you know how to run a carpentry or accounting business.

Chapter 2, "The Entrepreneur, the Manager, and the Technician," the three personalities in every person who goes into business. Vision, pragmatism, and action, the contributions of these personalities, are all required for success.

Chapters 3 to 6 explain different stages in the life of a business.

Chapter 7 dissects and uncovers the new revolution in business today.

Chapter 8 outlines what is called a Franchise Prototype. Not to be confused with retail franchises, it is a method of creating a business autopilot.

Chapter 9 literally explains itself - "Working On Your Business, Not In It."

Chapters 10 to 18 (Part III) show how to develop the systems that will out you in control of your business, instead of the other way around.

After reading The E-Myth Revisited, you will understand the difference between being self-employed and being a full-fledged business owner who leads others and manages systems.

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Michael Davis - Editor, Byvation

2 Excellent - Much Needed!
Gerber addresses how to make your business work for you instead of you working for your business. I desperately needed this change from thinking I have to do it all to learning to set up my business so it can run without me. I believe I am like most small business owners-I know my market and my product but hate the bookkeeping aspects. I have my own business--I get to choose which 20 hours a day I want to work. Gerber explain the typical mentality of a small business owner and how to change your thinking and avoid the common pitfalls. I found it eye-opening.

The previous review that wrote he only read the first part (then tore it apart on a partial reading) should have read the whole book. The first part presents the problems and the second the solutions.

3 It helped me to take control of my business!
I found it really useful. I have a Real Estate Business and have 2 employees. We all are sellers and I was a sort of Sales Manager, seller, director...
It was frustrating not having a record of the clients who called to the office in order to follow up their requirements, not to mension the fact of not knowing other seller's client's requirements and having several sheets of paper with data of the houses we were trying to sell in several desks in the office.
After doing something about the mess we had, starting to follow a system and given specific tasks and formats to fill now we are organized to work and a much better follow up of our clients.
The following step is to establish a broader system in order to be able to let the business running by itself, a business not requiring me stay here all day long. And, now after reading the book, I know how to do it.
The only thing I didn't think is right in this book is that Gerber assumes that a seller may follow a system, not necessarily caring about the feelings of clients, and yet be a good seller.

4 Excellent book on changing the mind-set.
This book is an excellent book for changing mind-set of business owners. The book starts by describing many problematic areas that small business owners may have especially those owners whose background are not in the business but more technical oriented. Then, the book stresses the importance of developing a solid system, where the business process are well designed, and thought-of.

As a business owner myself with a technical background, I found it to be a fun book to read. It requires technician-type owners to think more on the business side rather than technical side. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a mind-set change.

However, this book focuses more on business systems, processes and management, it does not provide systematic suggestions or solutions on marketing or sales, which I believe small biz owners need most. Also, this book uses too many stories to illustrate just one idea, which is too wordy.

All in all, this book worth its value. With its price just a little over ten bucks, this book can change the mind-set of a technician-type biz owner, and possbily benefit or even re-shape the course of your business in the future.

5 The Right Mind Set
Definately one the best books I've read so far for helping a small business owner get his/her head around how to run his/her business.

6 Loved it!
This is a well written book! It's like a novel, you just can't put it down, because you want to know what'll happen next. The author uses a style of making a specific point, and then provides a continuing real world story where he discussed these points with a real entrepreneur.

Now if only Mr Gerber would write a book on finding an idea to start your own business! LOL

7 A View from the Trenches
Gerber's book E-Myth Revisited is an extremely valuable book that should be read by every small business owner. Here's why: In my work as a consultant and mentor for small business owners, I see first hand, every day, the cost of trying to run a business without understanding the fundamentals. I see one business owner after another who is stressed out, overwhelmed, and working for less than minimum wage.

Gerber's whole point is that you have to look at each piece of your business to find ways to make it work, developing systems so you're not constantly putting out fires and reinventing the wheel. It's about recognizing that your business will grow and preparing for that ahead of time, anticipating the changes. That enables you to grow the business the way YOU want it to grow as opposed to having it spiral out of control.

Gerber's premise is that by building value in your business, you create a saleable entity. In his opinion that is the reason to have a business--build it, then sell it. I think that's a matter of personal choice. However, it certainly makes more sense to build a healthy, flourishing business than to struggle along with a pale, sickly business, regardless of what you do with it in the future.

E-myth changed the way I look at my own business and has definitely helped me when I'm stepping into a new client's business to quickly figure out where the problems are. The quicker I can find the problems, the quicker I can provide the solutions.

Gerber's book oversimplifies. It has to. He has to break through all the swirling chaos of day to day small business ownership and get down to the underlying causes. Read the book, think about it, see how it applies to your own business, then apply it in the ways you think will be most helpful to you. This is not a quick fix, it's a "here are the problems, some solutions, now apply it to your own situation" fix. The most powerful part is that by making the more mundane things in your business simple, you have time for the really important functions like marketing, strategy, and business development.

8 Not bad, but a bit simplistic
Maybe my view is tainted because I read fast food nation at the same time which had at its helm a number of businesses who adopted this systems process business model.

Most of the entrepreneurs I know who have actually started and sold on their businesses would suggest that a good business has a good balance of systems and people processes.

One of the things that worry me about the book is that most entrepreneurs are great at attracting and motivating staff who can carry their vision and passion for the business. The over emphasis on systems takes away this real world business experience and in many ways destorys the soul of business present in many of the larger corporations.

That said he does have some very good points about the marketing and management of the business. One of the points I agree with him totally on is that not all people are cut out for business and thus apply this title of entrepreneur. Not a bad book, but could have been shorter. But then I dont like Jack welches style of management. Each to their own

9 Make Your Systems a Priority
This, and the newest book, "E-Myth Mastery," are excellent books.

So many people believe that if they really work hard doing what they are good at, the money will flow. This is part of the myth.

You need to work on developing systems within your business. And document details, from the very beginning, as though you are ready to hire at least 3 people (VP Marketing, VP Operations, VP Finance).

While reading this book, I was waiting for a potential client. When he arrived late, and asked me what I was reading, I said, "I'm reading about how to convert you into my client."

Within 10 minutes, we laughed a great deal. He signed the contract. And I got my money.

There are so many business books out there. And while there are so many business books out there, none seem to really get to the heart, or soul of who an entrepreneur is, and what gets in the way.

Identifying this will help you to accomplish beyond your wildest dreams.

10 The Emyth is Alive and Well
When Gerber started his Emyth revolution in 1977, I'm sure he didn't have a clue as to how successful his approach was going to be: Over 25,000 small business clients from every industry on all major continents!

Now, 27 years later, he's still going strong. See his latest book: "E-Myth Mastery - The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company"

If you are a business owner struggling to control your life, make money, and enjoy your family, the Emyth message is timely and useful.

As a business owner and founder myself, I find Gerber's perspective invigorating (not to mention life-saving). You'll do better to have a coach though, if you intend on fully implementing Gerber's vision in your business.

There are a handful of superb Emyth coaches out there. Also, there's an online resource you can tap into at: www.emythblog.com

11 Definitely one for the collection
First off, this book is NOT meant to be a guide to franchising, as so many people have perceived it. Gerber just uses large franchisors as examples of successful businesses. Why? Because they have sold their business model many times over, and therefore proved that it works.

He advises you to think of your business AS a franchise, but not literally, unless you want to. He goes into great detail, explaining that your business should be thought of as a product that should be sellable many times over and be people-independent. That is, be able to survive without depending on the skills of people within the business.

He believes the major difference between large corporations and franchises, with that of failed and failing businesses, is STRUCTURE and having SYSTEMS in place. Of course, the be all and end all of a successful business isn't just structure, but it obviously attributes a large part to the success.

If anyone has gone from working in a large successful company, no matter what position held, onto a small premature business, you'll understand when I say how much of a shock it is to go from having so many guidelines and systems to follow, to having none.

Gerber finishes by providing practical information regarding marketing, management, and naturally suggests further reading in those areas.

This book should be the foundation for anyone thinking of going into business.

12 For serious business owners!
It seems that the people who don't like this book are NOT business owners. I happen to be a business owner and I resonate with everything this book is talking about. It is one of the top 5 books that EVERY entrepreneur MUST READ! I read a review that said this book is all about franchising. totally wrong. That kind of comment just tells me that the reviewer has absolutely no idea what makes a good business. This book is an entertaining read, but also has significant depth. There are tools in here that will help you immediately. If you are a small business owner or mananger, this book will improve your understanding and performance dramatically.

13 Good systems
I liked this book because it uses system to create business processes. These business processes are used to manage and operate a franchise business.

It focused mainly on franchises even though the same concept lends itself to other type of businesses. So far, the e-myth, Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, Stop Working by Rohan Hall seem to be the best on the market. They have similar concepts though applied differently.

