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Once in a great while a book is published that not only changes the face of its genre, but that of an entire industry. It becomes a book that transcends what it means to be a book and takes on an impactful life of its own. One of those books is The E-Myth Revisited by Mr. Michael Gerber, who joins us for episode 146 of The Solopreneur Hour. During this show, Michael talks to us about the origins of the book, why it is such evergreen content, and what’s coming up next for him.
More About This Show
As one of the Sexy Six books I recommend for all of you Soloists out there, I hope by now you’ve read Michael’s The E-Myth Revisited. If you haven’t, you can get it on Amazon (the physical book) or Audible (audio version). Considered one of the most influential business books of its time (perhaps of all time), Michael says the origins of this book are quite simple: he was looking for a way to transform the state of small business worldwide.
Consumed by the pursuit of this transformation, he soon uncovered the concepts and the fundamental truth of which this book is based on. With that foundation in place, The E-Myth Revisited was born. At its core, this book is about why most small businesses fail – and how to avoid that failure.
Michael says the majority of businesses fail because they are started by people who simply want to get rid of their bosses, rather than people who have a dream or a vision of something greater than their own needs and desires. Instead of creating for ourselves another job where we are the boss, we should find what that dream, vision, purpose and mission is within us and then create a business around that. He has uncovered the process by which we do that, a process he calls The Dreaming Room. It’s what he’s at work on now and what he is currently bringing into the world.
You’ll also discover things like:
- What does it mean to him to be a creator?
- Why the status quo kills off the creative, compelling instinct we are all born with.
- Who the dreaming room is specifically designed for.
- What was the business landscape like when he wrote the book?
- His answer to the question: what would your last meal be?
- And lots more!
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Michael also explains what he means by epic entrepreneur and how we can go from The Dreaming Room at the base level up to being an epic entrepreneur, which is the pinnacle of our potential. Most of us won’t get to that epic place because we’re stuck. We’re stuck financially, physically, emotionally, spiritually and we must become unstuck to have a chance at achieving that epic level. The first step to getting unstuck is his dreaming room.
Another interesting topic we discuss is the education system. Because Michael believes we are all created in the image and likeness of God, he believes are all creators just as God is a creator. It isn’t until we enter the public school system that that creativity gets sucked out of us. We all have a natural, compelling instinct to create but it’s taken from us by the public school system and the status quo. He goes on to say he would not educate his child in the public school system, but instead would send him/her to a parochial school or a charter school.
And definitely not to a higher education system where only false promises are made and never realized. He believes in having people educate themselves and discover for themselves who they are and what they are meant to be doing on this planet, something he doesn’t think people can find in a public classroom today.
On a related note, he also admits to not reading business books. He finds inspiration and creation from within himself. He feels his ideas and concepts would be too influenced by outside sources if he were to read other books in his genre. The last thing he wants to do is to create something as a pattern from something he got from someone on the outside. We also get into a deep discussion on Steve Jobs and narcissism, a debate on solopreneurs vs. entrepreneurship, and why he wouldn’t have a last meal even if he were leaving for Mars tomorrow!
Please join me in thanking Michael for being a guest on The Solopreneur Hour; it was a humbling honor to have him with us. If you’d like more information on The Dreaming Room, please email him at michael@michaelegerber.com or trish@michaelegerber.com. Or if you’re interested in becoming a Dreaming Room facilitator you can send an email to either of those two addresses and someone will get back to you.
Please Visit Our Sponsor For Today’s Episode:
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Episode Resources
Michael’s web site
The Epic Entrepreneur Blog
The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber (hard copy)
The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber (audio version)
SoloLab: A Unique Mastermind
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Read five of the six sexy books mentioned. This was the one I missed. (double facepalm) I will need to get it asap! Great insight from man who embodies what he knows.
I love “double facepalm”. solid.
This interview showcases Michael O’Neal’s tenacity and grace under fire. I actually laughed out loud more than once. Great job Michael! You stayed the course and gave Michael Gerber the opportunity to share some excellent ideas.
I laid on a beach in Spain and listened to this show twice. The first time I listened to it from Mr O’Neals point of view as it was a fascinating insight on how to interview someone who has for thirty years been told they are right by everyone. As Mr Gerber spoke with confidence and conviction like he didn’t expect to be doubted, you could hear Michael grappling with multiple questions that he could pose, holding back until he had chosen the right one. And this is the beauty of an advanced interviewing technique, where the questions are posed from the conversation and not pre-determined. Mr Gerber didn’t really know what question he would get asked next. And I liked that he took a defensive stance at times. This was the interesting points of the session…like Frost V Nixon. Two guys that knew there stuff and were not willing to give an inch. But then the second time, I listened from Mr Gerbers view, and you couldn’t fail to be impressed by his conviction re the inner game and our ability to create. All in all a great show, with two guys that have raised their bar and certainly know their own inner game.
Ah, The E-Myth. It is certainly a classic. I still remember the story about the baker who runs a bake shop because she likes baking (and then grows into the other aspects of running a business).
talking about legendary ideas. That “donot only work in your business, take enough time to work ON your business” quote is probably one of the most important ideas for the 21st century. always rething and adapt.. and lead… towards your goal but always for the sake of others as well.