Summary: The E-Myth Revisited – Michael E. Gerber

That customers should always be made to feel they’re right.
That employees should act like they’re the best.
That growth comes by developing new skills.
Ideally, a good people strategy will convince employees serving customers is a structured game worth playing well. That knowledge and orientation should instill a sense of purpose and a sense of meaning for employees. Your business will become a place where integrity, intention, commitment, vision and excellence will become rich, multi-dimensional concepts rather than abstract words.
Humans can achieve some amazing things if they are motivated enough. An effective people strategy works very hard to create an environment in which excellence is achievable. Systems are put in place so everyone gets an equal opportunity to be part of the total service solution offered to customers.
‘‘The system produces the results; your people manage the system. And there is a hierarchy of systems. The first is, How We Do It Here. The second is, How We Recruit, Hire and Train People. The third is, How We Manage It Here. The fourth is, How We Change It Here. And the "It" referred to is the stated purpose of the business.’’
--Michael Gerber
Step 6: Marketing Strategy
Marketing requires that you forget about your vision and focus on the customer exclusively -- and most often, what you think he or she wants is significantly different from what he or she actually wants. That’s because most buying decisions are not made with the conscious part of the mind but with the subconscious.

Time frame -- How long will it take you to complete your prototype business? Two years? Three? Five years? A career?
Business positioning -- Will the business serve clients directly, or serve other businesses, or what market demographics are being targeted?

Step 2: Strategic Objective
Your strategic objective are the metrics or standards by which you specify success will be measured. They state what the business has to do for you to achieve your primary aim.
There are no ‘‘right’’ or ‘‘wrong’’ standards, but some of the most frequently used standards are:
Money -- Gross revenues, profitability, market value. How big is your vision? What are you aiming for? What is your exit strategy, and what will you have to show for your efforts when you reach that point?
An opportunity worth pursuing -- Is your business concept sufficiently broad that you can achieve your primary aim and strategic objective? If not, what’s going to change. You don’t want to set yourself up to fail. Will you be able to attract enough qualified customers?
Geographic reach -- Will your business be a local business, a regional business, a national business or an international business?

Step 1: Primary Aim
Although your business isn’t your life, it will have an important role in your life. Therefore, the first step in developing a business is to answer the questions:
What do you personally value most in life?
What kind of life do you want to lead?
What do you want your life to look like when completed?
Who do your wish to be -- deep down

How can the business be set up to work productively and efficiently when I am not there in person?
How can employees be motivated to work without direct supervision?
How can systems be put in place so large numbers of customers can be served efficiently and consistently?
How can the business be owned without having to be there keeping an eye on it every hour of every day?
How can the amount of time spent doing the things I really enjoy be maximized?
How can the amount of time spent doing the things I hate but have to do be minimized?

That gap will tell you exactly what needs to be done to create the business of your dreams. And what you’ll discover when you look at your business through your E-Myth eyes is that the gap is always created by the absence of systems, the absence of a proprietary way of doing business that successfully differentiates your business from everyone else’s

A business that is built and managed by someone who combines the approach of the technician, the manager and the entrepreneur will have a far greater chance of future success than one guided by someone thinking like a technician alone.

‘‘You must analyze your business as it is today, decide what it must be like when you’ve finally got it just like you want it, and then determine the gap between where you are and where you need to be in order to make your dream a reality. That gap will tell you exactly what needs to be done to create the business of your dreams. And what you’ll discover when you look at your business through your E-Myth eyes is that the gap is always created by the absence of systems, the absence of a proprietary way of doing business that successfully differentiates your business from everyone else’s.’’

Where the business is headed in the future -- rather than how the present can be duplicated many times over.

personality is:
10-percent
20-percent
70-percent
Entrepreneur
Manager
Technician