The E-Myth Revisited
by Michael E. Gerber
Gerber's argument is that most small businesses fail because they are started by technicians who assume knowing the craft means knowing the business. His fix, build systems as if you were going to franchise, so the business runs without you, has become standard advice. The book is padded with a fictional pie-shop owner, but the lesson is real.
Read it if…
you own or plan a small business and are the bottleneck in it.
Skip it if…
you are an employee or a solo creative with no plans to scale.
Three things you will actually use
- Work on the business, not just in it.
- Write the manual before you need the employee.
- Separate the entrepreneur, manager and technician in your head.
Do this first
Document one process in your business so completely that a new hire could do it tomorrow.
Our verdict
A repetitive classic with one idea every owner needs.
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