I have a professional crush on Michael Gerber, author of “The E-Myth” series of books, and owner of multiple businesses. Michael has been an entrepreneur, speaker, coach, writer, and small business advocate for nearly 40 years, and I love that he tells the truth about running a small business!
E-Myth stands for Entrepreneurial Myth…the myth that you can run a business without leadership skills or business know-how, simply because you can create a great product or service. Michael Gerber tells entrepreneurs that they have to get training, learn skills and understand the workings of a successful business so you can put it into practice in your business. I agree completely.
In a recent article on his blog, called The 4 Dimensions of the Entrepreneur’s Personality, Gerber talks about the four sides of an entrepreneur; the dreamer, the thinker, the storyteller, and the leader. We all have these four sides as small business owners. We need to make sure we listen to, develop, and nurture all four aspects of ourselves. It’s good for us, and good for our business!
The Dreamer: This is the side of us that knew we could create a business, dreamed of that just-right product or service and has been a true believer in those dreams. Even when we have doubts or troubles along the journey to success, it’s the dreamer in us that pulls us forward and is our inspiration to put those dreams into action!
The Thinker is the voice of planning and reason. This side inspires us with big dreams of what we can accomplish, and makes real plans to make them happen. Lists, systems, the search for how-to knowledge and the drive to put it all together in the real world so it works…that’s the thinker in us. This is the side of me that loves systems and processes!
The Storyteller expresses our dreams and plans. The story has to be told, and told well, to get others on board. We have to be able to express both the dreams and the concrete plans to build them into reality, in order to get others on board. The storyteller comes out when we present a business plan, tell the spouse about our dream, and when we talk to our ideal audience or customers.
The Leader gets all four sides moving in the same direction. This is the part of us that sees every detail, and every dream, and gets all sides working to make this amazing new project happen. It is the side of us that inspires, informs, and leads both ourselves and those around us to a very real success!
Gerber says that all four sides of an entrepreneur need to be working together, must be encouraged and developed, for success. If you are feeling overwhelmed, or your business is in a slump…take a look at yourself. Are all four sides up and running? Do you give yourself time to dream, think, express, and lead? Has one of those sides or jobs pushed the others out of the way?
Getting yourself and your business back into balance may be the answer!
