Entrepreneurship - the E-Myth, Michael Gerber

Topic: In his classic book, The E-Myth, Michael Gerber famously proposed that there are three business personalities behind every start-up: the entrepreneur, the manager and the technician. Which of these roles resemble you the most? Explain why you chose your answer and what characteristics fit this personality? Feel free to use real life examples.

It is very easy to start a new business in this day and age but it is extremely difficult to make that business successful. In his book, The E-Myth, Michael Gerber discusses three different personalities that go into starting a new business. The first is the technician, which focuses on the present and what needs to be done now. The second is the manager, which focuses on the past and how to improve on previous decisions or strategies. The third and final personality is the entrepreneur, which focuses on the future and what lies ahead for the company. I believe that the role of the entrepreneur resembles me the most because I am always thinking about how to take my business forward.

I possess attributes of all three roles, but I feel that I have more entrepreneur qualities than either of the other two personalities. In the back of my mind, I'm always thinking about what needs to be done now, which is the technician in me. At the same time, I'm always thinking about the decisions I've made in the past and how I can improve on them in the future, which is the manager in me. But most of all, I am always planning for the future. I tend to see my business in the "big picture" and not just day-to-day activities. I also look at my business as ever-expanding, with no limitations. I believe that just about any company can continuously grow and get better in the future if they have the right elements. According to Gerber, the domination of the technician is what keeps small businesses from growing. Because they focus on activities that must be done now, they are limited because there are only so many hours in the day. Therefore, the only way for their business to grow is for their hourly wage to go up. This is why doctors' and lawyers' wages are so high. There is a ceiling for technicians. I don't like to think this way. I want to make sure there is never a ceiling on my business, which is why I'm always considering what is to come in the future.

I currently work for a brand new company, called iTicketBid.com, which was founded in July. It is a penny bidding website that specializes in sporting tickets and merchandise. I have been with the company since the beginning so I have accumulated some real life experience with this situation. Just like most new businesses, iTicketBid.com is currently a small business. Although, it is growing rapidly and that is due to the future planning and strategies that we have put in place. My position in the company is National Manager of Interns and I have also been in charge of a lot of the overall marketing and planning. When this opportunity came to me, the position available was originally an intern position for the company. After interviewing with the CEO, I was instructed to come up some ideas for what could be sold on the website. I was so amazed by the business plan that my entrepreneur personality exploded. I created a three-phase marketing plan for iTicketBid.com as well as came up with tons of ideas on how to make the company successful into the future. The CEO was so impressed by my marketing plan and ideas that he offered me the current position I hold. Had I been a technician, I would have just come up with items that we could sell on the website because I would be thinking in the present. Instead, I looked past the day-to-day activities of the business and focused on making this company a big time player in the sports tickets/merchandise market.

Once I started working for iTicketBid.com,