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How to Increase Your Cash Power (7) Search
2011 | Nov 30 in Home Page News , Money

By Jamison Hollister, E-Myth Business Coach Maximize Cash
Flow and Increase
CASH = OPPORTUNITY Your Profits.
Having extra cash on hand allows you to do some
You've read about how
pretty essential things in your business, like: to better understand
money, now do
Purchase equipment
something about it.
Hire employees
Maintain inventory
Get Results With E-Myth
Conduct market research
Online: Money
Innovate and improve your products and
services
Attract new customers
Open new locations
Have a hedge against unexpected
economic or market changes View Blog Articles by Topic
So, why is it that when it comes time to seize these

opportunities - when the excitement to grow is stirring Subscribe to Blog RSS
within you - that it can feel like such a struggle to find the cash to do so?
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The truth is that many business owners don’t plan ahead specifically for their cash needs.
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CASH = VALUE
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When you have an accurate vision for where your business is heading, and what you need to do to Follow E-Myth on Twitter
get it there, then cash becomes a tool by which you can create a better experience – or provide more
value – for your customers. Follow E-Myth on Facebook
CASH = VALUE = MORE CASH Ask E-Myth
You already know it takes a certain amount of cash just to get through the day, but it is that ‘extra’
cash that you build up through careful planning and strategic thinking that funds the steps you need Twitter Updates
to take in order to move your business to the next level. Ask yourself, 'What do I still not know about
how I create my own problems and what can I
If you are going to grow your business, then you must learn to manage your cash carefully and do about it?' E-Myth serves those who ask this.
strategically in pursuit of your vision. about 23 hours ago
Posted a new article: "How to Reinvent Your

Customer Experience" http://t.co/XAr9KpoM 1
Two Starting Questions day ago
Most people focus on the quality of their

There are two questions I ask every new client and you should be asking yourself as well:
product and not the customers' complete
experience. They see the trees, but not the
"What do you want to accomplish and how committed are you to actually doing it?"
forest. 1 day ago
These questions are critical, not just as they relate to cash management, but because they define the
essence of your discipline in whatever venture you’re considering: losing weight, reducing debt, Most Active
buying a new house, improving your golf game, learning a new language, or creating a successful (last 10 days)
business.
(7) How to Reinvent Your Customer Experience

You have to know why you’re pursuing any given goal to begin with. What is the value that you will get
(1) 3 Steps to Achieving Your Vision
from the end result? Is it worth the discipline it takes to get there? Usually it is.
(1) 4 Systems to Eliminate Distraction
Then you have to admit that if you’ve attempted it before, but haven't made much headway toward (1) The Power of Referrals
achieving your goal, it might require some serious soul-searching to understand where the problem
lies.
Recent Comments
Excellent! If businessman want...
You may find that it requires you to take a new approach, as uncomfortable as that may be...
Feb 10, 3:42AM
An eye opener. Thanks....
You need to own it.
Feb 9, 7:45PM
Great! ...
And so it is with cash. Strong cash flow is a goal that most business owners have, and sincerely aim
Feb 9, 6:00PM
Feb 9, 6:00PM
to achieve, only to look back and realize that they’re in the same place as they've always been.
Another great post. I agree th...
Feb 9, 5:07AM
You might have to ask yourself how you personally relate to cash. How do you manage it? How do
you mismanage it? What are your goals in acquiring and using it?
Blog Resources
Once you’ve defined your goals and recognize where change needs to happen, you can begin to see Blog FAQ
how to properly leverage your cash to get more of what you want. Blog Archive
Who's Minding the Store?

How you relate to cash is largely determined by which of your business personalities has been
dominating your thinking. Your inner Technician, Manager, and Entrepreneur all relate to cash in
different ways.
Your inner Entrepreneur knows there will be exciting opportunities in the future that you’ll want to take
advantage of and that you’ll need a cash cushion that will give you the available funds to do so.
Your inner Manager needs to be able to generate profit. This is the person who implements the
steps to ensure that you can track and monitor your cash flow and have a plan in place for using cash
productively. You may not be, and in most cases should not b e, the person who actually does the
cash planning and reporting work, but you need to be coordinating and guiding those activities. The
ultimate accountability for making sure that work gets done rests with you as the Manager.
For the inner Technician, cash is simply what you get in exchange for a certain amount of time and
material. It is short-term, immediate, and easily taken for granted. Your inner Technician does not
have the capability to think strategically about cash. If your inner Technician has been minding the
store, it is not surprising if your cash is used indiscriminately, with little awareness or interest in the
actual strategic power it holds.
It shouldn’t surprise you that, in my experience, those clients who have the greatest challenge in
harnessing their cash power are those who have allowed their inner Technicians to be the guardians
of the cash; whether it is to their accountant or bookkeeper, they have abdicated and conveniently
ignored the critical part that their inner Manager and Entrepreneur must play in fueling their vision.
This is not an insurmountable challenge by any means. It simply underlines the need to commit to a
change of perspective and a shift in power.
Power Shift
Every successful small business runs like a high performance machine and it takes cold, liquid cash
to fuel it.
As you seek out new opportunities to drive your company growth, consider the following guidelines
about cash flow management that can help you take charge of your business and your future – note
which of the three business personalities apply:
1. Answer the first two critical questions: What goals do you have for your business and how
committed are you to actually making them a reality? (The Entrepreneur)
2. Plan out how you might use any extra cash to improve your business. Have fun - make a
list of things you want to see implemented. (Manager and Entrepreneur)
3. Decide if the benefit of these improvements is worth the discipline it will require to get you
there. (The Entrepreneur)
4. Then, if you are in fact committed to achieving greater cash power, plan how you might
generate, budget for, and save up the extra cash you need. (Manager)
5. Be continually questioning how you relate to cash and be always willing to visit new ways
of thinking. (Manager and Entrepreneur)
Discuss this entry: (7)
Shape Your Financial Destiny (3)

2011 | Nov 23 in Home Page News , Money
By Adam Traub, Senior Business Coach
Are you committed to shifting luck into

certainty?
E-Myth Worldwide is.
Most business owners have a lack of

financial understanding in their
businesses and so leave their financial
future to chance.
Some business owners have a fear of

numbers. Some are overwhelmed. Most
feel intimidated or embarrassed to admit
that they don’t know what they’re looking
for when they review financial documents.
Fortunately, you’re reading this now.
The good news is you do not need to know everything ab out accounting in order to define and
strategically manage your financial data.
The truth is, you only have to be proficient in understanding 20% of the financial information that you
generate, and informed enough to know who to go to for the other 80%.
With the right resources and mindset, you can dramatically transform the financial performance of
your business, and increase your feeling of control and confidence in this area.
Let's Define the Roles

As CEO you are responsible for the success or failure of your business.
For you to be fully successful at that, you must build a financial team around you, and leverage the
information provided by the rest of the team.
Your team includes:
A CFO
A Controller
A Bookkeeper
A CPA
A CFO advises the CEO on trends that may impact the business, supports you in analyzing financial
reports and helps to establish and monitor the systems used by your accounting department.
A Controller oversees the personnel in your accounting department, prepares reports, and makes
recommendations to improve the financial outlook of the company.
The bookkeeper is the technician on your team handling the day-to-day tasks of organizing and
inputting data.
The CPA’s main role is to advise you on tax-related matters.
Is This a Business or a Hobby?

