Back in 1992 I was invited by a golfing mate, who is also a Chartered Accountant to attend a business seminar introducing an American speaker by the name of Michael Gerber.
That decision at short notice, to attend the seminar turned out to be one of the best I have made in my life.
I thought therefore that I would take this opportunity to share with you a few thoughts expressed by Michael Gerber that had such an impact on me.
The whole story is set out and explained in Gerber’s classic book The E-Myth Revisited.
Although The Primary Aim is Chapter 12 in the book, it is really the starting point for considering owning a business from The E-Myth perspective.
Some of the key points in Step 1, The Primary Aim include:
- Understand the necessity of clarifying your personal life objectives.
- Begin creating a picture of the rest of your life.
- Become the author of the rest of your life.
- Without a vision, goals, or personal life plan we can’t direct our actions purposefully.
- For most of us, our business does not serve our life; it consumes our life.
- We don’t know how to use our business to fulfil our personal life objectives.
The solutions
- Begin envisioning your ideal life picture.
- Use this picture to direct your day-to-day activity.
- Determine what your life’s purpose is and live each day accordingly.
- Answer essential questions about what you want to be; what you want to do; and what you want to have in your life.
- Revise your picture periodically to accommodate life’s natural changes.
The main point about The Primary Aim is the idea that a business should serve the life of the owner rather than the business owner forever serving the business.
Gerber suggests that to build a business that progressively becomes less dependent on the owner is the answer. To do that requires the owner to not only work IN the business but also ON the business.
The E-Myth Revisited is a business book, but first and foremost it is a book about quality of life.
Contributing positively to the quality of life of our valued customers is at the very core of our purpose as Chartered Accountants.
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