Tech Tuesdays - Book Review - "The E-Myth Revisited"

I had heard great things about Michael Gerber's book The E-Myth. Great things like "I stayed up all night reading it". Successful, young photographers like Chase Jarvis and Jasmine Star have endorsed it. So, I figured I'd give it a shot, but instead of reading the original version (which is from the 1980s), I decided to read The E-Myth Revisited, since it's supposed to be a "new and totally revised edition". Should be the same ideas but with more computers and less fax machines.

For some reason, I just could not get into the book. Usually, this is a bad sign. If I'm not into a book within the first 10-15 pages, I usually just cut my losses and move on, but with this book, I was determined to read it and see what the fuss was all about. As I read on, I started to get into it, which is why I can actually write a review. You didn't think I'd post a review of the first 15 pages that just said "boring", now did you?

The way the book is written is fairly unique for a business book. As you'd expect, the author discusses his techniques, methods and ideas, but each chapter is framed within a conversation with an exasperated business owner. The author meets a woman who bakes pies and just can't figure out why she's working so much and not growing her business. Their conversation carries you through the ideas the book presents and gives them a practical application so you, as the reader, get to see the concepts applied to an actual business instead of just discussed as hypothetical concepts. It's a clever concept that not only helped me to get an idea of what was being discussed, but also broke up the monotony of just reading a business book.

So what about the content of the book? I have to admit, I didn't find The E-Myth Revisited as groundbreaking as I'd hoped. There were times where I was very inspired by what I was reading. The ideas all seem sound and seem like they can be applied to any business. I'm not sure what was missing for me. Maybe it's that I don't feel ready to make the major changes suggested by the book. Maybe it's because there weren't many ideas I could immediately apply to my business. I can't quite put my finger on it. Something tells me that if I go back and read it again in a year, I'll be much more excited. Maybe I'll even stay up all night reading it!