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Permalink Reply by Jared Rutledge on August 31, 2009 at 1:15pm

i haven't read the book, i just read the synopsis on amazon... was it helpful at all?

someone commented on the amazon page that gerber states that most small businesses are started by "technicians." in my experience with the coffee industry, the opposite has been true - i've seen so many shops started by entrepreneurs or businessmen who know nothing about coffee. it's taken me 9 or so years (unfortunately) to attain a rudimentary understanding of world-class espresso, and i think most cafe owners are literally clueless.

i've seen people order every kind of monin syrup available to stock in their shop, then pull 10 second shots of black oily espresso. i've seen starbucks alienate every employee and make them cry. so "technician" doesn't seem to apply to cafe owners at this point in time. haha.

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Permalink Reply by Stickman on August 31, 2009 at 8:56pm

I read the book about a year before opening and I assume that I had some of the stuff in-mind. Funny, it's on my bedside table and I cracked into it about 5 days ago. I would have finished it by now except for the Canadian Western Regionals...At which Mr. Caragay was Emcee.

Coincidence? I think NOT.

I'll follow up in a few days when it's re-read. PM me if you want.

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Permalink Reply by Jay Caragay on August 31, 2009 at 10:28pm

I guess I should offer that E-Myth Revisited should not be looked towards as a "how to" guide to business. Consider it more of a pathway and a mindset.

Some of the more relevant ideas in the book that have stayed with me are: 1 - developing systems, and 2 - work on your business, not in your business.

Remember the stories about the hotel in California that had all the lighting programmed? Systems like that help produce a consistent environment that removes the need for you to manually set things and also creates continuity for the guests. Systems does not have to be a "bad" word and I find them extremely helpful. Visualize and identify the kind of environment or concept for your company and develop systems to ensure their consistent delivery.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Yates on September 1, 2009 at 6:48am

"Consider it more of a pathway and a mindset." Exactly my thoughts. I thought that a number of Gerber's ideas were excellent, but I was not so excited about the franchising mindset, although I agree with having as much as possible written down in a procedures manual. Consistency is critical, but personal innovation is a key drawing factor in the barista community, and it would be a shame to squelch that entirely. I love the idea of creating a business that would be able to function smoothly without the owner, if only for a short time. The bakery where I am the current sales manager has been moving in that direction, cross-training its employees so that all of us can cover someone else's position if they are sick or out of town. But at the same time, the owner is still involved in the daily operations, handling most of the baking, because he wants to. But we could still do better, and I am already seeing that I will want to ignore Gerber's advice regarding hiring newbies rather than managers. I think that with properly trained managers, the owner can delegate without abdicating, but I don't think that a checklist management system is sufficient to cover all situations. Let me mull this book over some more, and I will have some more comments later.

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