14 Worst business book I ever read
This is quite simply the most worthless business book I have ever read. Basically, Gerber tells you that you need to franchise your business. That may be well and good, but what if you have a business that doesn't lend itself to franchising, like consulting? After reading his book I felt like I wasted my time reading what this snake oil salesman had to sell.

15 Stop Running Around in Circles
This book is a guide to success for small business owners. Gerber is the founder of a consulting company for small businesses. In the beginning of the book, Gerber cites the well-known failure-rate statistics for small business: 40% fail in 1 year. Of those who survive 1year, 80% fail in 5 years, and of those who survive 5 years, another 80% fail. Over the years, Gerber has observed that the small business owners who fail often share a number of characteristics, while those who succeed do so not by luck, brains, or perseverance, but by taking a different approach. This book explains the approach that is necessary for a business to survive and thrive.

One of Gerber's most striking observations is that most small businesses are started by "technicians", that is people who are skilled at something and who enjoy doing that thing. (A technician can be anything from a computer programmer to plumber to a dog groomer to a musician or lawyer.) When these technicians strike out on their own, they tend to continue doing the work they are skilled at, and ignore the overarching aspects of business. Without clear goals and quantification benchmarks, they soon find themselves overworked, understaffed, and eventually broke. Worst of all, they may come to hate the work they do. Rather than owning a business, they own a job, and they find themselves working for managers who are completely clueless about how to run a business- -themselves.

The solution, Gerber argues, is for every business owner, especially the technician-owners, to balance their business personalities. According to Gerber, every business owner needs to simultaneously be an entrepreneur and a manager as well as a technician. The technician is the worker-bee, the one who produces the product. The manager makes sure operations and finances run smoothly and consistently. The entrepreneur formulates the goals, and steers the business in the direction needed to reach those goals. Of these three personalities, the entrepreneur is key- -without it, the technician will work himself or herself to death or bankruptcy. As the business grows, the business owner will need to draw away from the technician work and manager work and delegate this work, rather than abdicate this, to others.

For turning businesses around, or getting them off the right foot, Gerber suggests looking at franchises as a model. In comparison to the dismal rate of ordinary small-business start-ups, 75% of franchises succeed at 5 years. The reason they succeed is that they are set up so that any unskilled person off the street could walk in, buy a franchise, run all operations in the franchise, and have a fairly good chance of success. The product of franchise companies is a business model, not food, hotel rooms, etc. In order to meet this level of success, franchise companies have clear operations manuals, procedures, consistent sales approaches- -every detail of running the business is specified down to dress codes and wall paper.

By asking us to consider the franchise approach, Gerber is not saying to go out and buy a franchise license. Instead, he says to imagine that you want to sell your business as a successful franchise within a finite period of time. If so, what will you need to do regarding your business plan and management in order to meet this goal? That is, if you were going to make your business fool-proof so that any unskilled person could take over as owner after a few years and succeed with it, what will you need to do?

Overall, I found the ideas in this book extremely profound and incredibly useful for my own small-business venture. The writing style can be a bit wordy and choppy at times, which is the only reason why I did not give this book full marks. If you're a small business owner whose business is out of control, stagnant, or worse, or if you're thinking of going into business yourself, this book can be of immeasurable value.

16 some good basic concepts on small biz, but long and babbly
good basics in here to help get on your game for running a business, especially a very small one, but nothing too startling for the seasoned business reader. if you're an absolute novice to business books and need desperately fast advice on how to rescue your small business and your attitude about running it, this is a good book. but if you're a little more serious, before i read this i'd start with the jack welch stuff, or `in search of excellence,' or `built to last', or `leadership and self-deception,' or, or, or... if only i had a nickel for every 266 page popular business book that should have been merely 60 pages!

17 Very Good, A bit new age in thought.
A brand new way to look at starting a new business. As usual, it is information you already have and possess. Without a doubt this a book everyone and I mean everyone should read. Even if you have read Drucker, Demming and about Lincoln Electric. Jefferson was wrong, some truths are not self evident. All truths are self evident. The truths needed to start and succeed in business are such. With the right thinking they are self evident. Teach tho as things not learned, but things forgot. BUY THIS BOOK. Not the E Myth Manager. That is strictly new age.

18 Shmaltzy, but there is some good info in there.
I couldn't stand the silly style in which this book was written. Having said that, when Mr. Gerber finally gets to the point, he did make me think about how I would implement a systems driven store. I would recommend reading this book, just realize you have to wade through the shmaltz.

19 Tips that will save you a lot of money
This book is more about changing your way of thinking rather than telling you how to do something. However, by doing that (and providing a few hows along the way), it has the potential of saving you a LOT of money!
After reading the book I talked to an entrepreneur who had started his small business 13 years ago and made it grow to a over a million a year in sales company. He told me episodes of his venture that were clearly spelled out in this book as red flags. I'm sure that had he read the book he wouldn't have learned the hard way! When I mentioned this the E-Myth book, his answer was: "I didn't read the book, I learned it". Which is true... only he did it the hard way!

20 Appeals to a narrow audience
First, the author tells us that the reason most of us open our small business is so we can do what we love. Then he tells us that as our business expands, we have to hire other people to do what we love, and we have to do what we hate (i.e., run a business). Then he tells us that the only reason to start a business is to sell it later for a profit. Then he shows, by example, how to McDonaldize a business, using a fictitious person that he pretends is real.

If all this appeals to you, fine, get the book. But be sure to also get a decent book on cash management, such as Robert E. Fleury's The Small Business Survival Guide. Because Gerber's bias toward lavish spending will bankrupt a cash-strapped startup faster than anything you're probably doing now.

21 An eye opener for sure...
It's one of those books that gives you a wake up call, although some of the sections in the book does tend to wander off into the story of other peoples lives as examples, but overall the book does wake you up, I did gain alot of perspective from the book, funnly enough I did email the e-myth website to find out if they provided any e-learning services, but no reply till today for the past 2 weeks, makes you wonder??

A must buy book for anyone getting into the business especialy for some of us that have dealt with situations where you seem to be unable to cope with all the sudden increase of business and how to deal with them, do keep in mind that this book is very down to earth, and do keep in mind that you would require some sort of business background if you ever going to be starting a business, a recommendation as a subject of choice would be accountanting so maybe an accounting abc manual would be a good reference manual in the future in addition to this book. This book is not going to save you but will for sure open your mind.

22 A must-read for all wannabe entrepreneurs
For over a decade now I've been recommending this book (and its earlier edition) to wannabe entrepreneurs that post to the four business newsgroups I co-moderate. Those being misc.entrepreneurs.moderated, misc.business.moderated, misc.business.marketing.moderated, and misc.business.consulting.

This book's most important contribution is talking about what it takes to start and run a successful business AND who should do so. I keep telling newsgroup posters to be real honest with themselves on whether they're a "Technician", "Manager", or "Entrepreneur" so they can save themselves a lot of grief. The rest of the book helps develop the right mindset for starting up and running a business. Have a goal. Aim for that goal. Systematize your business. Delegate. Have an exit plan.

The only thing that could have made this book better was if it had recommended wannabe entrepreneurs to go and talk to business people that are currently running a business they'd like to run. Naturally, not talking to one's future competition, but going out beyond your sales territory and where it overlaps your competition and talking to the business people there. Anyway...

This is a great book and I highly recommend it.

23 Eye Opener!!!
Pros: Easy read, exposes pitfalls, many helpful ideas and many paradigm shifts, excellent!
Cons: Challenging concept for my business of one. No Index.

This is an easy read that took me two days to get through. It's simple, repetitive and just the way I like it. But by no means simplistic. To me, it is well written, when the author gets their ideas across quickly and makes them seem easy. The book gets personal about the author as it tries to relate itself to the reader, yet shows a sense of writing maturity in it's simple delivery of so broad a topic. It also gets personal about you as you discover that your business is a reflection of you.

A mixture of experience and facts, blue prints and rules told in a conversational story with a semi-fictional character. This style of using a third party character to clarify and reinforce the ideas worked well with me. It helped balance and pace the lessons with a fine sense of timing and added perspective. The book is informational, motivational and even funny at times.

Gerber sets the stage by prefacing the four ideas that are the basis of the book's lessons. He identifies and compares three personalities being The Entrepreneur, The Manager and The Technician in us and shows us how and why most businesses fail. He identifies phases of the entrepreneurial business as infancy, adolescence and maturity and the pitfalls of each. He covers six rules on how to shift from working `in' your business to working `on' it. And goes over the three activities to help it evolve being, Innovation, Quantification and Orchestration, systems to blueprint your business. He covers the Business Development Process and to think of how to turn it into a franchise that is a saleable Turn-Key business. He then explains the seven steps to developing your business, which he covers in detail but some didn't inspire my confidence, as they are large subjects in themselves. Like, `Your Marketing Strategy' or Your People Strategy'. But they do develop a framework from where to start and the questions to ask yourself. He constantly helps focus us by asking excellent thought and direction provoking questions.