Are you using a CPA?
If so, are they analyzing your income statements for you?
If your answer is no to either of these questions, you are missing a key player on your financial team.
You’re also missing tools that are vital to the control of your financial future.
The key to being motivated to shape your financial systems is to think about what you really want in
return for the time you’re investing. It is critical to acknowledge whether you have a hobby or a
business.
If your answer is authentically a b usiness, then you need to begin to think about it differently.
If you have been avoiding responsible, comprehensive financial management and burying your head
in the sand, there is no better time, as the New Year approaches, to adopt a new, healthy attitude
towards it, and resolve to take action.
If you want your business to give you more life, and are committed to fulfilling your financial goals and
taking control of your financial health, then making this shift is essential.
The Essential Steps

1. Be open and curious about how your financials and your business activities are
connected. Every decision and action you take shows up somewhere on your financial
reports. Understanding what is underneath those numbers will allow you to have
increased clarity and make better strategic decisions.
2. Have a financial team around you that provides support, direction, and recommendations.
Each position brings a different viewpoint, and it may take some time to put it together, but
don’t wait to start. They do not have to be full time staff. Start with your CPA because they
might be able to provide additional resources or give you suggestions as to where you can
find the rest of your team.
3. Regularly review and analyze your income statements and balance sheets. Your financial
team can play an important part with this. This review needs to be done monthly. Being
consistent is critical; repeated, regular, disciplined exposure will increasingly alert you to
trends and anomalies, and progressively increase your “financial intelligence” and comfort
level.
4. Establish a budget and a system for using it. It does not have to be complicated.
Determine when during the month you will review your budget and the variances between
your plan and what actually occurred. Your budget is a plan to make you profitable and you
can - and should - adjust it periodically to reflect the shifting realities of your business
activities.
5. Set up a way to track and manage your cash and make it a routine. Generally speaking,
you need to have 2 – 3 months of expenses set up as a cash reserve. Even if you can only
put a little away at a time, do it because it will add up quickly. Cash management is about
knowing what you have now, what is due to come in, and what is due to go out. It seems
simple because it is!
6. Use accounting software. Simply relying on your checkbook, bank statements or

spreadsheets is just not comprehensive enough. Although we don’t endorse any specific
software, make sure it includes the ability to run income statements, balance sheets,
create and manage budgets and has the ability to track and manage cash flow. It should
also be able to provide variance reports for your budget and cash flow.
If you acknowledge what is in your way of being fully accountable for your own financial health, set up
a team around you, and follow these 6 guidelines, you will begin to develop a financial management
system that will direct you on the path to building and having a healthy and thriving company.
If you choose to keep doing what is not working or continue to avoid what is, in fact, your
responsibility as CEO, then be prepared to forever ask yourself why there is so much month left at the
end of the money.
If you’ve b een inspired to start this shift in thinking and take control of your financial destiny, then click
here to learn more ab out where you can start.
7 Steps to Start Your Systems Development

(4)
2011 | Nov 16 in Home Page News , Management , Leadership
By Judith Lerner, Business Coach
What is your greatest challenge in setting up

systems?
We regularly ask our clients this question and the

answer we get is pretty consistent, “I don’t know
where to start.”
It's no surprise that you don’t. You were never

taught where to start.
We see the project of systems development

paralyzing many small business owners; but it
needn’t be as mysterious as many make it.
E-Myth breaks a business down into seven major areas, or centers, of Management Attention.
Leadership
Money
Management
Client Fulfillment
Lead Conversion
Lead Generation
Marketing
Each area – taken in isolation – is a comprehensive combination of little systems that work together.
There are two key points I will address in this article. One is how to approach the scope of the
systems development project. The other is how to actually b egin it.
Astute Awareness
My new client, Barbara, came to our call with a declaration, “I need a financial system.”
I had a few questions for her, but the first one was, “Says who?”
In other words, I wanted to check to see if her Technician, Manager, or Entrepreneur was taking the
lead on this call. After all, this can make a big difference.
Each of those characters has a particular point of view and basic approach to thinking about and
dealing with issues. None are either right or wrong, but what occurs as extremely relevant from one
point of view is not the same for the others.
Their perceptions are different. And perception shapes reality.
Thoughts, actions and focus of attention will shift depending on which “hat” you’re wearing.
Have you ever seen one of those Magic Eye books or images? They’re pictures that, when you first
look at them, are normal-appearing two-dimensional, colorful renderings of, say, a field of flowers.
But when you hold the page up to your nose and focus your eyes as if you are looking through the
page, and slowly extend your arms, continuing to focus through (instead of at) the picture, a shift
occurs.
Instead of the field of flowers, a three-dimensional image appears. Suddenly you’re looking at a
labyrinth! Surprisingly, as long as you hold on to that longer view, you can actually move your eyes
and follow the maze around the corners within the tall hedges!
As with any optical illusion, until you learn the trick, you can only see one way.
Much of what I do as an E-Myth Coach is to challenge my client’s ability to see three-dimensionally,

strengthening their astute vision.
In the context of beginning your system development, it is a similar process of forcing your brain to
see things differently, and it begins with that acute awareness that the Technician, the Manager and
the Entrepreneurial mindsets operate in distinctly different dimensions.
If you try to analyze a problem from only one of these perspectives, you can easily end up paralyzed.
So, which perspective is required when thinking about the development of the financial management
system?
All three have a part to play, but only one could effectively do the system development work.
Barbara the Entrepreneur says she needs a financial system because she doesn’t have what she
needs when she wants it.
Barbara the Technician would be most sensitive to the smallest parts; but her nose is too close to
the page.
Barbara the Manager, however, has the objectivity, curiosity, analytical focus, and patience to
investigate and create a plan to design what’s needed to produce the required results.
I wanted the Manager to take the lead on this call.
Where do we start?
To build any major system in your business, start at the top with the ultimate result you’re seeking
and begin to deconstruct the mechanism.
Ask what we call the repeating question: “What do I need in order to get this result?”
Keep asking until you get to the smallest parts. This is the managerial work.
Then, once you’ve identified those parts, create those systems and work your way back up. This is
the tactical work.
It might help to imagine the trunk of a tree, with your repeating question leading you out along a
It might help to imagine the trunk of a tree, with your repeating question leading you out along a
network of branches that in turn lead to networks of smaller branches.
As you get out there on those skinniest branches, you’re getting down to the simplest parts of your
larger system. You’re identifying the smallest essential components that contribute to the larger
result you’re after.
What you find out there on those skinniest branches are what we call “end systems.”
Maybe it doesn’t seem very dramatic to begin your financial system development by making sure you
have a system for, say, capturing and recording your source documents, but only with that and a
dozen other routine and mundane essential “end systems” in place will you end up with a complete
and robust financial system.
Having the little parts in place provides the nourishment that supports the larger ultimate results.
As Barbara switched to her Manager’s hat, she was getting excited at the prospect of reliable, timely,
and excuse-free financial reports.
Finally, she knew where to start: at the end.
7 Steps for System Development:

