E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company (Hardcover)

by Michael E. Gerber (Author) "We're about to go on an adventure, you and I..." (more)
Key Phrases: lead generation channels, lead conversion process, client fulfillment system, World Class Company, E-Myth Mastery, Central Psychographic Model (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Small business guru and best-selling author Gerber is an enthusiastic champion of small business owners, and his constant cheering underlies this latest attempt to provide a comprehensive plan for entrepreneurial success. The key messages here are similar to those of his previous books (The E-Myth Revisited, etc.): that "knowing how to do the work of a business has nothing to do with building a business that works"; that entrepreneurs learn their skills through practice, practice, practice; and that anyone willing to adopt that same kind of discipline can be successful too. These principles are sound and practical, but Gerber's articulation of them is often cloying. His book relies heavily on Platonic dialogues with his 'student' Sarah, the ever misty-eyed owner of a business called All About Pies. But the quasi-romantic tenor of their conversations is irritating. Equally distracting is Gerber's impassioned mid-book confession detailing how even as he was succeeding as a small business guru, he was being sued for fraud, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and seriously not in control of his own far-from-excellent small company. While this confession lends credibility to his knowledge-he has personally been to the brink of small business failure and back-it may plant seeds of doubt within skeptical readers. But, ultimately, those who overlook this skepticism and plow through the soul-searching assignments that make up the first 66 pages of the book will be rewarded. For Gerber's volume provides a wealth of practical guidelines, charts, forms (available online) and instructions on how to run, improve and manage a business of any size. And, by the end, readers will feel as though they've been given a full course of one-on-one coaching sessions with Gerber. For all its flaws, this is a book with a business plan that anyone could implement...and should want to.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
How can any executive or wannabe executives determine which book offers the best advice? Gerber focuses on the philosophy that netted him big bucks: don't work in your business, work on it. He extends this idea by way of the example of Sarah, owner of All about Pies, who has hit a roadblock with her business. Reenergizing, he says, means a reconnection with the original passion and vision, usually adopting a different scenario, and that leads to his analysis of seven disciplines that help make a world-class company: leadership, marketing, finances, management, client fulfillment, lead conversion, and lead generation. So, here is, if not the only source of good advice, at least an important source. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: HarperBusiness (December 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060723181
• ISBN-13: 978-0060723187
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #284,487 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

195 of 204 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Love or Hate, Invaluable or Garbage... You Decide, March 26, 2005

By	Van H. Dai "Bookie the Worm" (Richardson, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a natural buy if you, like me, have read E-Myth: Revisited and absolutely loved it. This book is full of invaluable information, however, it suffers from the greatest flaw ever - it is the most annoying and painstaking read ever!!!!!!!

Let me give you an example of what I mean by rewriting my first paragraph in this book's style:

This book is a natural buy if you, like me, like all the other entreprenuers out in the world, who like Susan from the first book, who wants to know more information, and join the thirty some thousand other entreprenuers like them, after you have read the first book E-Myth: Revisited, and absolutely loved it, thought that it was inspiring, insightful, and was written in a well thought out, interesting, easy to read way, and want to read more about building a world class company, one which is measurable to the likes of other world class companies, companies who have succeeded, companies who have applied these principles, who have leaders who understand these qualities and have the spirit, perserverence, energy, ability, vision, and committment to success, both personally and professionally.

90% FLUFF and 10% GOLD

But then again... the 10% is still pretty darn good if only you can stand reading through the other crap he writes. If the price of the book is in direct correlation to the number of words he writes then this book should be worth only like $2-3 dollars max because the rest is useless trash, garbage kept past the date of pickup, stinking of fish from two days earlier, of which you should have thrown out earlier rather than later, but of course you did not for you procrastinated, took your jolly good time, rested when you should have worked, gotten off your lazy ass, to throw this trash away, yesterday, the day the trash was to be picked up by the trash man...

Damn... I'm infected by this cursed writing style, this style which [SHUT UP!!!!!!]

I digress... buy it if you can stand this style of writing, of digressing, of adding more to a sentence, a style of clarifying things more than is needed, when things are clear they can be made clearer by adding more words, for the more words you add the clearer the meaning, the more words the less likely you will misunderstand... You know what I mean?

272 of 289 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Cult of Michael Gerber, January 23, 2005

By	Robert D. Kaetzel (Baltimore, Maryland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: E-Myth Mastery CD: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World-Class Company (Audio CD)

Well, I really wanted to like this book. I own Gerber's other E-Myth products and I was looking for a main course, some meat after the fluffy appetizer in the other books. I was very disappointed. While Gerber is a very intelligent man with wisdom and alot of insights, he loves to tell longwinded stories that don't enhance the material. After reading this book you will almost be convinced that Gerber was paid by the word. Gerber's essential idea is that most small business owners work "in their business" and not "on their business" and how they should systematize and build a "franchise prototype" so that the business runs efficiently.

You will also find out that this product is a lead in to signing up with a coach at the E-Myth Mastery website if you want some real "meat and potatoes."

I am convinced that if I plunked down the dollars needed for one of Gerber's coaches, I would probably be dealing with a low paid employee that is using Gerber's "operations manual" as he teaches that your business should be able to be run by low level employees that work the business systems.

I also get the feeling that if I did sign up for Gerber's coaching, I would probably be lead to sign up for a month long summit with Michael Gerber on some Polynesian island where all of the real secrets will be finally revealed.

While the principles in all of the books are sound, it is tantamount to telling you to look both ways when crossing the street and then telling you the hows, whens and whys of looking before crossing the street and drawing out the importance through example and story telling when you got the message in the first sentence. Enough, what is on the other side of the street? You won't find out in this book.

Do yourself a favor. Buy the E-Myth Revisited, learn the basic principles and then use your own mind and gut to lead you to the next level. I have a feeling that there are many entrepreneurs that get sucked into the "Cult of Michael Gerber" and roam the Earth searching endlessly for some specific information about how they can apply Gerber's principles to their business. I wish those lonely wanderers good luck.

59 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Can't believe I'm writing this..., March 17, 2005

By	Maria Marsala (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: E-Myth Mastery CD: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World-Class Company (Audio CD)

I am a big proponent of Michael Gerber, and agree with most of his observations which I read and have re-read in the Emyth Revisited. It is my policy that my new clients must agree to purchase and read the Emyth Revisited - or I won't take them on. That book to me is that good. So I was very interested in ordering the CDs for his latest venture.

All I will say is this. There were 6 hours of CDs to listen to. However, they have about 2 hours worth of very good information in them. They are VERY VERY wordy. And I had to force myself to continue to listen.

I say, pass on this CD, don't purchase the book - AND purchase the Emyth Revisited. Unless, at some point the book and CD are re-edited.