The book packed with many useful ideas and principles if you decide to buy into them, however is also a way for him to sell his services. By occasionally positioning his company or website as a source of answers to some of the questions the book poses is a great form of self-promotion, however they may be disguised in a story. Some thoughts that came to mind while reading were, why not just find and utilize a mentor? Success leaves clues. I struggled with the though that all businesses are started with one thing in mind and that is to sell it for a profit. The book has many paradigm shifts like this one that challenge us to look at our companies in a different light. Only when I realized that I didn't have to sell my business (If I happened to build an IBM) did I understand the idea. I'm still struggling with finding a compelling vision of how to turn my particular service business of one into a salable entity. Maybe I need to visit his website and enlist in the services he offers. Maybe I just need to find a few successful role models within my business. I will read it again in a few weeks.

I would have liked to see an index in the back to help find needed references quickly. Maybe a future publishing might get one?

A healthy experienced perspective and a plan to help build a successful business life.

24 Read this book BEFORE you risk your future!
Gerber warns us that most new businesses are not started by entrepreneurs risking capital to make a profit. The IS the E-Myth. Most small businesses are started by people in the grips of an "Entrepreneurial Seizure." Most people who start a new business quickly get in over their heads. This is why most businesses fail.

Building on this theme, Gerber offers the reader solid business principles that may increase the liklihood of success. If you are in any way involved in business, this book is a MUST read. It could save your investment.

25 The Small Business Bible
Without this book, I surely would have been one of the statistics that made costly mistakes that would have put me out of business within the first couple of years. I watch small businesses fail around me constantly while I flourish, and I owe it all to following the advice in this book. I give this as a gift to anyone who is opening a business, thinking of opening a business, or who owns or manages a business and is having difficulty. This is a must-read for every entrepreneur, and also served me well as a corporate vice president previous to owning my own business. Thank you Michael Gerber, wherever you are!!

26 Should have been a pamphlet.
This book provided some good insight into common business assumptions. Gerber has some good points, but had trouble putting them into a book. The dialogue was forced, dull, and extremely repetitive. This book could use a lot of editing.

The book seemed more like a sales pitch for his company. He listed all the pros of his methods and beliefs, but didn't address any negatives. His fictional character Sarah left the impression she would believe anything he said. Why doesn't she question anything he suggests? She just bought into everything he said.

Did McDonald's pay him to write this book?

27 A must read
A must read for someone who has, or is planning to start, a small business. It's a heads-up to an entrepreneur starting out. It clearly spells out that you cannot run away from your job by starting a business. The author provides prime to make your business planning juices flow. The book is an injection of nitro glycerin for the business owner who is gasping for help. The author explains how to restart your business through a dialog with a frustrated business owner. The author writes superbly and speaks on the level of the perspective, and existing, business owner. Truly the best business book I have read to date - I couldn't put it down.

28 He could use an MBA
Gerber has a few good ideas but the book seems to be written by a guy who had some kind of quasi-religious experience that he's applied to business, and a lot of it comes out sounding like psuedo-Zen hooey to me. I don't want to give the book away, and he does have a few good ideas, but they're not as applicable as he'd like. One objection I do have is this: his view of a business is that it is a means to an end, basically to generate sufficient cash so you can live the life you want as an absentee owner. But what if you want a business where you enjoy the work? For example, I enjoy programming computers, though I tend to get sick of clients. I don't want to write an operations manual so others can do my job, I want to have salespeople get jobs for me. Nowhere does he pose such a situation. And he meanders a lot. But he does have some good ideas and I can believe that for some people his basic ideas will be right on the money. For example, I have 2 brothes who are self-employed. According to Gerber, they don't own their businesses, they own their jobs. The minute they stop working, the income stops, something Gerber says is what you should develop your business beyond. Well, I've said enough. Gerber meanders a lot and seems to contradict himself on occassion. He also seems to write as if he wishes he had an MBA or was a famous futurist like Toffler. But for the fledgling business owner, his insights are a good starting point.

29 Avoid Failure
I was referred to this book by someone who immersed himself in Michael Gerber's philosophy. This person was able to create a successful and profitable business based on the concepts presented in this book.

The philosophy is broken down in two main themes. The first is that too many people work in their business, and not enough people work on their business. The second is that most successful businesses, regardless of their size, operate in a franchise model. This means the business can operate as a turn-key model, which would make it easy to sell or replicate anywhere.

Gerber opines that most small businesses in the US fail. It is not because the people running them are stupid; they are not. Many people allow too many assumptions to get in the way of running a business. Contrary to a popular myth, most successful businesses are not run exclusively by entrepreneurs. They are also not run exclusively by managers. He walks the reader through the steps of maturity in the life of business, including the different types of people involved with operating the business.

This is a must read for small business owners and sales professionals. There is a reason companies like McDonald's, Federal Express, Starbucks, etc. are so successful.

30 Good concepts hidden under wishy-washy philosophy and fake d
Gerber has good concepts. Work on your business, instead of working for your business. Plan and organize as if the business was a franchise prototype, to be run by anyone. He talks about strategies, from organization, to managerial, to systems. He emphasizes long term and precise planning. He emphasizes research and separate task appropriation. All good ideas that should be implemented, but nothing revolutionary or nothing that doesn't include good common sense.

However, realizing that he can't sell a pamphlet, he decides to write a book with wishy washy philosophical nonsense accompanied with dialogue between him and a supposed entrepreneurial. Since he uses exact quotes, and the language style of the entrepreneurial is exactly the same as his own, it's got to be fake. Almost insultingly so. I find it hard to believe that he taped and transcribed every meeting with "Sarah", a women who has an amazing knack of asking the most perfect and opportune questions in the same tone and style as the author.

The philosophical rants that he goes on is repetitive, dull, and often unnecessary. He just goes on and on. Then the little spiel about how you should use his service in the end makes the book feel cheap and almost like an informercial than a book.

Basically, it's all an advertisement to his service. Don't buy this book. It's a rip-off.

31 Good observations and thought-provoking theories.
"If you own a small business, or if you want to own a small business, this book is written for you." The central theme is that to be successful, a small business owner should structure their business as though it could be turned into a franchise - like your business is a prototype for 5,000 more turn-key businesses just like it, which anyone could take over and operate according to your documented standards and procedures, and they'd almost be guaranteed a profit. Design a business that is itself a product that someone would want to buy because of its effective methods and working models. The author doesn't encourage actually selling or franchising your business, but states that a successful business worth selling or franchising would be so because of its easily-repeatable, income-generating potential. A key message in the book is that business owners should work ON their business, not just IN their business.

32 Reads like an infomercial, but is actually useful!
I just finished reading this book, and there are definitely very useful and applicable ideas one absorbs from it. I sometimes was very annoyed however by the "infomercial" style of writing of the author. It is very clear that Gerber wrote this book to promote his company's business.

The main idea of this book is that all businesses needs to decide on and document how everything is done, so ideally the business would run like a machine, a "money-making machine" as Gerber likes to call it. Gerber tries to cover all business processes in this book, from Marketing to employee motivation. I found that all chapters except Ch. 16 ("Your People Strategy") had excellent and practical ideas. Ch. 16 I thought poorly discussed practical ways of keeping your employees motivated, Gerber basically says make your business look like a game to them but does not give practical examples on how to do that. Nevertheless, the books is worth the read and you should always remember that it will only be useful to you if you act and implement the ideas discussed.

33 This is the holy grail of business
I am 28 years old and I discovered the E-myth when I was 24. At the time I only knew the Nightengale-Conant tape series, but it had a profound impact on my mind and my business.

Today, solely because of this book, I have written three financial books of my own and have a successful private investment firm, liverpoolgroup.com, entirely based on the fundamental principles found in Mr. Gerber's books.

The reality is that the "franchise prototype" that Mr.Gerber discusses is a fraction of his message. He really shows you how to set aside your fears and seize the brass rings that reside in your ideas. He takes you psychologically from the mundane to the infinite, by opening your eyes to the limitations that you have placed on yourself.

He also forces you to confront your value system. This is a brilliant book and is a must have for any person that is contemplating their own business. It is also perfect for those that are in business, but somehow forgot themselves along the way.

34 Good Advice - mostly common sense
Gerber's book is a very easy read, and should stimulate your thought processes even if you disagree with some of his advice. His major thesis is that many small businesses fail because they are started by technicians who are not prepared to handle the managerial and entrepreneurial tasks that go with running a business.

