Books The E Myth Revisited Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to DoAbout It  by Michael E Gerber

"The E Myth Revisited" by Michael E. Gerber explains that small businesses often fail because most owners are technicians who know how to do the technical work but do not understand how to run a business as a system. Gerber identifies three key roles that every business owner must balance:

The Entrepreneur (the visionary and innovator),

The Manager (the planner and organizer),

The Technician (the person who performs the technical work).

Many business owners get stuck working in their business doing technical tasks instead of working on their business by developing systems, processes, and growth strategies. This mistake, which Gerber calls the Entrepreneurial Seizure—when a technician decides to start a business—turns a skilled technician into a business owner without the necessary skills to lead or manage effectively.

Key ideas include:

The Fatal Assumption that knowing the technical work of a business means you know how to run the business itself, which is false.

Viewing the business as a system or prototype that should be designed to operate efficiently and independently of the owner's constant presence.

The importance of planning the business from the start as if it will grow and function without the owner doing every task.

Understanding business growth in stages—Infancy, Adolescence, and Maturity—and how owners must develop their roles and systems accordingly.

The Turn-Key Revolution concept, emphasizing creating businesses that run predictably, like franchises, allowing for scalable and sustainable growth.