Now that you know where to start, you can continue the process by implementing these easy steps.
1. Get to know the different voices of your Technician, Manager and Entrepreneur.
2. Recognize how your perception is altered, attention shifts, and priorities are reordered by
which hat you are wearing.
3. Identify a system you think you need.
4. Using a spread sheet, mind map, white board or blank sheet of paper – whatever you use
to capture and save your thoughts – start with the name of that major system at the center
(or the trunk).
5. Keep asking, (patience here) capturing the progressively smaller components with each
of your responses.
6. Arrange all of your captured responses in their logical, linear order – largest to smallest.
7. Start your system development by designing from the bottom up.
Your “end systems” will dependably feed each next larger assembly until you’ve reached the top!
Get a more in-depth look at how to create your overall systems strategy b y clicking here
2 Areas of Profitability You're Overlooking (3)

2011 | Nov 9 in Home Page News , Lead Conversion
By Bobby Burns, E-Myth Business Coach
You need to get into your customers’

heads.
Unfortunately, you can’t read minds.
The Technician in you accepts this and

tries to genuinely meet your customers’
expectations.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t cut it.
The business owner wearing the

Technician hat takes the easy route and
bases the company’s entire customer
experience system on the “standard” systems they see everywhere else.
• The automated hold message says, “Your time is important to us…”

• The representative arbitrarily asks, “How may I assist you today?”
• The supervisor replies in a neutral tone, “I understand your frustration.”
These things might work at times. But they’re not actually getting a desirable result. In fact, they’re
keeping your business stagnant.
If your business is like most, you thrive on repeat business, loyal customers, and positive word-of-
mouth.
So, if the desired result is a healthy and thriving customer base that will keep coming back and telling
others about you (and it should be), it’s time to change hats.
Many companies have been able to achieve this. But staggering numbers haven’t, even though it’s
entirely within their reach.
The companies that create such a healthy customer base do so by providing an exceptional
customer experience. They have crafted an experience with a systematic approach and intention to
exceed customer expectations. It’s not by accident. It’s by design. It’s an Entrepreneurial thought
process and a Managerial execution.
The two areas of focus that most business owners tend to unintentionally overlook are also the two
areas that can have the greatest impact on increased sales and profitability.
These areas are Customer Service and Delivery.
Customer Service Is Not a Department

“Customer service” is an overused phrase that has little meaning any more, but customers still want
their needs met. To accomplish this requires that customer service is the responsibility of every
employee, whether they have direct customer contact or not.
Customer service is different from any add-on service you offer for sale. If you charge money for a
service, it’s part of your product mix. Customer Service is free.
Customer Service enhances your main offer – it’s not your main offer – but a pleasantly unexpected
bonus that reinforces your message that you care.
It may include services such as free educational seminars. It may be the offer of free setup or an
introductory period of technical assistance or maintenance. It could be the availability of credit or
financial services, or simply a routine follow-up call that confirms a customer’s satisfaction.
Whatever it is, it has to fulfill your customers’ deepest needs.
Customer Service opportunities are endless. It is a major area that can give you a competitive
advantage – especially if you are seen as a commodity with numerous competitors. So when you
start thinking about the customer services you might offer, think beyond the obvious.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What attributes of your business lend themselves to better
customer service? Don’t be afraid to experiment and then elicit feedback from the people who know
best – your customers.
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered!

There comes that moment in your customer experience where your customer accepts delivery of your
product or service. This really is the moment of truth. It’s the culminating moment where you either
exceed, meet, or fall short of your customers’ expectations.
The mechanics and protocol for delivery are different for every business, but every business has a
process to get the product or service into a customer’s hands. The question you must ask yourself is:
does it “deliver?”
Delivery has two main components: transportation and experience.
Transportation runs the gamut from very simple to very complicated - from handing your customer
their product at the time of purchase to outsourcing to a parcel delivery service. This decision is
informed by the nature of the product or service and the available transportation channels.
One of the keys to building customer loyalty is to regularly subject your transportation systems to
methodical analysis – making sure you, or they, deliver the result your customers expect at the most
reasonable cost.
The delivery experience, on the other hand, is your opportunity to differentiate your business from
every other competitor.
In order to do that, you must fully leverage the marketing principle of “sensory impact.”
In other words, you need to do more than simply hand off your product or service to your customer;
you need to make them feel good about the value they receive.
The way you present your product or service to the customers who purchase it will have a lasting
impact on their experience of your business.
While your concerns about delivery might be the costs of shipping, the reliability of your transport
company, and whether to ship ground or air, your customers have their own definition of delivery.
They are focused on convenience, speed, and the cost to them. And because they look at how the
package arrives, having it delivered by premium shippers like UPS or FedEx can enhance the
perceived value to your clients. Not because those trucks are any better than anyone else’s, but
because they are associated with speed and convenience.
From your clients’ perspective, you cared enough to satisfy them quickly, even if you had to pay extra
for it. The result is a positive delivery experience.
Remember, "the medium is the message.” How you say or do something often has more impact
than the actual content of the message.
In other words, the way in which you present your product to your customer may often times have
more impact than the product itself.
Do You Have What It Takes?