His minor thesis (which he spends far more time on) is that a small business should be run as if the intent were to franchise it. As a consequence, the owner should devise systems to insure consistentcy in execution of every aspect of the business. As part of this, Gerber advises envisioning the business at the point of maturity, determining what the systems and personnel roles will need to be at that point, and starting from day one acting as if you were at that point of maturity (this might mean that you have one person filling eight roles).

Having witnessed a number of small business failures, and having participated in one, I find myself in agreement with all of his major points, but not necessarily in the execution of them (which, as an aside, he should have developed more thoroughly). With my next entrepreneurial adventure, I will definitely be following his advice regarding systems and organisation.

35 Read Before you start, but there is one small caveat
As an entrepreneur, I wish I would have read this book before I started my business. Unfortunatley I learned- the hard way - many of the insights this book provides through making errors in my own business.

A small caveat. The approach this book takes is from a technician - a person with a particular skill to make a product or service. It focuses on how these people need to become entrepreneurs, and managers to round out their skills to make a successful company. However, as I was more entrepreneur than technician, I kept having to "read between the lines" on how certain points could be applied to my situation.

The most vital thing I took from this book, was "The true product of a business was the business itself."

36 Decent Book
Theres a lot of good ideas in here. Definatly a fresh read for me. Do yourself a favor and get this one

37 Amazing! I was truly inspired!
Was recommended this book by a multi-millionaire (Brad Sugars). Bought the book & started reading. Initially it annoyed me because he's so good at explaining why your small business ISN'T working. I was amazed at the whole concept of the book. It really does give great ideas for you to apply immediately to your business. I envy those who read this book before starting their business. I keep picking it up to review the ideas given. This book is a MUST read.

38 Get it today, read it tonight, implement it tomorrow
I read this book twice in one weekend, and was particularly struck by Chapter 12, where the author really explains his personal journey into understanding small businesses and why they don't work. I have watched small businesses struggle from the inside for more that 12 years, and if the owners had read this book, they would have saved themselves headache, heartache, and bottom line $$.

I have a consulting company that focuses on the needs of small businesses, especially those just getting going. I give a copy of this book to every one of my clients who says "Gee, I want to start a business...what do I do?" This book helps clarify both the "what" and the "how".

If you are are the kind of person who has discovered that common sense ain't that common, and agree with the (paraphrased) comment in Michael Hammer's "The Agenda" that the miracle of American business is merely that it functions, this book is the perfect reference. I found myself saying "yes!" and "Exactly!" as Mr. Gerber took us through the story of a small business owner who had traded the idea of a tyrant boss for a tyrant business.

It's a great read, and worth three times the price.

39 Get it today, read it tonight, implement it tomorrow
I read this book twice in one weekend, and was particularly struck by Chapter 12, where the author really explains his personal journey into understanding small businesses and why they don't work. I have watched small businesses struggle from the inside for more that 12 years, and if the owners had read this book, they would have saved themselves headache, heartache, and bottom line $$.

It's a great read, and worth three times the price.

40 Business owners read THIS!!!
Good and informative, but entertaining at the same time. This will give easily-implemented ideas for creating a successful business.

One of the things I found most useful about this book was the real-life examples that Gerber uses.

41 A fantastic short read. Highly recommended
What a great little book. I highly recommend this to ANY person owning their own small business. Some people may say that Gerber's "franchise" or "systematic" philosophy of business ownership doesn't apply to all, but I completely disagree. There is something for EVERYONE in this book.

Buy it. More importantly, USE it.

42 Good book but too long
I haven't try any of these techniques because I'm totally broke, so I can't tell you that it's REALLY good. But I do give it three stars because it provided some interesting insight I have never thought about like the difference between commodity and product or how colors and shapes influence sales. But there was a suggestion about touching your costumers to increase sales. Do I smell sexual-harassment lawsuits?

This book bascially has three messages. 1) You must be balanced: 33% Entrepeneur, 33% Manager, 33% Technician (Most people are primarily Technicians and there lies the fault) 2) You must have an impeccable business model worthy of being franchised. This model focuses on the business as being the product, not what you are selling. The author provides a plan to create such a model. 3) Always lift the curtain! (The curtain being your comfort zone)

I gave it only three stars because it was longer than it should be. There is this ridiculous example given throughout the book with some lady starting a pie business. And then a mini-autobiography of the author (glorifying himself to some extent) halfway in the book. To top it off, a really cheesy letter written to the pie lady took up one entire chapter! (Telling her to lift her curtain!) The letter is scary to say the least. Absurdly long-winded...such a letter written by a person who is sad and pathetic...a letter if sent over email would have the recepient pressing her delete button several times over. The author is confused with the genre of book he wants to write. This belongs in the entrepeneurship/self-help/fiction/spiritual genre if there's such a thing.

43 Too much waffle & dreadful story telling style
Useful business management content but incredibly diluted through the story telling style and waffle. Its like reading a novel in places and gets pretty tedious.

His points could have been put succinctly in 50 pages, instead it gets dragged out for far too long.

Disappointing.

44 Eye-Opening Page Turner!
Like a lot of people, I've often thought about starting my own business. But, it's a big step and the thought of failure--time, money, emotional investment--has always haunted me. So, I was really comforted by this book because it answers a lot of my concerns. I'm a lot more confident about my ideas now, but I found Guerilla PR: Wired answering my concerns about getting my name out on the Internet better than E-Myth.

45 Gerber��?s E-Myth is a ��?light bulb moment��? book
The loan officer who was handling the details for my new business loan mentioned two books that might help me ��? one of them was Gerber��?s E-Myth. It did an excellent job of defining a systems approach to business to ensure that you run your business instead of your business running you ��? a real ��?light bulb moment��? for me that made me rethink how I was going to set up my business. My only criticism of the book is that, once the reader begins to understand the need for systems in order to grow and be profitable, the rest of the book becomes a commercial for Gerber��?s consulting services. It was frustrating. That��?s where the other book he mentioned (How to Make Your Business Run Without You by Susan Carter) took over. The E-Myth does a great show-and-tell of what to do, and Carter��?s book gives succinct details of how to do it. Although a bit pricey, it was a lot less expensive than hiring a Gerber consultant! If you are just starting out in business, or are feeling overwhelmed in the one you already have, the E-Myth is a great book to show you how to own your business, instead of "owning" your job.

46 A Must Have for Would Be Business Owners
It is amazing how true to life Michael Gerber book is. This book greatly simplifies many principles of business. It is so real that I thought he collected his material from the small businesses in which I worked. The language is easy and conversational in style.

This book should be required reading in any university Business Program. Not only is it a valuable reference for a struggling business owner, but it can provide guidance to anyone wishing to write a business plan. This is a nut to soup book form the importance of developing an Aim to the signing of the responsibility contract. It stresses the importance of consistency in customer service and satisfaction.

Perhaps the greatest benefit this book can offer you, if you are a business owner are suggestions on how to get your life back. If my father would have read this book I believe his business would have been bigger, and he would have had more time to spend with his family.

47 Sift through the mush and find directly actionable tools
After acquainting myself with the liberal employment of conversational formatting and forcing myself through sections that almost completely overwhelmed me with the "touchy feelies," I've completed this book with a sense it represents a terrific vehicle for delivering clarity and value for many small business owners.

I enjoyed the easy-to-grasp discussions around three hypothetical personality types required in a successful business: the "manager," the "entrepreneur," and the "technician." While simplistic, these are certainly easier to remember than Myers/Briggs and other like profiling systems.

I value the fact I was able to describe these profiles to those who had never read the book and it triggered an energetic discussion on corporate balance and team orchestration. Anyone who has tried in vain to verbally impress upon their co-workers the value and learned facts of a Myers/Briggs profiling will appreciate this. Am I an INTJ, ESFP, or an INTP? I can't remember.

Enlightening actionable is the author's recommendation one begins with an org chart of their company at some point in the visualized future and works to formalize and document each job's responsibilities. Additionally, discussions about the "franchise prototype" resonates to many who would be most benefited by this book. In short, showing parallels between small, disorganized companies and large successful franchises such as McDonalds is compelling.

One final comment: Gerber assumes that many in small business hate it and want to do something else with their lives, such as flying kites or something. He believes that unless you sell your company for a profit you've wasted your time.

I disagree. He ignores the fact some start businesses as a lifestyle, and enjoy it at its current state, not seeking to create the next McDonalds and become millionaires. I suspect his position reflects the fact he pays his bills by consulting small businesses, and his statements coercively impress upon the reader his position is the most correct one.

48 Stupendous
I have given this book as a gift, used it as a major source for a college class that I teach, and am constantly referring back to it for assistance in my small business consulting practice. There are books that make monumental shifts in our lives and this is one of them for anyone associated with business. A must read, Gerber distills the elements of business into an easy read that makes business make sense. Please read this book if you want to go into business for yourself OR if you own a business that is struggling. Good luck!

