Book Review – The E-Myth Revisited

As an independent performing artist, I’m always on the lookout for good business books.  The days of being a rock star with a zillion handlers to take care of the day-to-day tasks are long gone in this business.  Artists are very involved in their own businesses now.

The E-Myth Revisited is not an artist-centered book.  It’s for entrepreneurs.  Or, more importantly, people who think they’re entrepreneurs, but are really just stuck in a job they’ve designed for themselves.  The book looks at why so many small businesses don’t survive.  That subject by itself isn’t very useful though.

Michael Gerber goes on to show you how to design a business from the ground up that is independent of it’s owner.  A system that allows the owner to be an owner and not a worker.  Not that you’d spend the rest of your life on vacation.  But your business would run itself while you take care of important things.

I’ve got the audiobook version that I listen to during my morning walk.  And I’m starting my 2nd listen.  This is the type of book that you read once, then go back and read again, stopping to accomplish each of the steps laid out for you.

One thing I find in a lot of small business books is that they don’t answer the questions that pop up in my mind while I’m reading them.  Michael Gerber must be a mind reader.  Everytime a question or objection popped into my head, he was answering it in the next couple minutes.  Kind of creepy at times.

So, if you’re looking to develop a business that doesn’t involve you being directly involved every single day, give this book a go.  And, as a companion, read The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris.   It will show you how to make Mr. Gerber’s principles work in a modern environment.  They compliment each other perfectly.

Phil Johnson
www.RoadsideAttraction.com


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