As a business owner, you know your resources are finite.
There is only so much equipment, inventory, cash, workspace, and employee time available.
When considering how to excel in providing an exceptional customer experience, it’s up to you to get
the most value from those resources. But there’s more to it than just quantifying output.
It is counter-productive to your goals to simply squeeze more cost-effectiveness from your processes
if it dilutes or sacrifices your customer experience or places undue burdens on your employees.
The key, then, is to manage that delicate balance between productivity and the expectations that fuel
true customer satisfaction.
Editor’s Note: It can b e surprisingly simple to elevate your customers’ experience from ordinary to
extraordinary. We’d like to know what you’ve done, or what this article has prompted you to do, in
order to exceed your customers' expectations.
For more ideas on designing a customer experience that will exceed your customers' expectations
and utilize your existing customer b ase as an optimal source for more sales, click here.
How to Join the Business Hall of Fame (3)

2011 | Nov 2 in Home Page News , Client Fulfillment
By Joe Wollenweber, Senior Coach
Remember when you had that entrepreneurial

seizure?
You decided to fire your boss and go out on your

own since you were such a star at doing the
technical work of his business.
Well, if you’re like most technicians-turned-

entrepreneur, you learned how to work all the parts
of his business very well. But you probably haven’t
found your own voice yet.
“There aren’t any cover bands in the Rock and Roll

Hall of Fame.” (Scott Ginsberg)
Maybe you’re not seeking to make your mark playing music, but as a budding business owner of any
kind, you must have the same star attitude and sense of originality to get into the hall of fame in your
market.
Unless you want to be like all the other “cover” companies, you’re going to have to find your distinct
sound and project it to your target market.
So how do you do it? How do you find your unique attraction? We have processes in the E-Myth
Mastery Program that help you position your company, but ultimately you have to think through the
steps and find that magic expression that creates an impactful brand. You can do it! But first you have
to understand the importance and be committed to the process.
You have to appreciate that you may or may not hit on the essence of your distinction in the
marketplace right away in your first attempt at differentiating your brand. But, just like the band that
finally puts out their first record and begins immediately working on the second, you follow up that
first attempt with the next and then the next until you’ve created a truly unique sound.
You Are a Consumer

One of the most important advantages you have as an entrepreneur is that you’re also a consumer.
You may not be your customer, but you are someb ody’s customer. As such, you have an opportunity
to see the inner-workings of a consumer’s thought process. If you pay attention to yourself as
consumer, you will see how naturally attracted you are to signals that are expressing differentiation.
As you become increasingly attuned to that, you will, by extension, gain a higher sensitivity to what
might draw people to your business.
Not long ago, I was looking for a new pizza place for a family outing. I checked out a few web sites
and was captivated by one in particular. Why? Because the owner told his story, boldly expressing his
passion for pizza and why he believed his was the best in the area. He convinced me to give him a try
and I wasn’t disappointed. Now that’s differentiated marketing! He knew himself and what his
business had to represent to me.
You Are a Scientist

Pay attention to the signals – the words, images, and sensory impressions that draw you to a
business. What makes you choose one over another? What are the elements of uniqueness, value,
connection, caring, or attention you are seeking when you need to find a new provider of some
service or product? As consumers, we are the subjects in the marketing laboratory; but an astute
entrepreneur is simultaneously an expert researcher.
Pay attention, observe, jot down some notes when interacting with businesses that draw you in. The
innovations you seek and the magnetic messages you need to create are revealed in the ways that
other businesses attract you as a customer.
Also be sure to pay attention to what some businesses do to push you away or cause you to not even
notice them at all! There are valuable lessons out there in both the hits and misses.
You Are Aristotle
Okay, so I’m trotting out the big guns here. Aristotle said, “Something is either the same or different.”
Makes sense, right? Logic is like that, but how is this relevant to our discussion? Your business’
product or service is either the same or different from your competitors. Your job is to discover the
difference, then communicate it. If you can’t find any difference, if you dig and delve and investigate
and explore and end up concluding that your business really is the same as everyone else’s, then
your job is to create a difference.
Think about these 4 commodities: insurance, beer, package delivery, and airlines.
Now think: Geico’s gecko, Budweiser’s beer, or Fed-Ex and Virgin Air.
Differentiation.
Examine your product and service offerings; then look to the culture of your company and the way you
deliver the product or service. Try considering your whole business as your product or service, and
I’m sure you will start to identify key aspects that create a unique connection between your
customers’ relevant expectations and the promise your business provides. Notice I said relevant
expectations. For the differentiation to work, it must be of value to your customers.
You Are Focused

Tests have shown conclusively that fewer, more focused images and key words are more readily
remembered than long strings of information and concepts. Makes sense right? But too often,
business owners fear this kind of laser-like focus and somehow feel safer providing the entire litany
of features and benefits, rather than continuously driving home the key message that expresses the
power of the brand. Finding your true differentiation and expressing it as economically as possible
will provide you a strong foundation for your lead generation, lead conversion and client fulfillment.
Uncovering your unique business voice is not easy. But it frustrates me as a coach when clients
don’t take on this challenge as one of the most important ones they face as a business owner. If you
don’t know who you are, or struggle to express your difference to your market, then you’re too deep in
technician mode.
Come up for air. Study the competition. Pay attention everywhere. Find the key words that describe
your connection with your customers – your unique “power chords” – and break away from being a
your connection with your customers – your unique “power chords” – and break away from being a
cover band.
Editor’s Note: What are your challenges in discovering a unique way to articulate your difference?
What makes you worthy of inclusion in the Business Hall of Fame?
How to Own Your Life In Three Steps (4)

2011 | Oct 26 in Home Page News , Leadership
By Jamison Hollister, E-Myth Business Coach
Leadership takes courage.
If you are not equipped to face the challenges of ownership,