49 If you do not read this book, I wonder how you might succeed
For years, I tried to run a small and make it succesful, until I read this book and began aplying some ot the concepts that Mr. Gerber gives. You should read it and try it to, I tell you that this book will change the way you think about running a small business and most likely, will change your life.

50 A little long-winded, but awesome!
The ideas the author conveys in this book are valuable, to say the least. Everyone who is thinking of starting or has started their own business needs to read this book. I just wish he would get to the point a little quicker. I found myself skimming ahead to find where he starts talking about the real issues again, instead of telling us a long, drawn out story. But still a must read. By implementing his ideas in my company, I'm sure I will save myself many headaches down the road, maybe even avoiding failure.

51 Great read
E-Myth is really a great read. Mr. Gerber is able to able to convey complex points in a simple and enjoyable way. I finished the book in two sittings and would reconmend it to anyone interested in starting their own business.

52 Good book for the future franchisee
This is an excellent book if you are a person looking to know more about owning a business and turning it into a franchise. However, some of the things that the book discusses about owning a business i do not believe are neccessarily valid. The book makes it sound like the only way that you can be successful is if you build a business merely to sell it and franchise it out. I am pretty sure that some of the most successful businesses are not franchises in the way that they are explained in this book. Probably the number one example that I can think of is Microsoft. There are others also.

53 Must read for any entrepreneaur.
I bought this book at the urging of a friend of mine. After picking it up I could not put it down. I read the whole thing in one night. If you have been in business for a while and are tired of your business running you and not you running your business this book will give you some fresh ideas of how to turn things around.

54 One of the Best Entrepreneurial Books Ever!!!
This book is a must read for any person considering jumping into the entrepreneurial world and running their own business. It is also a great book for those that want to be the intrapreneur within a larger corporation. Before you even start to think about opening a business, read this first. It will save you from a lot of headaches and confusion. I wish I had read it first. This book is now required reading for a Small Business Management college class I teach.

55 If I had only bought it sooner....
I first bought this book at about the end of 2000. As I read it, the story of my eventual business failure unfolded. Through his story-telling style, he pretty much described exactly where I was (at the nine-year point) and foresaw where I would end up. He was right. I had to close the doors of my business about eight months later, and it happened for reasons that Mr. Gerber detailed in the book.

If I had bought the book and implemented the systems approach to business he suggests about five years sooner, I can see it would have made the difference between failure and success. I began to implement some of the techniques he writes about, and I could feel the improvement in our operations immediately. Yes, the book is sort of a marketing tool for his company's business development programs. And yes, the book is a little bit too wordy or warm and fuzzy for some. But the author puts enough in this book to help change the basice attitudes about business and point people in the right direction, so that aimless wandering is eliminated, and for that I appreciate his efforts.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or who has not hit the point of no return in an existing business. Sadly, I got it too late for my first business effort. But I'm sure that the next one will be much better off for having invested the small sum of the purchase price and time to read it. It changed my thinking, and if you are willing, it will change yours.

56 The book flap was enough...
...to get a feel for the revised edition. The first one was great but very little was added to this one to make it a good buy. But why take stock in my opinion - I'm an idiot anyway.

57 brings to life the journey of business development
Michael Gerber's insights about the challenges confronting the small business owner are brought to life by his "running dialogue with a wonderful woman named Sarah(not her real name)." Using examples from Sarah's enterprise - All About Pies - Gerber brings to life the journey of business development.

From the opening chapters which explore The Entrepreneurial Myth and the Fatal Assumption to the "nuts and bolts" chapters in Part III, Gerber draws the reader along with great anticipation. Business owners will recognize themselves as they read about the problems caused by the three people in one -- the Technician, the Manager and the Entrepreneur. Not only will there be recognition, there will be laughter.

With specific "how to" examples combined with the insights about why things must change, Gerber has created a powerful guide for the development of a business that can really give the owner the life often dreamed about.

58 To Life and Happiness!
A friend who understood how the contents would change my life forever introduced me to The E-Myth Revisited several months ago. Rarely has any business book provided me with such a fresh and clear vision how owner operated businesses can run better, more efficiently, more effectively, and with greater rewards for customers, employees and especially the owner. It's not just that small businesses don't work, it's about the business owner working too much, too hard with little room for a joyful co-existence with the business. E-Myth provides the solutions to a more rewarding experience for life and business. I believed so strongly in it's teachings that after 24 years in Corporate America I'm now a Certified E-Myth Consultant, coaching business owners the E-Myth Mastery Program

59 Gerber Screws Head On Straight for Entrepreneurs
An original exposition of what it takes to make a business a success. Author Michael Gerber aims his classic at the small business owner, and his first point is that the company works for the owner, not the other way around. Mr Gerber's insights flow from there, and cover the disciplines of management, marketing, hiring, and measurement. The E-Myth is required reading for budding entrepreneurs. Read it.

60 The #1 Choice for Business Owners & wannabees

This single book was one of the major turning points for my own understanding of what it REALLY took to be successful in business - ANY kind of business.

Without an awareness of the significant differences between the 3 different mindsets and roles played out in business - that of Entrepreneur, Manager and Employee (or Technician as Gerber calls them) - Michael believes failure (or at least not reaching your full potential) is just around the corner.

It would seem the statistics back him up in this, because 90% of all businesses started do not survive the first year! Even worse, the ones that do survive only have a 50% or less chance of making it to Year #5.

These aren't figures I've just plucked out of the air. They come from Australian Government statistics (and most industrialised nations of the world have similar figures) collected over MANY years.

Gerber explains what holds business owners back from TRUE SUCCESS (which is not just making lots of money), and in nearly all cases, it's simply the wrong mindset - they CHOOSE not to think like an entrepreneur.

By the way, if you own a business and are considered a "Success" in modern-day terms (that usually means you earn significant income, and have some of the nice toys such as luxury car, boat, nice house, and so on), consider this:

If you CAN'T go away from your business for a week,
month, or even a year, and be confident that things will be under control
and have gotten better since you left, then you are still not
achieving your full potential as a business "success".

If you work 60, 80, or even 100 hours a week in your
business, then you are NOT achieving your full potential as a "successful"
business entrepreneur!

In short, success is relative. For some, earning a 6-figure income per year is all the success they want right now. Others understand that TIME is much more important than money, but can't get control over it.

Achieving your full potential as a business success requires far more than just making lots of income, and Michael Gerber lays it out in black and white better than ANYONE else I've ever encountered.

As the title states, this book is my #1 choice for business owners AND those wanting to become one, plus the more entrepreneurial employees out there wanting to make a significant impact on their area of influence within a business.

Wisdom this cheap is often brushed past, simply due to a lack of awareness of the true value it contains. My recommendation is that this book should actually earn 6 stars, but regrettably, Amazon only lets me go up to 5!

Buy it, borrow it, even steal it - but more importantly, READ IT! You'll be glad you did.

61 The E-Myth Revisited
The reason this is the best business book I have ever read is because it reveals to the reader why the reader does what he or she does. Inside you are three entities vying for control: an entrepreneur, a manager and a technician. Reading this book you will discover which one of these parts of you is running the show and why. Confused? Think of an overweight person. He or she has a fat person and a skinny person inside them. When the skinny person assumes control, it's salads and skinless chicken. When the fat person gets control it's banana splits and hot fudge. When the technician is at the helm in your life, you're separating paper clips or designing forms on the computer when you should be managing your job or out pursuing new clients. Get the picture? Realizing why you do, and don't do the things you should is profoundly enlightening. How much do I like this book? I buy several copies at a time to hand out to friends.

62 A great book for anyone in charge of anything
I think this is an excellent book. It has philosophical depth as well as fairly detailed how-to coverage. It covers the people side of life and business as well as the systems side - how to set up the various systems of any operation to make the operation work. It puts life first, business second: it helps us make our business or career a building block of our life, not the reverse. The reviewer who only read the first half of the book missed the best parts: HOW TO DO what it takes to get your business to support your life aims and needs and the life aims and needs of your employees, customers, and suppliers. Getting Gerber's philosophy or viewpoint is half the learning; learning how one can do it is the other half. Gerber gives us both. This book touches the essence of quality management. I am a business professor and I will recommend it to my students.

63 Small Business Owners - Take Notice!
Gerber's book on why most small businesses do not work (or work well) is now something of a cult-classic with small business coaches. As a coach, this book is required reading for my clients who own (or want to start) any small business, because it helps my clients shift their perspectives about their businesses - from focusing solely on the business itself and what's wrong with it; to first focusing on what your life mission and purpose is, and then reinventing your business so that it will joyfully support that life purpose. ....

