E-Myth Company Story of the Month October 2011

Company Name:	M&S Centerless Grinding, Inc.
About the business:	Manufacturing – precision grinding service
Location:	Hatboro, PA (Philadelphia suburb)
Owner:	John Shegda
Year Founded:	1957
Number of Employees:	22
Website:	www.msgrinding.com
Achievement:	50% surge in top line sales
E-Myth Program:	E-Myth Mastery Program - Focus Level

From Lifeless to Limitless

by John Shegda

The beginning of my story is a story similar to many small business owners’. My father started a company in 1957 and I later took it over. I inherited a company, but I also inherited its chaos.

We’re a precision grinding company offering services to Medical, Aerospace and Power Generation industries. We attempt to solve problems that others are either afraid of, or cannot do.

But as we pushed through these barriers to carve out a niche for our specialized clients, the amount of overwhelm became too much to handle. I felt like I was drowning in all the responsibilities of being a business owner. I had no sense of direction – no way in, and no way out.

The disorganization came from every side, and day to day chaos became the norm. There was no light at the end of the tunnel, just the painful stumbling and groping in the dark. Day in and day out. Year in and year out.

It was in the midst of this that I read the E-Myth Revisited. Its text resonated deep within me and I could not understand how the concepts – so simply, yet eloquently, stated – seemed to be written specifically for me.

That’s when I decided that enough was enough and I contacted E-Myth.

I joined the Mastery program and, almost instantly, the feeling of “drowning” stopped. I could see a way out of the chaos.

It’s like therapy for me at times. When I feel like I am struggling, or lost in that chaos, my coach will bring me back to the basics and make me focus on executing a plan that will get me (and my business) pointed in the right direction.

In the 4 years that we have been involved with E-Myth, our strategic planning and tactical efforts (including marketing campaigns and involvement in an executive forum group) have resulted in a 50% surge of top line sales.

All this has worked together to give me a better quality of life and sense of direction. It has also provided clarity for my employees. The systems based approach makes sense to everyone and tends to provide relief for those who feel overwhelmed in their positions at times. Everyone understands their role and what they are contributing to the company as a whole.

E-Myth has taken us from a disorganized company with very good intentions to a systems oriented company that is now actually accomplishing great things. We were truly a “mom & pop” shop just a few years ago, but are now planning on spinning off a division of the company and building a group from the ground-up that will be an international organization.

I have matured as a business owner, as a leader, and as a person. I now feel like I am ready to take my business to places that I would not have thought were possible just a few years ago. E-Myth reignited the fire and passion that I have for this business.

E-Myth has been one of the best things that I have ever done for myself, my business and my family.

E-Myth has taken us from a disorganized company with very good intentions to a systems oriented company that is now actually accomplishing great things.

— John Shegda, Owner of M&S Centerless Grinding, Inc.