your business will quickly become an unrewarding chore,
rather than a joyful expression of who you are and what you
want to bring to the world.
How equipped are you to face these challenges?
Think about why you started your company in the first place. It
was more than the desire to create a job for yourself. You
wanted to build something that you owned! Whether it was
ownership of your life, the desire to stand back and watch proudly as you brought value to the world
with a business you built with your own hands, or even the adventure of breaking free from the 9-5
life, you wanted to be accountable to no one but yourself.
But that freedom comes at a price. It means that you can’t push the blame on someone else when
things aren’t going according to plan. It means that you are the one who answers when a mistake is
made. It means that the choices you make hold the greatest kind of weight because you own the
consequences.
It’s a difficult truth that the overwhelm so many business owners endure is actually a result of their
desire to be free from that very thing! In a pursuit of absolute ownership, the business owner has
created his or her own greatest obstacle – the obligation to know everything, when it’s impossible for
created his or her own greatest obstacle – the obligation to know everything, when it’s impossible for
them to do so. Succumbing to this obligation in your business will leave you ineffective at best, and
underwater at worst.
Be Courageous!
The word 'courage' comes from the Latin root 'cor,' meaning heart or innermost feelings. Somehow,
over time, it has come to be associated with fearlessness.
Attempting to live without fear is often held as a virtue. This is ridiculous! It is futile. Fear is a part of
being human.
The fear of making mistakes in your business.
The fear of not knowing all the answers.
The fear of what others think.
Courage is about feeling fear and not being stopped by it. Fear is a reason to act, not a reason to
avoid what really needs to be done.
A Story of Courage
Here’s an example of the kind of courage it takes to run a small business.
Jill, a client of mine, is a dentist who came to E-Myth because she was attracted to the idea of
systemizing her practice and making the franchise prototype that would allow her to open up new
offices throughout her state and across the country. She had worked hard as a dentist for over 10
years, but somehow - somewhere along the way - had lost enthusiasm for the practice and was
getting seriously burned out.
She wanted transformation.
The Challenging Part
The first thing Jill had to realize was that her transformation had to start with her own mindset and
point of view.
She was trained in school to be an expert technician, a highly-skilled dentist. But that expertise alone
was not enough to sustain her passion for the work.
I knew that in order to reignite Jill’s passion for the business, she would have to tear down the
barriers that were removing the joy she originally felt. In order to do that, she had to recognize how
she was actually contributing to the issues.
This was a struggle.
She was very outer-directed when we discussed what wasn’t working with her business. Everything
was always someone else’s fault: her employees weren’t committed or were incompetent; her
patients wouldn’t cooperate. For quite some time, she wasn’t willing to look at how she was a part of
the prob lem. She had to face the fear and feel the pain of recognizing where she was wrong before
she could make the right changes in her business.
It wasn’t until she gained the courage to question her long-held assumptions that things really
started to shift. The more we talked about this from the E-Myth Point of View, the more Jill began to
see the impact her distorted perspective was having on the business. She recalled times in the past
when she’d had a different, more positive attitude, and when she’d had more energy, more
enthusiasm, and was much more proactive about making things happen. Over time, Jill began to
rekindle and re-awaken to a more productive point of view, and that started to open up a new world of
possibility for herself and her people.
Whereas before she had seen only problems and frustrations in her business, she began to frame
the same situations as opportunities for improvement and innovation.
One of the most courageous and productive things she did in her business was to take a look in the
mirror and recognize where she needed help.
Rise to the Challenge: Own Your Choices

Jill’s history was full of hurdles that could have held her back or kept her down.
When she was very young she went through a tough divorce and had to raise her child as a single-
mother. What did she choose to do at that point? She chose to pursue her dreams and finish her
schooling.
After she became a dentist she could have gone to work for someone else’s company, but instead
chose to create her own.
And of course, when she realized she was struggling and things needed to change, Jill made the
choice to call E-Myth and get help!
Through all of these struggles, it was her dedication to push through the hardship, pain and
embarrassment that finally caused her business to run the way she always dreamed.
Here are three steps you can take right now to become a more courageous business leader and
take ownership of your life:
Take a good, hard look at how your business is a reflection of you. Find one positive
thing that you really like about your business that you can trace back to being a reflection
of you, and find one way your business reflects something negative about you that you’d
like to change.
Try to identify what you might be fearful of and what you might be avoiding, and commit
yourself to facing those fears and uncertainties in pursuit of your goals.
Receive accountability. Get insight about yourself from someone else who can offer you
an observer’s point of view about what you do well and what you need to work on. This
could be a trusted friend, a manager or employee in your business, or even a business
coach. Don’t shrink away from what they have to say. Be courageous and put yourself in
their shoes to see what you might be missing.
What is your story? How have you had to show strength and courage to get where you are today?
How will being courageous – facing the things that naturally cause you fear and pushing through
them – get you to where you want to be? Isn’t it worth it?
7 Steps to Accountability Without Pain (5)

2011 | Oct 19 in Home Page News , Management
By Judith Lerner, Business Coach
Accountability.
Have you ever felt impending dread at the mere sound

of the word? Like that other bone chilling word,
“responsibility,” both have the potential to deliver
gratification and satisfaction as easily as they do
blame, shame and guilt.
“Are you responsible for this?” Clearly the insinuation

is that this mess, whatever it is, is your fault. How
could you have been so careless? So irresponsib le?
The message, sometimes spoken, sometimes not, is
that you’d broken the trust you’d been given.
Try casually inquiring about the dirty dishes in the

break room sink and watch the denial, excuses and
maybe even some deflecting or finger pointing.
Where did all the grownups go?
Recently, my client Max, who owns a recruiting agency, referred to the “heads below the cubicle line”
posture of his employees. I asked him what he meant.
“You know,” he grumbled. “Head down, do your work, and don’t do anything more than you have to –
particularly avoiding any special projects.”
I asked him to cite some examples of some “special projects” that had left him frustrated lately. He
offered several. He’d asked Tom, one of the sales assistants, to organize and file some reference
materials for him. The next time he needed the reference material, it was not where he’d expected to
find it. Joan, in accounting, had said “of course” when he’d asked her to run a mid-month report.
The mid-month report had not been on his desk when he needed to refer to it. Randy, in the Legal
department, had said there would be no problem researching insurance requirements in two
adjoining states. The research turned out to be completed for the wrong states.
As we talked about these incidents, a pattern began to emerge. In each case Max had been upset.
And Tom, Joan and Randy had borne the brunt of his anger. When I pointed out that there were, after
all, 5 states adjoining the one in which he did business, and that, on reflection, he had not specified
a delivery date for Joan’s report, and that there seemed no clear protocol for the storage of reference
materials, I could almost hear the dots connecting in Max’s head.
Let Me Make This Perfectly Clear

How often have you not been clear about a timeline for a given task and not gotten it “on time?”
Could there have been a difference in the sense of urgency you and your employee felt? Does this
feel like a chronic condition? How anxious will your employee be to raise her head above the cubicle
if she knows that her inevitable disgrace or embarrassment stems from what you left out rather than
from anything she did?
Taking on “accountability” in the face of near-certain failure is rationally something to be avoided. It is

astounding how easily this condition can infect an organization!
I’d once heard responsibility defined as “response - ability.” In other words, the ability to respond of
one’s own free will. That simple definition offered a huge shift in perspective. The question then
becomes one of willingness to respond, to answer to, i.e. to be accountable.
How clear are you in communicating what you want when you ask someone to do something? You
can’t hold someone accountable or take them to task for not meeting requirements that you’ve
hidden. Taking on accountability must be based on informed consent.
It Starts Here
I reminded Max of the conversation we’d had at the beginning of our coaching relationship. We
talked about what he would be accountable for between our calls. We had established clear ground
rules regarding the b usiness development work he would be engaging in.
There were several key points:
• It was up to him to clarify what was being suggested or requested of him.