64 I believe "systems dependent businesses" don't exist.
I didn't read all the way through "The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It" by Michael Gerber. I stopped reading at about page 100. "E-myth" stands for "entrepreneurial myth." Gerber makes the accurate point that just because a person understands the technical work behind a business doesn't imply that the person understands that kind of business. People who understand the technical work don't necessarily understand how to operate the business. They are technicians, not entrepreneurs.

Gerber contends that most small business owners run into difficulty because they think and work like technicians. They try to do the work of the business, rather than learning how to run the business. Gerber writes, "If your business depends on you, you don't own a business-you have a job." "What if you don't want to be there?" The work grinds small business owners down, and they become disillusioned with their businesses.

This is probably true for many, new small business people. Many people aren't cut out to operate a business. Running a business is hard work. But, rather than acknowledge that reality, the goal, according to Gerber, is to create a business which doesn't need you, to create a "systems dependent business" and not a "people dependent business."

Gerber uses McDonald's as his prototypical model of operation. Gerber says McDonald's is an example of a turn-key business. You just put the key in the lock and the business works. A prototype franchise that can be easily replicated is Gerber's holy grail of business.

Gerber writes: "Given the failure rate of most small businesses, he [Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's] must have realized a crucial fact: for McDonald's to be a predictable success, the business would have to work, because the franchisee, if left to his own devices, most assuredly wouldn't!...Once he understood this, Ray Kroc's problem became his opportunity... Forced to create a business that worked in order to sell it, he also created a business that would work once it was sold, no matter who bought it... a foolproof, predictable business.... A systems-dependent business, not a people-dependent business."

I disagree with this analysis. Difficulty of management is a fundamental problem with any delocalized business, one with many locations spread throughout a large area. A dedicated manager is needed on each site. One manager can't oversee all the business locations. The franchise concept is one way to place devoted managers at each location. Each franchisee is not only carefully selected (in a good franchise) and carefully trained, but each franchisee has paid money to own the franchise. So, each manager becomes an owner. And, owners care more about the success of their business than anyone else. They are willing to work harder than anyone else to see the business succeed. Their own money is at stake.

Ask owners of successful franchises if they sit around *not* working. If an employee doesn't show up, who fills in? In fact, many franchise owners will tell you that buying a franchise is very much like buying a job! The fundamental premise that a McDonald's franchise can function with just anyone *not* working at the helm, while the operation just sort of self-manages, is incorrect.

It's true the best franchises don't tend to fail, but they aren't sold to just anybody either! I'm not criticizing the franchise concept. My goal is just to show that few businesses are purely "systems dependent."

Gerber suggests you try to create a template business operation that works of its own accord so that it can be replicated in a cookie cutter approach. Easier said than done!

Where do you get the basis for this template, or as Gerber calls it, "Franchise prototype" ? Gerber says the "franchise prototype" is part of your entrepreneurial vision. You dream about what your business will look like in the future. In practice, most successful franchises are based upon many years of operating history and industry experience. And, many knowledgeable business owners, who fully understand the franchise concept, have failed dismally when trying to franchise operations.

Of course, McDonald's and other established franchises have spent billions of dollars to create brand awareness for the franchise, which brings in a steady flow of customers. Your new "business format franchise" (way of doing business) won't have brand awareness. You will need to build it. Building brand awareness is marketing, and no marketing plan is ever assured to work. There won't be a cookie cutter marketing plan to toss in with the cookie-cutter operation.

"The E-Myth Revisited" is also a bit dated. Gerber writes, "A soggy French fry is not a McDonald's French fry." That has not been my recent experience. So much for flawless systems!

I did catch a glimpse of the last pages where Gerber offers a free "Turn-Key AnalysisTM" of your business. He writes, "Conducted over the phone in no more than an hour, our Turn-Key AnalysisTM will determine exactly what needs to be done in your business to give you everything you want from it: what essential building blocks are missing and need to be added; what processes and systems are absent or, if present, are inadequate to achieve the results you want to produce."

That's a pretty impressive offer! In under an hour, over the phone, he'll tell you exactly what's wrong with your business! I think I'll pass on that. But, do consider contacting SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), your local small business development center, or business graduate school. Each of these might be able to provide small business counseling. Be sure to specify that you want a complete turn-key operation with no work and no management. Showing up for business optional.

Yet, some business owners claim that this book has helped them. I think they might be confusing good old organization and routine for a "systems dependent business."

Peter Hupalo, author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur."

65 Some Good Ideas Here
The author describes his younger years (0-40) as a wandering neer-do-well who could not keep a job or a wife for long, and then sort of fell into whatever he is doing now. He never ran a business until he started his consulting business -- where he tells people how to run their businesses. Gerber loves the franchise form of business, where the new franchisee goes to "Hamburger U" and learns every detail of running a burger shop. My business (a wine distributor) is not a burger shop. Something new pops up every day, and it's not in the operating manual. That said, the book is worth the short time it takes to read it. I took some good ideas from the book and plan to try implementing them in some form in my business.

66 SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE BUT...
With thirty years to my credit in teaching and counselling in business management, entrepreneurship and behavioural psychology, business has become a major aspect of my life. My training manuals are still being revised, reprinted and used in classrooms in my country today. I tell you this for no other reason but to assure you that "entrepreneurship" is not a foreign word to me.

There is no question the author, "knows his stuff", but his presentation style appears to me to be just a touch too self-serving in an attempt to promote his own entrepreneurial activities. While the author is quite correct in principle, he appears, perhaps, too caught up on buzzwords and theories. The reader will have to use much of their own judgement when it comes to evaluating where the author is speaking from knowledge and experience and where he is making very general assumptions.

First of all, not everyone is going to become a successful, lawyer, doctor, auto mechanic or computer technician, nor is everyone destined to become a successful entrepreneur. You can receive the best quality education and training but if you do not have an apptitude for entrepreneurship, you will not likely be successful, so apptitude and attitude are key. If you cannot manage money, do not like to take calculated risks, or expect a guaranteed paycheck during those start-up years, you may be pleasantly surprised as a new entrepreneur. Also, I did not see much content here on the importance of planning and market analysis, which are critical to the survival of any business no matter how much "entrepreneurial spirit" you may have.

What really irked me about the book was not the content, but the lack of relevent and critical information, and the author's self-patronizing attitude. Perhaps he did not intend it that way, but it did have a certain promotional ring to it. His personal stories and "what works for him" make interesting reading, but I wouldn't bet the bank that it will necessarily work for everyone. Yes, the book does have merit, but if I knew little about entrepreneurship, I would definitely want to investigate a small business start up more fully before investing my hard earned dollars, or someone else's dollars, into a business venture, no matter how much entrepreneurial spirit was in my bones.

67 A must read for Business Owners
This book is written for the battle scarred business owner. If you have had your business running for a few years and feel like its time to throw it all away since you feel that the business is eating you alive ...... READ THIS BOOK! On the other hand if you are about to start a business and do not want to end up as described above ...... READ THIS BOOK!

68 Think more, do less, grow more, profit more
I sometimes wonder if the people that give low ratings to this book even understood a word of it. When people complain about the lack of a specific HOW TO in it, I have to wonder how much of a baby they are. No, this book will not hold your hand. It will not 'do it' for you. That's not it's purpose. What this book does is get you to think about your business more than work in your business. As he says, "Work ON your business, not IN it." For those that complain about the lack of concrete steps - he included a quote from Ford. Ford said something to the effect of, "I have other people that know more than me, and that do more than me - which frees me up to do something more important: Think." For the people that are willing to think more - this is THE book.

~ jayse

PS - complaining about him trying to promote himself?? Give me a break! Haven't you read any good business books? I would never trust anyone that talks about good business and selling techniques that failed to try to sell me something more. I barely noticed it.

PSS - no, I never met the author or the publishing company. I just sincerely found this book to be amazing, extremely entertaining and thought provoking.

69 Interesting and useful concepts, and also enjoyable reading
This books is very interesting in two ways. It gives the reader a very clear view of an enterpreneur mind and problems, and offers solutions to them. The other remarkable aspect is the way it is written, it's not only enyoyable, but the strategies that the author use for introduce the concepts in the book can also be used by the reader to do the same with asociates and peers. A big pitfall is that the author never looses a chance to promote his services as a consultant.

70 Good start, fails in the second half
Although this book started out with some great ideas, by the middle I was tired of the self-promoting and sappy style. In fact, I could not read the second half at all. I tried to ignore the writing style and get to the meat, but the book was ruined by too many personal stories and pontification when I was looking for straightforward, solid business practices. Some of the basics are there, but they are hidden in a sea of mush.

71 Read this before starting your own business!
This is one of the few books you must read if you want to go into business. It's called The E-Myth because it addresses the entrepreneurial myth. The book starts off by telling you what a business is not. Having done so, the book goes on to tell you what a successful business is all about.

