The E-myth revisited
why most small businesses don't work and what to do about it
by Michael E. Gerber · first published 1995
73% recommend23% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Explains why most small businesses fail when a skilled technician runs them like a job, and teaches working on the business through systems. Told as an easy story; suits freelancers and first-time owners.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In this first new and totally revised edition of the 150,000-copy underground bestseller, The E-Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. He walks you through the steps in the life of a business from entrepreneurial infancy, through adolescent growing pains, to the mature entrepreneurial perspective, the guiding light of all businesses that succeed. He then shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business — whether or not it is a franchise. Finally, Gerber draws the
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…http://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Eiji-Yoshikawa/dp/4770019572 Whilst on subject, I'll also recommend Husain Haddawy's translation of Arabian Nights, which is uproariously funny and also contains a lot of wisdom, and "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael Gerber, which I consider the Bible of small business. I buy a copy of E-Myth and make anyone I'm going to partner with read it before I'll do business with them. Arabian Nights: http://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Norton-Critical-Edition...…
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗To anyone considering starting a business I would recommend reading a book called "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael Gerber. It's 20 years old, but it discusses one point in particular which I think is particularly relevant for HN's audience. Many people who go into business fail because they operate the…
on “Your own company? You can do it (2011)” ↗…were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what “Resistance” is. This book is about that. Read it. -- E-Myth Revisited - by Michael Gerber https://sivers.org/book/EMythRevisited Absolutely everyone who is an entrepreneur or wants to be one needs to read this book. I first read it after 10 years of successfully running…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It (Michael E. Gerber) What it taught me is that effective organizations invest heavily in training newcomers how to do their jobs / processes.…
on “Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?” ↗"The E-myth" by Michael Gerber is the single most helpful book I've ever read on transitioning your thinking from engineering-focused to business-minded. Specifically, the difference between the Technician, the Manager,…
on “Ask HN: How do you keep motivated if nobody supports you?” ↗…Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading "The Long Tail" and "The starfish and the spider"...has anyone read them yet? 6. Why We Buy 7. Hackers and Painters 8. The E-Myth revisited 9. The Art of the Start 10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful) 11. Crossing the Chasm
on “Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?” ↗…out around 44k-ish a year plus lazy bloat so probably 60k a year. You should hopefully realize you have built something pretty awesome, you are just missing the steps covered by: http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou... which basically means that you need to put processes into your system where you can sub yourself out as needed and someone else can handle this. Support requests and RFQs going…
on “Ask HN: Does my company with $140,000 annual revenue have any value?” ↗…grinding it out with a salary that can barely cover the expenses > owning a business where you control your time is the only end game I can see. I will encourage you to read first 4-5 chapters of "The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It" by Michael E. Gerber. “The problem is that everybody who goes into business is actually three-people-in-one: The Entrepreneur, The Manager,…
on “Ask HN: Real odds of making a living off a web app” ↗…anyone who can do/make things with their own hands and creative energy. It is probably very dated now, but I highly recommend anyone thinking of starting their own business to read Robert Gerber's "The E-myth Revisited". In a nutshell, every business owner has to realise that they have to wear three hats - that of Technician, Manager and Entrepreneur. All three require energy and different skills, and it is very rare…
on “My coffeehouse nightmare (2005)” ↗…depend on the category, like if you are doing any sort of front-end dev then one book I'd recommend over any other is Don't make me think which is still relevant today. For the smb/indie-hacking I think E-myth revisited really changes your whole perspective about running a small business, especially when you read yourself on the pages. Also there is one book which I don't think everybody should read but was truly life…
on “Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?” ↗The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/81948.The_E_Myth_Revisit... Changed the way I think about being an independent contributor vs an entrepreneur.
on “Ask HN: What are your recommended reads for bootstrapping a business?” ↗The E-Myth (the E stands for Entrepreneur): http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou... Derek Sivers has a good collection of his notes (and many other biz-centric books) here: http://sivers.org/book/EMythRevisited His opening line nails it: "Everything needs to…
on “Ask HN: What's the best first business book for a programmer?” ↗…companies - everything from epoxies to hospices to ship management to pure software houses to educational institutions. I never learned so much about running a company as I did after reading Gerber's "E-Myth Revisited" and then starting out on my own company. Rather than go corporate, I recommend poring over the org charts and business models of several different kinds of businesses and follow the money. Figure out…
on “Ask HN: is it better to have work experience before starting a startup?” ↗The E-Myth Revisited. It's not specifically web related, but it's a great book (with a cheesy pie shop metaphor) on how to start a business that is a system you own rather than a business that owns you. Check out the Amazon…
on “Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?” ↗If you're planning on running a business: The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber. If you don't have your own shit togethor productivity wise: Getting Things Done, David Allen. This: http://managinghumans.com/ might be what you're after in terms of Engineering/Development…
on “Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...” ↗