• He would agree, or counter offer, to engage with the material
• He would acknowledge the specific time the work would be completed or returned.
• He would communicate ahead of time if the work was not going to be done on time. In that case,
he would note what got in the way of following through on our original agreement.
To the last point, this was not to be a list of excuses, but rather to provide clues for us.
These conversations are often some of the most important we have with our clients. Whatever took
him off track most likely got in the way of his being able to bring his full attention and focus to other
crucial aspects of his business as well.
Those ground rules were the beginning of establishing accountability in a straightforward and simple
context. When you take the need for excuses out of the equation, accountability can be seen as
taking account… counting. “Here’s what I did, here’s what I didn’t do. This is what you can count on
going forward.” No story. No blame, no shame and no guilt.
In our E-Myth Coaching program we shine the spotlight on the multitude of elements that go into
creating Working Relationships that Work and establish guidelines for Management that drives
accountability by mutual consent.
You can begin, as Max did, to alter your company’s culture and dramatically change the results you
are getting.
Here are 7 Guidelines to Accountability:

1. Get clear agreements when outlining work to be done. Make sure that critical details are
included. The test: Does your employee have a clear answer to the question: “What will it look like
when I’ve done it correctly?”
2. Agree to notify the other party when work cannot be done as agreed. Guiding principle: “No
surprises.”
3. Specify any work assignments that are out of the ordinary in writing – with a due date.
4. Make sure you provide all the tools necessary to perform the work.
5. Get agreements before the assignment is considered final.
6. Schedule reporting loops for longer assignments to review and adjust work. (Don’t wait for the
last minute to “catch someone doing it wrong.”)
7. Give timely and direct feedback to enable your employee to recognize and correct specific
hurdles and to reinforce behavior that has contributed to his or her success.
At the end of our coaching call, I sent Max an email with this sentence. I told him to post it where he
could be reminded every day: “If you don’t tell someone exactly what you want, you will get something
else.”

How to Lead In Your Market: The WOW

Factor (5)
2011 | Oct 12 in Home Page News , Lead Generation , Lead Conversion
By Bobby Burns, E-Myth Business Coach
If your market’s perception of what you sell – your service or

product – is no different from others in your trading area, you
sell a commodity. And if that’s the perception, (so pervasive
that even you accept it) you’re in a dangerous trap because
the only way you can compete is on price. And that’s a recipe
for disaster.
When your product is a commodity – gas, phone service,

accounting, insurance, gifts, car repair, housecleaning, real
estate, consulting (insert your business here – because
anything can be reduced to a commodity if you permit it) –
then it is your b usiness that must become the product. It is
your b usiness that is the differentiator. Your b usiness is
never a commodity. Your business is absolutely unique. It
is, after all, your business!
So then, your product is your customers’ experience of your business – an experience that
distinguishes and elevates it above and beyond all those other businesses claiming to be selling the
same thing.
Wow Them From the Beginning
It has been said that first impressions last. This is certainly true of the customer experience. If the
initial exposure to your company creates positive impressions, the customer is primed for further
positive experiences and will be positively biased. If initial exposures are negative, customers
anticipate more of the same. You can sometimes reverse negative impressions, but you may not get
the chance.
Everything your business does that has any direct or indirect impact on your customers has to be
recognized, evaluated, and managed with the clear intention of creating the most consistent,
impactful, and memorable experience possible. That’s what will bring customers to you and keep
them with you for the long haul. That’s what will stimulate them to share you within their sphere of
influence.
Remember, it does you no good to do everything right once. You have to create those unique,
positive impressions from the start, and then ensure the customer experience stays positive and
consistent throughout repeated exposures. It’s far easier and less expensive to get ahead and stay
ahead (get positive and stay positive) than it is to reverse a negative situation or tread water in a fickle
market that only responds to price.
The underlying strategy for creating the best possible customer experience and loyalty begins with
your lead generation activities. Your customers’ very first impressions come from something they
see, hear or read that positively attracts their attention and sets up their expectations. If your initial
message is “The Friendliest Market in the County” or “The Contractor’s Hardware Store,” then
everything you do – and most critically, everything your customer experiences from that point forward
– must consciously and intentionally support and confirm that message to reinforce that favorable
impression and further distinguish you from your competitors.
Exceed their expectations. Surprise and delight them.
Wow Them with Little Unexpected Things
The variety of things a business owner can do to create and sustain a memorable customer
experience is endless. It starts from the very first phone call or email response.
A real estate agent we know goes above and beyond in a number of ways for her clients. Her first-
time homebuyers find a gift basket waiting for them in the front room. The basket contains a beautiful
thank-you card, a selection of new, basic kitchen utensils, and a gift card from a local restaurant to
allow them to take their move-in helpers out for dinner.
One of my clients shared the story of buying her first used car from a local dealer. As she got in to
drive it home she found a bouquet of roses on the passenger seat. She was as impressed with the
flowers as she was with the freshly detailed vehicle and shining, dressed tires!
Another client, a residential remodeling contractor, has begun creating photographic chronicles of
his clients’ projects and then presenting it in the form of a hard-bound memory album. The cost is
insubstantial and insignificant in light of the surprise and delight it brings to his customers.
An automotive shop in my town transformed his lobby from a cold, uninviting space with cracked
linoleum floors and stacks of dated magazines to an oasis. He carpeted the floor, installed a flat-
screen television, provides free Wi-Fi, a coffee and espresso bar, fresh fruit, and a number of comfy
chairs and sofas. He reports that, instead of fleeing, as they used to, customers stay around to take a
break, drink coffee, and use their laptops!
A client raved recently about her dry cleaner. He is definitely not the only dry cleaner in town. He is
not the least expensive, and he’s a considerable distance from her home. So, what did he do that
was unique enough to cause someone like Suzanne to consistently to go out of her way and spend
more than she might need to? The free garment bag they provided was a plus. The friendly
reminders they give her about upcoming social events are nice, as are the little cedar blocks they
provide for her stored clothing. But what turned her into a raving fan one rainy day was the “valet”
service they offered that allowed her to call from the parking lot and have her clothes delivered to her
car!
Simple. Unique. Memorable.
Building a memorable customer experience:

1. Consider what you are promising. What do you want your customers’ expectations to be? What
can you learn from studying your competitors about their promises?
2. Identify all the elements, or touch points, in your customers’ experience that either confirm and
reinforce, or compromise your promise.
3. Evaluate your potential for consistency and repeatability at these touch points. Does it only work
if you’re at the counter or on the phone? What would you have in place (system, process, scripting,
check-list?) to guarantee that your customers’ positive expectations are satisfied at every point, no
matter who they encounter?
4. Keep your focus, and encourage your staff to maintain the same level of attention to creating,
innovating, and maintaining the best possible unique customer experience.
This positioning and differentiating will draw new customers to you and cement the ones already
doing business with you. If you aren’t currently the best in your market, you soon will be!
Editor’s note: What was the simple, unique, or memorab le experience you’ve had with a b usiness
that made you a raving fan? What have you done in your own b usiness to surprise, delight, and
WOW your customers that reinforces their loyalty?