In a nutshell, a successful business is all about systems. A systems-based business is neither beholden to individuals nor at the mercy of their personalities and quirks. It is capable of running on its own without its owner having to be present.

An owner who cannot afford to be away from his business is merely a self-employed person. An employee sells time. A self-employed mere buys a job to work in. A real business owner works on the business rather than in it. The book adopts the concept of a franchise as the ultimate objective of all business owners. By aiming to be a franchise in any business you do, you will be reminded of the need to systematise every facet of your business.

If you are an employee, have little or no prior experience in business, but are keen to start your own business, you would do well to read this book. There are a lot of things that you should know before taking the plunge. This book will save you a whole lot of heartache and unnecessary aggravation.

72 Guide to creating a business that lets you 'breathe easy."
If you own a small business or are considering starting one, put this book at the top of your "must read list." As a personal coach, I recommend the E-Myth Revisited to our entrepreneurial clients, especially if the business has "taken over the client's life."

Gerber's E-Myth Revisited offers salient points with the most important being, "Work ON your business not IN it." We are introduced to three working personalities: 1) the entrepreneur who always has ideas, 2) the manager who keeps everything organized, and 3) the technician who knows that "If it's going to get done right, I'd better do it myself." Through the eyes of a business owner/client, Gerber unfolds the story that allows us to see the importance of each personality preference and the necessity for balance between them. We also see the different stages of business growth and come to appreciate the benefits of implementing systems at the beginning of developing a business.

Humor throughout the book makes this an enjoyable read, and as I tell my clients, savor your chuckles when you find Gerber describing you almost perfectly.

73 If your business is running you ...get this book
I've often wondered how a company can open stores all over the place and have them function while my own business would certainly fail if i were not there to grind it out every day. This amazing little book finally showed me that it CAN be done ... If your business is running you .... then you will not believe the insight Mr. Gerber has . I would have sworn that he had followed me around with a video camera before writing it. Get this book and be the boss instead of your best employee.

74 A big hit on "what" to do, but a miss on "how" to do it
The E-Myth Revisited really helped me to sort out the difference between being very good at doing something and actually trying to turn that talent or skill into a business. It aptly explains why this happens and does talk about what to do about it. It delivers on the title's promise and this was valuable information for me and still worth the money I paid for it. However, while Mr. Gerber does talk about the "what" to do to systematize a business, I was still left with not understanding how to put those systems in place. Perhaps this is intentional since he makes a blatant pitch at the end of the book for using his business services to help you with your business development. From my perspective, I don't mind the pitch. He makes a living as a consultant and has every right to try to get new business. In talking with an associate of mine about E-Myth Revisted, he recommended I also buy How To Make Your Business Run Without You by Susan Carter -- although more expensive, Carter spends less time focused on what to do and more time on how to do it, which was much more valuable to me. The two books together really made a complete "from theory to implementation" library for me. I've now completely changed my perspective on what it means to be the owner of a business and how to get out from under the day-to-day tasks that prevent me from successfully growing the business. In my opinion, this book is worth your time to read it.

75 Danger In The Entrepreneurial Zone
This book deserves 7 stars for pointing out the fallacies of how most entrepreneurs operate. The book deserves 1 star for proposing a standard that most people cannot hope to meet and then pushing to sell you consulting services. Pay attention to the former, and go light on the latter.

Gerber is correct that most entrepreneurs are limited by a comfort zone of wanting to remain in control as either strong technicians or managers, which limits the potential of the business. As soon as they exceed what they can handle, the business either fails in a break-out attempt or shrinks back to a simpler state. The new businesses that succeed the most are the ones that have a business model that is easy to replicate with ordinary people.

Where Gerber goes wrong is in suggesting that many people can develop such business models. I regularly study the top 100 CEOs in the country for stock-price growth, and few of them think they can develop a new business model. Why should someone starting up a new company be likely to do better than that? They won't. In fact, I have a friend who attempted to start a new business following Gerber's principles and almost failed before he adjusted to normal operating approaches. He spent so much time developing his business model, that he never got around to operating it.

Gerber's three favorite examples are McDonald's, Disney, and Fed Ex. Notice that two of the three got most of their ideas from someone else for the business model (Ray Kroc from the McDonald brothers in San Bernardino, California and Fred Smith from an Indian air freight operation).

I think there is another fallacy here: You can get ordinary people to do simple things (deliver packages, cook and deliver cheap hamburgers, and smile at people on automated rides). But in many businesses the demands of the market are extraordinary such as in many technological product businesses and services. Microsoft has a business model, but it is not one that Gerber would recognize.

Finally, he condemns people who want to operate their business as a job by being technically expert. Where would we be if people never did that? What if Peter Drucker spent all of his time developing business systems to make pizzas and tacos rather than writing business books about management? What if great musicians developed business models for teaching children to play the violin and piano rather than performing? In other words, there is room and a need for extraordinarily able one-person companies run by technicians.

Skip the pitch for the consulting services at the end. You'll like the book better if you do.

But don't let my quibbles keep you as an entrepreneur from failing to appreciate the excellent case Gerber makes for having a business model as soon as possible, and working systematically to improve it. If you can do that, you may well develop a true irresistible growth enterprise.

76 Infomercial
Useless - this was just a long commercial for the author's services. Worse yet, I paid for it. Very little concrete information. Very disappointing.

77 Well worth reading and pondering
I would have to rate this is the most influential small business book I have ever read. I've been in some kind of business since I was 11 years old and probably further back than that, but I don't really remember all that. I've never held a full-time job in my life. I had one job, and it was part-time. I say that because I hope to present my review from the perspective of the "business battlefield."

I first read this book in 1994. I believe it was first published in 1986. The first time I picked it up, I stayed up all night and read it all the way through. I just couldn't put it down. With that said, I need to point out that if you don't own a business, never have owned a business or never will, this book probably won't appeal to you. It will appeal to you if you already own a small business or are planning on opening a business. It may just save your sanity. It's saved mine.

Basically, the point of the book is this: "Your business is not your life" (quote from the book). It took me about 4 readings of this book to figure that out. Business owners tend to think working 16 hours a day is some kind of heroic effort. It's suicide. Been there done that. There's nothing glamorous about working in your business until you fall over. How, then, does the author propose to solve this problem? How many small business owners don't work insane hours and are successful? The key according to the author is to make your business into a system like McDonald's that anyone can run. Too much of a business is dependent on the owner to be there. You're not there, the business doesn't make any money. If you're not there for an extended period of time, you won't have a business when you come back.

The key factor in turning a business into a system as the author states, is to have operating manuals which describe each function of the business. One criticism I have of the book, and I suppose he did this on purpose, is that he really doesn't go into a lot of detail as to how these manuals are done. I guess we have to figure that out. The example in the book about the owner of a pie shop, I felt, was a very good example. I know, because I wrote operating manuals for my business, and I started franchising my business back in 1995. I had 15 offices up and running at one point, and I decided not to pursue it any further, so I pared it all back down. This book works, but you better be prepared to take a really long hard look at how your business is run and particulary how it fits into your life.

The bottom line on this book is that you can make your business into a system. You can reduce your hours to a reasonable level. Yes, you can even make a good living in your own business. I've been doing it for years. The only problem is, you have to do it. You have to sit down, take a good hard look at your business, and get the thing built or rebuilt from the ground up. You need to have all your financial records in order. You need to know at any moment what your operating margins are, what's going on with everything. It's a big task, and I suspect many people who have read this book don't want to do all that. As for my business, I've implemented much of what he talks about with great success. I haven't implemented all of it because some of it is difficult and time consuming. The other problem is, there's no "step-by-step" method presented, at least not what one would want. There is a methodology to it, but as with most things in life, we have to adapt them to our situation and take the time to do it. The author won't take you by the hand and do it for you.

I'm giving this book 5 stars because I think it provides much thought provoking material. If you own a business or are planning on going into business, this book is a must. Even if you ignore most of what he says, it will at least change the way you think about your business. For example, take the total number of hours you work in your business per week, month, year or whatever and divide that by your net business income factoring in expenses that were just for tax purposes. After you do that, find out your hourly wage. I did that, and I was shocked. If you're working 12-16 hours a day, and you're making an average income in your business or if you're breaking even, you're wasting your time. Take a day off and read this book. It will change your focus dramatically. It's not an easy process, but if you're serious about making your business work without you having to work so hard, then this book is worth every penny. Good luck in all your ventures.

