The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber (2004, Unabridged, Compact Disc)

I've been self-employed for almost 20 years now. For a large number of those years, I went through the motions of what I thought was "right" to do within my business(es). Although I was moderately successful back a decade ago, its only been the last half-dozen years or so that I've really started to build the business that I REALLY want to have. I accredit most of my changes to this ONE BOOK!

I was encouraged to read this book by a local business consultant during a lunch meeting. On the way home from the meeting I stopped and purchased the book. During the first 2 chapters I go so engrossed in the book that I closed my store/office and spent the rest of the day devouring the book. 7 days later, I read it again, 30 days later I read it again! In my humble opinion, after 15 years of doing it WRONG, this book started me on the path of doing it RIGHT.

There is a lot of information in this book. I'm a high-comprehension reader and still I needed to read it again and again. I've since moved on to the audio-CD version and am listening to it currently on my drive to-from work.

In a nut-shell, the "E" Myth is the myth of the "E"ntrepreneur. A myth that basically states that 'someone who knows how to do the technical work of a business, knows how to run a business that does that technical work'. Unfortunately, IT JUST ISN'T TRUE.

Although most entrepreneurs come from jobs where they are "technicians" who, at some point, have an "entrepreneurial-seizure" and decide go to into business for themselves, they just don't know HOW to be the "manager" and "entrepreneur" that is needed (along with the technician) to have a business that works. This book gives you the ammunition needed to OVERCOME this problem and will help develop and nurture the Manager and Entrepreneur in all of us.

I've bought around 15+ copies of this book (both its first and second printings) and have given them away to friends an associates who even mention the desire to go into business for themselves.

There is a chapter or two that digs a bit deep into some of the psychology of who/what an entrepreneur is. This section is a stumbling block for some of my associates and was for me early on in my E Myth education but is now something I understand much better about myself that I didn't understand before.

Overall, this is the greatest business book I've ever read! I'm only saying this LARGE statement after spending 6+ years with it and going through it more than a dozen times and having MANY discussions and debates over its teachings with my associates.

I'm still a student of the E Myth. I continue to try and apply more and more of its wisdoms to my business on a daily basis. I encourage you do do the same!