Book: The Entrepreneur Myth by Michael E. Gerber
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 5:05 am
hen we talk about entrepreneurship, thousands of phrases always come to mind that motivate us and fill us with encouragement. We start with an idea that never stops in our minds, with a motivation that we believe will help and thousands of people will need. And in this moment of effusion, we rarely stop to reflect on the operational details, the details of going from being entrepreneurs to becoming businessmen. And this is precisely what the book The Myth of the Entrepreneur is about , about that profile that every entrepreneur must have: the business one.
Gerber defines three profiles
The entrepreneur : everyone who starts a business, no matter albania whatsapp number data 5 million how small, has this muse inside. It is a satisfying discomfort (if I may use the oxymoron). An idea, a concept, a way of doing business, of turning something into money. It is creativity brought to reality.
The technical side : this is what most entrepreneurs have, it is the know-how. Whether a carpenter, an artist, a chef, a lawyer, they all have something in common, they know their profession, and they are usually very efficient at it.
And the manager : in this case, very few people find a way. In fact, there are businesses that invoice thousands of dollars, and even their owner has not become a manager. This implies knowing how to lead, and allowing others to manage their responsibilities, that is, only orchestrating, raising or lowering the tone, depending on the pace of the business.
Throughout Gerber's book, which is very user-friendly to read, we find an interesting narrative, linked to the development of any business. This is vital both for those who are starting out and for those who already have a business underway.
Stages of business
The author refers to the stages of business, just as it happens in human beings, and after all, what is a company if not the reflection of human capacity ?
Childhood is defined as the start of the business, that entity depends on us all the time, and we have to feed it daily, feed it, do our part. Whoever takes care of it must be someone responsible, who appreciates the value of that business, just as the owner himself does.
Adolescence is no different here. However, Gerber wants us to understand that at this stage, the business must be given independence, given greater versatility, allowed to learn new forms, processes, a more autonomous way of managing itself, but being alert to correct paths when necessary.
Maturity, the latter is when a business operates without us. It is an entity that manages itself, employs and manages itself without needing us, and this process is painful for any owner, and the fact is that, even though we hear that big businesses work like this, the ego of every human being does not immediately allow them to take this step.
Throughout this narrative, Gerber leads us by the hand to where he wants to take us in the reading, by learning how to structure a profitable company. For him, it is important to always keep in mind a “franchise” system, because according to him, it allows for systematization. No matter where the business is, it works, and working means that it is a system that is organized, that has criteria and values, but the most important thing is that it does not depend on its founder.
Conclusions on The Entrepreneur Myth
It is certainly a book that we recommend, both for those who are starting out and for those who already have a business . The Myth of the Entrepreneur is one of those books that does not discriminate, very light and enjoyable, the narrative is praiseworthy.
If I had to choose the best lesson from this book, it would be that a real business works without its founder, and the founder participates, perhaps, as an advisor, but outside of that, the founder focuses on other aspects, on business. If that is not the vision we have when starting a business, then, as I understand it, we are not entrepreneurs, we are self-employed, which is not bad, however, it will imply that the business will always need us. And not as an undertaking, where in the long term we intend to leave a business that is self-managed and that, better yet, only calls us when it needs to deposit our profit check, or requires our advice.
By the way, a few weeks ago, we talked about the Entrepreneur Myth in our podcast. We invite you to watch it, and why not, to follow us on our podcast Markethink ®
Gerber defines three profiles
The entrepreneur : everyone who starts a business, no matter albania whatsapp number data 5 million how small, has this muse inside. It is a satisfying discomfort (if I may use the oxymoron). An idea, a concept, a way of doing business, of turning something into money. It is creativity brought to reality.
The technical side : this is what most entrepreneurs have, it is the know-how. Whether a carpenter, an artist, a chef, a lawyer, they all have something in common, they know their profession, and they are usually very efficient at it.
And the manager : in this case, very few people find a way. In fact, there are businesses that invoice thousands of dollars, and even their owner has not become a manager. This implies knowing how to lead, and allowing others to manage their responsibilities, that is, only orchestrating, raising or lowering the tone, depending on the pace of the business.
Throughout Gerber's book, which is very user-friendly to read, we find an interesting narrative, linked to the development of any business. This is vital both for those who are starting out and for those who already have a business underway.
Stages of business
The author refers to the stages of business, just as it happens in human beings, and after all, what is a company if not the reflection of human capacity ?
Childhood is defined as the start of the business, that entity depends on us all the time, and we have to feed it daily, feed it, do our part. Whoever takes care of it must be someone responsible, who appreciates the value of that business, just as the owner himself does.
Adolescence is no different here. However, Gerber wants us to understand that at this stage, the business must be given independence, given greater versatility, allowed to learn new forms, processes, a more autonomous way of managing itself, but being alert to correct paths when necessary.
Maturity, the latter is when a business operates without us. It is an entity that manages itself, employs and manages itself without needing us, and this process is painful for any owner, and the fact is that, even though we hear that big businesses work like this, the ego of every human being does not immediately allow them to take this step.
Throughout this narrative, Gerber leads us by the hand to where he wants to take us in the reading, by learning how to structure a profitable company. For him, it is important to always keep in mind a “franchise” system, because according to him, it allows for systematization. No matter where the business is, it works, and working means that it is a system that is organized, that has criteria and values, but the most important thing is that it does not depend on its founder.
Conclusions on The Entrepreneur Myth
It is certainly a book that we recommend, both for those who are starting out and for those who already have a business . The Myth of the Entrepreneur is one of those books that does not discriminate, very light and enjoyable, the narrative is praiseworthy.
If I had to choose the best lesson from this book, it would be that a real business works without its founder, and the founder participates, perhaps, as an advisor, but outside of that, the founder focuses on other aspects, on business. If that is not the vision we have when starting a business, then, as I understand it, we are not entrepreneurs, we are self-employed, which is not bad, however, it will imply that the business will always need us. And not as an undertaking, where in the long term we intend to leave a business that is self-managed and that, better yet, only calls us when it needs to deposit our profit check, or requires our advice.
By the way, a few weeks ago, we talked about the Entrepreneur Myth in our podcast. We invite you to watch it, and why not, to follow us on our podcast Markethink ®