http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/print/htdocs/cc.html A community blog based on the philosophies and methodologies of Michael Gerber and E-Myth Worldwide communityservice@e-myth.com http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/view/ms_a/49 I've read The E-Myth Revisited and I've heard Michael Gerber speak, but I have a business partner who has not and will not. I believe in my entrepreneurial vision for our company, but my partner is not convinced. He prefers doing technical work (which other employees should do) and he swears by the adage "If you want it done properly, then do it yourself." His attitude is definitely holding back our growth plans. Any suggestions? from Michael Lloyd Partnerships present challenges as well as opportunities. A partnership... Michael Lloyd communityservice@e-myth.com Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:00:00 PST Management http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/view/ms_a/127 The Approach As an E-Myth Business Coach, I often talk to small business owners trying to solve key frustrations. My advice to them is to search for underlying causes of frustration, i.e., the business conditions that are causing the problems. This is a fundamental step that our clients sometimes ignore. Clients will often try to 'fix' a frustrating problem without understanding why the problem occurred. A result of this sort of 'fix' is often to blame others or blame themselves. A Blame-free Environment Given frustrations, and inste... Remy Loretta communityservice@e-myth.com Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 PST Leadership http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/view/ms_a/29 The recent spate of damaging hurricanes is a stern reminder of how suddenly disasters can strike businesses and devastate communities. While your business may not be located in an area prone to hurricanes, you could still be vulnerable to other kinds of natural and man-made disasters such as fire, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, landslides, or terrorist attacks. Your life and livelihood, as well as those of your employees, and the very health of the community, could be at stake. Are you prepared? To be able to recover and thrive afte... Hasan Luongo communityservice@e-myth.com Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 PST Management http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/view/ms_a/270 The E-Myth Revisited proposes that owners of businesses that are not working should start again. This time they need to translate their vision into a management system, and to control their unpredictable employees through this system. I agree completely with this philosophy. My question is concerned with the practicalities of achieving this for a business with 25 employees. Sarah, in the book, had downsized to one, and moving forward was not complicated by any employees. How would you install a management system within an existing busi... Jill Tydeman communityservice@e-myth.com Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 PST Management http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/view/ms_a/254 Companies large and small are embracing new green practices, because reducing energy consumption makes good economic sense in addition to being environmentally responsible. Going green can lower energy and tax bills, enhance marketing campaigns and bolster a company’s public image. Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott says he wants the retail giant to be "a good steward for the environment".   Home Depot has been named 'EnergyStar Retail Partner of the Year' by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Popular efforts to reduce ene... Ross MacLeod communityservice@e-myth.com Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:00:00 PST Asides http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/view/ms_a/250 Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested, "If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door." At E-Myth Worldwide, we tell clients, less poetically, that "if there's a way to do something, there's a better way to do something." In other words, differentiate or become irrelevant. But differentiation simply for its own sake can be a wasted exercise. Is the new mousetrap really better? That's open to interpretation, and the market -- your customer -- will decide. To remain competitive, you have to create products or provide ... Larry Heiman communityservice@e-myth.com Wed, 16 May 2007 00:00:00 PST Client Fulfillment, Marketing http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/view/ms_a/240 Check out E-Myth's new automated online Testimonial Submission form - it's easy and convenient to use. Just click on the link below, and tell us how our products or services have helped you to solve a business problem, realize a business goal, or take your business to the next level. If chosen, your testimonial may be featured on the E-Myth Website, or included in high-visibility marketing and promotional materials. You can even indicate whether you'd like an E-Myth representative to contact you to discuss videotaping your testimonia... Karen Bell communityservice@e-myth.com Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:00:00 PST Asides http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/view/ms_a/239 Few things will kill a business faster than lack of cash. Even once profitable businesses can fail when they run short of the cash they need to sustain operations. Your responsibility as the business owner is to make sure the business has the cash it needs. The goal is to increase the cash coming in and to decrease the cash going out, which can be accomplished using a simple tool called a Cash Plan. A Cash Plan is a cash flow statement that includes forecasts of receipts and disbursements expected in upcoming months. This is a cruc... Michael Lloyd & Rachel Jones communityservice@e-myth.com Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 PST Money http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/view/ms_a/236 An old friend, Marcia, owns a cookie business that in 20 years has grown from a tiny kiosk to a fine store employing 12 workers and a manager. She recently visited me to discuss a personnel accountability problem. Not uncommonly, however, she didn't see it as an "accountability" problem, but rather as a "people" problem. "The business is stagnating, and so am I," she complained. "Production is down, deliveries are late, quality is worsening...and so is my throat from yelling at my manager. I don't want to have to look over everyone's ... Larry Heiman communityservice@e-myth.com Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:00:00 PST Leadership, Management http://www.e-myth.com/cs/community/view/ms_a/234 [Paul Wenke has been an E-Myth Client since October 2005, and graduated from the Mastery Impact! Business Coaching program in December 2006.] Back to the Drawing Board As I detailed in Part 1 of my story, I started an online business called Hardware Overstock without implementing any of the E-Myth principles. The result was that we had spent a great deal of time, energy and money building something that would have to be rebuilt. When we went back and consulted the E-Myth lessons we had used in building our bricks-and-mortar business... Paul Wenke communityservice@e-myth.com Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 PST Lead Conversion, Lead Generation