Learn to Love Budgeting. Yes, you! (8)

2011 | Oct 5 in Home Page News , Money
By Joe Wollenweber, Senior Coach
Okay, let’s be real. Most business owners don’t create budgets.
This is understandable. It is also insane.
They may have ideas about the future. They may have numbers
scrawled on napkins or whiteboards and a general intuitive sense
about where they are headed financially, but they haven’t understood
the essential reasons, relevance, and the utter simplicity of spending
some time with their numbers in a budget process.
So, first, I want to convince you of the importance of budgeting, the

advantages of creating a budget, and reconciling it as part of your
financial discipline. Then I’ll show you how simple it is.
For some of us, even the word “budget” makes us bristle. You might
be squirming in your seat right now. Maybe it stems from bad
experiences you had when you first started out in life and tried to use
one. Whatever the reason, the word doesn’t work, so let’s change it!
How about “Profit Plan?” Does that feel better? Your budget is a proactive tool for ensuring your
business creates value and so generates a profit.
Need more convincing?
How about the fact that nearly all larger, successful businesses that operate from the top down,
through divisions and departments, have budgets firmly in place? Nearly every small business
owner that I have ever coached has begun to recognize true growth and development only after they
have begun to embrace the strategic planning power of their Profit Plan. You can sleep like a baby at
night, knowing you understand every number on your P&L and that you have a clear, quantitative plan
for how to produce more profits.
Many business owners may have a decent P&L, but they soon learn that reviewing these is like
looking in the rear view mirror. The P&L (or Income Statement) is a historical document. It’s great to
see where you’ve been, but doesn’t give you any clue where you’re going.
Once you engage in budgeting (Profit Planning), however, you start to see the business through the
windshield. It might be a murky windshield at first, but as you gather skills and think more and more
about the numbers and how the various activities of the business affect them, you’ll begin to look
through a windshield that is crystal clear. Instead of moping along at thirty miles an hour, you’ll start
feeling as if you’re flying.
This newfound financial intelligence gives you a sense of control unlike anything else. And it’s that
budgeting process (coupled with cash planning) that allows you to soar.
Just DO it!
Some of this may sound grandiose, but I’m simply attempting to inspire you to b egin. Organize your
P&L into understandable accounts or line items and look at them. Think about what each line means
and how each will show up in the future.
Do you see the salient word here? Think!
That’s what the budget process is all about: getting you to routinely work with your numbers – to think
about them – so you understand them, and over time, learn to forecast the future with increasing
accuracy and confidence.
The real trick is just to begin. Start with a piece of paper – or a spreadsheet – with columns for your
forecast, the actuals, and the difference (variance), along with plenty of extra space to explain your
assumptions why a variance may have occurred. That’s it! The simple steps to create your Profit
Plan. Your “windshield.”
Maybe at first you can’t see further than a hundred feet in the dark with these minimal headlights, but
you’ll get better as you practice. Forecasts are made up of projections about the past (using that P&L)
and predictions about the future. Look at your history; are things going to be the same or different?
Think (there’s that word again) about the future and what you can predict. Have your sales systems
been re-vamped for better results; are you getting more leads? Will these bring more revenue? If you
think so, forecast it. Don’t worry if you’re right or wrong. This is not a test. There is no right or wrong
answer. This is a discipline; a practice. And in the beginning, you’re really just setting up a baseline
– some reference points. If you try to do it perfectly, you won't do it at all, because it can't be done
perfectly.
At the end of the month, plug in what actually happened. This is where the fun begins. Suddenly,
instead of staring blankly at (or avoiding) the rows of numbers your bookkeeper or accountant
provided, now you’re looking at the truth – the actual results versus your best beliefs. Think about
where you hit it spot on. Think about where you missed. See? You’re thinking about every single line
item, every single aspect of the business through the numbers. What could be a better way to spend
an hour or two each month than reviewing the way you think about the business and explaining to
yourself what went right or wrong compared to what you believed might occur?
That’s basically all there is to budgeting. Step one: get inspired. Step two: do it. Step three: do it
consistently and watch your financial intelligence grow. Watch your ability to think strategically grow
stronger, feel your confidence increase and your abilities to lead the company and control the profit
possibilities reach new heights. Even if, in the beginning, you are only budgeting a handful of line
items, it is better than not budgeting anything at all. Just get started predicting something, and build
from there.
I’ve never had a client who mastered the budgeting process stop doing it. Once you begin, you won’t
want to stop either. It is invigorating! It can become a few of the most rewarding hours spent by every
business owner each month.
Budgeting truly is the art of planning for your profit, then systemically connecting the numbers to the
various systems that can have the greatest impact. You can do it! I know you can! I’ve seen it happen
over and over. Get familiar with your numbers through this practice. Even if the numbers aren’t exactly
how you would like, you’ve faced the truth and have learned how to forecast and control the future.
Your 3-Step Profit Plan System:

Begin by generating a copy of P&L statements for as far back as you need in order to give you insight
into possible historical trends. Then:
1. Create a spreadsheet with four columns:

1. Budget (projections for next month or quarter)
2. Actual (to be filled in from next month’s P&L or quarter-end reports)
3. Variance (the +/- difference between Budget and Actual)
4. Assumptions (a wide place for notes to yourself about your projections and/or your
understanding of any resulting variances)
2. Review and think about what you can change to impact the results for the next budget
cycle.
3. Do it again.
How to Create Powerful Systems (10)

2011 | Sep 28 in Home Page News , Management
By Justin Dye, Marketing Coordinator
I was reading an email from a client asking about systems.
People are always asking us about systems. And so few truly get what
they are.
There was something about her question that caught my eye – maybe
it was the way she phrased it, maybe I was reading too much into it –
but she was more than a little confused about what a system actually
was.
Her question was, “How many steps should a system have?”
I think I knew what she was asking. And I could have given her the
appropriate answer quite quickly. But, I knew there was a deeper concept that could be gleaned if
she were prompted to think about systems in a whole new way.
She had fallen prey to a very common misconception: the idea that a system is just a document that
tells people how to do things, and in what order to do them.
We hear it pretty regularly from people after they’ve read The E-Myth Revisited.
“The book was great, now I just have to get systems in my business. I need to put systems in place.”
Sounds great, doesn't it? These people have no clue what they are talking about.
Of course, it’s a great first step to understand the need for systems in a business, but what most
people forget is that they already have systems in place. What they mean when they say they need
systems is, “I need to create documents for my systems.” At E-Myth, we call those documents action
plans. Some call them procedures or processes. But an action plan and a system are two different
things.
Semantics, right?
Wrong. "Semantics" is what people say when they can't make a clear enough distinction, and this is
a distinction you need to get.
What this issue highlights is the unhealthy relationship that most business owners have with the
systems in their business. Especially after reading The E-Myth Revisited!
Most business owners we talk to tend to incorrectly think that getting their systems documented is the
ultimate goal, rather than the means to reach a goal.
Good System/Bad System

First, let’s define the word system.
A system is a repeated course of action – a way of doing things – that brings about a result.
Think of how many things you do on a daily basis.
You brush your teeth.