78 Making Business Make Sense
I cannot give a higher recommendation of a book to someone who is considering starting (or running) a business of his/her own. I owned 2 small businesses, I have an MBA, I worked at senior level finance positions for 2 Fortune 500 companies and I must say that the essential knowledge that I have about the business world came from my association with Michael Gerber. I was a client of Michael's for a number of years and I spent a great deal of time with him. Aside from the meaningful, rational and workable concepts that Michael provides he stresses something that is much more important. It is the dignity and divinity of the human Spirit that is the focus of his lessons. It is about the transcendence from a struggle in an indifferent world to an experience of the wonderful adventures that life can provide. Rather than losing oneself in a frustrating, demanding subservience it is about taking dominion over your business and even more over what your experience of life will be. My time spent with Michael has been rewarding beyond my ability to express. I think that your practice of his concepts will most certainly be rewarding to you.

79 An eye opener
Excellent information on how to stay focused on what's important in order to take your business to the next level.

80 Sift Carefully
Gerber makes a few very insightful points in this book, especially early on. However, as he progresses they become fewer and more obscure. He gradually deteriorates into a new age/zen rhapsody and becomes increasingly unclear, inconsistent, and wrong. Even some of his more lucid points require hard swallowing or careful synthesis. He then closes with a poorly veiled plug for hiring his e-institute to fill in the blanks, which have mushroomed by then.

81 The E Myth Revisited
Excellent advice for people starting and running small businesses

82 Good book for new business and late stage starts too
The book gives some great ideas for how to think about architecting a business that will handle the bumps in the road that come up. Great thoughts on architecting the business so it is "Built To Last" and the idea of franchising to stay focused on the business - not the work. I found it rewarding!

83 Dilbert Material
The primary point of this book - that most small business people spend too much time on the technical details of their business and not enough on developing a scaleable, repeatable business model - is well presented and a point that is certainly worth making. I really liked this first half of this book. However the second half revealed Gerber to be some sort of a paperwork/control freak who proposes systems so burdensome and detailed that they would stifle most real small businesses and insult most employees beyond recovery. This isn't terribly surprising coming from a consultant. A lot of the material in this book would fit nicely in a Dilbert cartoon.

84 A Business Must
As a business consultant I can not sing the praises of the book enough. I have recommended this book to many clients all of who have said it was of great benefit. Read it BEFORE you go into business!

85 Read this BEFORE you start a business!
This book is one I recommend to all of our clients and for many entrepreneurs they say they wished they had read it a long time ago. Gerber has written a simple, plain English book that reads quickly and carries a big punch. As a business development consultant I consider it a primer for businesses and organizations of all sizes.

86 Don't waste your time or money on this "Myth"
This book is simply a plug for Gerber's "E-Myth Academy", and is a poor excuse for a business development guide. After suffering through over 250 pages of puffery I could hardly extract one or two basic business concepts (concepts, that were covered in greater lengths in an introductory business class during freshman year as an undergrad). On a positive note, I will say that "Dr" Gerber has devised a clever franchising scheme for his "methods" and is an excellent saleman. But, I do feel that his skills are best applied on a used car lot.

87 An essential small business book
This book, Jay Levinson's Guerrilla Marketing and Barry Maher's book on yellow pages advertising are the three essential books for many small businesses.

88 A must read. The best business book for startups
Michael Gerber has done an excellent job of explaining why most businesses fail. Just think of McDonalds, Wal-mart and other protypeable businesses. If you are thinking about going on your own, buying a franchise or are working in a broken company, read this book.

89 EXCELLENT resource for small business owners!
The E-Myth is invaluable for demonstrating 'the good, the bad and the ugly' about owning your own business. The scenario described really helps to clarify what an owner must to do if he/she wants to successfully grow a business. The systems-dependent perspective that Gerber introduces is the perfect 'management' solution for any product or service business. I also recently read How To Make Your Business Run Without You (also available on Amazon) which turned out to be a great companion book to the E-Myth. Instead of the "what to do" information described in the E-Myth, it provides easy-to-apply "how to do it" instructions. The two together pack a great business-building punch!

90 Will shape the future of your business and your life.
I have read The E-Myth many times over and have found the Franchise Prototype system absolutely amazing. I am now 26 years old and in the last 4 years have built 2 very successful companies. Being in business for yourself is not about making money. It is about fulfilling a part of yourself. Understanding the principals in this book will change the way your run your business and give you balance to your life. That is what it is all about you know. Balance. Understanding why God placed you on this Earth and making sure you spend time to stop and smell the roses. If you take what Michael says in this book to heart and apply it's principals to your life your business will never be the same. Trust me from the experience in what this book has done to my past business and the power that is pushing my Statewide Business Brokerage. I would easily pay 1 million dollars for the knowledge and understanding I have learned from this book. Thank you Michael for leaving a legacy with me that will reshape my family tree.

91 Lisa Wilson-Eifler, President, Medical Distributors
This audiocassette is the most concise, practical, and easy to understand resource I have found. It is a must-read for anyone starting their own business. It explains why businesses succeed, and also why businesses fail, in a step by step format. Buy it!

92 The system is the solution!
Gerber's book starts with an elegant point- a truism known to anyone who has experienced an "entrepreneurial seizure" and set about to open their own business based on their frustrations of working for others. Gerber's central concept is that you should set up foolproof systems so your business works on auto-pilot, with or without you present in the office. He opines that the purpose of any small business is to sell it, so he explains how to set up organizational flow charts and focus on the systems of your business that can deliver your product or service to the marketplace differently from the competition. Highly recommended, an easy read,it focusses on how to have a life and be super successful at the same time. Buy this book!

93 Excellent teaching/learning tool for anyone in business
I am now using this book as a text for a college level course designed for Information Technology students. I read the original version about 6 years ago when I purchased it for 39 cents at a thrift store. Having been a business systems analyst for many years I used these techniques but never knew it. Now using the messages in this book, I can share techniques that work with others. This book is a practical giude to business problem solving and it can be used to design useful information systems and implement effective training in any size operation. The "Revisited" edition has been enhanced using a case-study approach that makes the message easily understood by any reader. Employers today want more from employees than mere technical proficiency. They want people who can analyze their business and provide viable technical solutions that contribute to a good work environment as well as to bottom line success. This book focuses not only on developing a good business strategy but also on the leadership skills required to develop a business and meet goals. It provides all the steps needed to implement these ideas in the real world. It is an exellent book for the technician, the manager or the entrepreneur. Whether you run or are a part of any business I highly recommend it.

94 This book is the beginning of a small business revolution
Why should I go and get an MBA before I start my business when I can get guidance like this? This book isn't just about how to run a business, but about a whole new point of view. If you get "it" after reading this book, your professional life will never be the same. Most small businesses fail, but businesses that practice this "point-of-view" will increase their chances of success exponentially. Most small business owners give up just when they are given the opportunity to prove they really are entrepreneurs. If you're a small business owner, NOT reading this book could be the biggest mistake you'll ever make. The smartest thing you could ever do after reading this book is to adopt the point of view, and seek to "get it" to a level where it makes a difference in your business.

95 This is the top book for owning your own business
The author's choice to take us through examples of businesses that work and do not work is pure genius. I have been working with and have watched businesses fail due to the warnings E-Myth covers. This book ranks with Drucker's management books. I have been thanked over and over for gving this book as a gift. I wish this book would have been part of my business studies in college.

96 More "touchy-feely" than your usual business book
I was given this book by by employer, upon notice of my resignation to start my own company. He felt that after I read it I would no longer want to be an entrepenuer. WRONG! This book is not so much a "how to" be a manager (though it does give some very specific guidelines) as it is a psychological look at entrepenuers - what works, what doesn't, how to get yourself in the correct frame of mind to proceed. How you - the entrepenuer - need to need to look at the business in order to be successful - so that you can run the company, instead of it running you.

I gained a lot of insight from this book. I did feel it was very wordy, and really warm-fuzzy (Sarah wants her pies to show she cares - Sarah wants her spirit to be free - the author cares about Sarah AND her spirit, yada yada yada). Other than a few strange digressions, I found it very enjoyable and I believe it will be helpful.

97 Small business owner or senior manager? Get this book.
A bit spacey but extremely insightful. A quick read and well worth it for the insight it gives into why your business bites you on the arse. One of the most valuable management books I have ever read.

98 EVERY business owner MUST read this
This is a superb book! I recommend it to everyone. It is so easy to read & so glaringly logical & it's simple to implement. The techniques once implemented will ensure that entrepreneurs will be wealthier than they have ever dreamed !

99 Absolute Brilliance
If you're looking for a book to help with a new or running business, this is the one. The E-Myth Revisited is my business bible.

100 Unhappy with the similarity of this book to "The E-Myth"
I loved "The E-Myth" and I have applied its wisdom to my start-up, but I feel I was somewhat hoodwinked when I bought "The E-Myth Revisited" through Amazon.com because it's very similar to The E-Myth. One of the disadvantages of shopping online?