You take the same route to work.
You open your email and scan for the emails that you really need to read.
Systems.
But here’s the kicker. There are intentional systems and unintentional systems. Good systems and
bad ones.
Here’s an example of an intentional system: You go out on a sales call and meet with your prospect.
You greet your prospect and you begin to ask them questions about their situation and their needs.
You are gathering information that will enable you to make them an offer. You’ve been doing this for
years. The routine is automatic. It is all in your head. You’ve crafted it in order to get the exact result
that you want.
You’ve created an intentional system. It just happens to be stuck in your head. We’d say you should
write that one down!
An unintentional system, on the other hand, can be detrimental to your business!
I’ll give you an example.
A prospect comes to your counter and says, “I’m looking for a digital camera,” and your salesperson,
referring to his sales training binder, commences to tell your prospect everything they ought to know
in order to make an informed decision. After a few minutes, your prospect finds an opening and says:
“Thanks. I’m just going to keep looking.”
It would be so easy to blame it on the economy, or a clueless salesperson. But really, you have a
system. It wasn’t intentional, but you’re getting a result – a bad one. You actually have a system that
is keeping people from b uying your product! The system is that your salesperson has no idea how to
stay focused and truly serve people's needs. He does it every time. Maybe all of your salespeople do
this. Maybe they learned it from you.
You may have no idea how it got there. But it’s a system nonetheless.
So what? Are we trying to put your business under a microscope and reveal how flawed it may be?
Yes! That’s part of what we do here at E-Myth Worldwide.
The Real Power of a System!

You need to understand that systems are all around you. And they have the power to b reathe life into
your business – or cripple it.
You need to shift your mindset from thinking that a system is merely “a list of steps” to believing it is a
way to harness the unfathomable potential that exists within your business.
Think for a moment on this quote from the E-Myth Revisited.
“Systems run the b usiness, and people run the systems.”
When I read this quote for the first time, I marveled at its brilliance. I laughed aloud at the fact that I
had never seen this concept stated in such simple words. I drew a little diagram on the side of the
page to illustrate it.
But I misunderstood its intention.
You see, I took it to mean, “Systems run the business, and people serve the systems.”
But that’s not the idea at all! It says that people run the systems! They’re in charge of the systems.
People innovate the systems when necessary. They use the systems as a way to run a business,
not abdicate authority.
People are the power behind the systems. The systems are their levers, not their replacements!
Your business has enormous potential because you and your people have enormous potential!
And when your people have the freedom to find the most effective way to complete their job, not only
will they take pride in their work, they’ll never stop making the systems better.
Now, you may disagree. Maybe you don’t see your people taking that kind of initiative.
Fair enough. But have you told them what the result of their position is? Do they know what their
larger purpose in your company is? Or do they think that their job description is to follow a bunch of
steps on a page? Do they have any reason whatsoever to be inspired?
How might the salesperson in the example above have changed his approach if he knew the result of
his sales pitch was to keep the prospect engaged in conversation – not just lecture them on a
product?
When your people understand that the systems they follow are really a means to an end – and that
they are expected and empowered to reach that end result – that’s when they feel their value to your
company. That’s when they’ll start thinking differently about their job. That’s when they start looking
for ways to go above and beyond the call of duty. That’s when they start creating systems that serve
them – systems that serve as an expression of their potential.
And isn’t that what you want? Systems – and people – that produce great results?
Here are some simple tips that can help you and your staff make systems work for you.
1. Begin tomorrow with this phrase stuck in your head: “Everything that I see in my business is
actually a system.”
2. Identify a good system in your business. Something that you or someone else does that gets the
result you want. If it’s not yet documented, document it!
3. Find one hidden, unintentional system in your business – even if it’s small – and examine why it
is yielding undesirable results. Think about how it could be changed to get the correct result.
4. Observe your staff as they do their work. If you see someone following a system, but not getting
the desired result, remind them that they have the freedom to change the system in order to get the
best possible result! Then make sure they capture those changes so the results can be repeated.
If you try to fit your business into the systems you’ve created, your business will shrink to stay within
the box you’ve built for it. But when systems are used to support the vision and the passion of you
and your people, then your company can be built higher than you ever thought possible.

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2011 | Nov 30 in Home Page News , Money

So, why is it that when it comes time to seize these

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CASH = VALUE = MORE CASH Ask E-Myth

Posted a new article: "How to Reinvent Your

Most people focus on the quality of their

(7) How to Reinvent Your Customer Experience

Who's Minding the Store?

Discuss this entry: (7)

Shape Your Financial Destiny (3)

Are you committed to shifting luck into

E-Myth Worldwide is.

Most business owners have a lack of

Some business owners have a fear of

Fortunately, you’re reading this now.

Let's Define the Roles

Your team includes:

The CPA’s main role is to advise you on tax-related matters.

Is This a Business or a Hobby?

If so, are they analyzing your income statements for you?

The Essential Steps

6. Use accounting software. Simply relying on your checkbook, bank statements or

Discuss this entry: (3)

7 Steps to Start Your Systems Development

What is your greatest challenge in setting up

We regularly ask our clients this question and the

It's no surprise that you don’t. You were never

We see the project of systems development

Their perceptions are different. And perception shapes reality.

Much of what I do as an E-Myth Coach is to challenge my client’s ability to see three-dimensionally,

I wanted the Manager to take the lead on this call.

Finally, she knew where to start: at the end.

7 Steps for System Development:

Discuss this entry: (4)

2 Areas of Profitability You're Overlooking (3)

You need to get into your customers’

Unfortunately, you can’t read minds.

The Technician in you accepts this and

Unfortunately, this doesn’t cut it.

The business owner wearing the

• The automated hold message says, “Your time is important to us…”

These areas are Customer Service and Delivery.

Customer Service Is Not a Department

Whatever it is, it has to fulfill your customers’ deepest needs.

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered!

Delivery has two main components: transportation and experience.

Do You Have What It Takes?

How to Join the Business Hall of Fame (3)

Remember when you had that entrepreneurial

You decided to fire your boss and go out on your

Well, if you’re like most technicians-turned-

“There aren’t any cover bands in the Rock and Roll

You Are a Consumer

You Are a Scientist

You Are Focused

Discuss this entry: (3)

How to Own Your Life In Three Steps (4)

Leadership takes courage.

If you are not equipped to face the challenges of ownership,

How equipped are you to face these challenges?

The fear of making mistakes in your business.