Business coach and author Michael Gerber told students of the University of Delaware’s Horn Program in Entrepreneurship to write down the following – “I see it, I say it, I Insist upon It.”
He went on to note that the ability of entrepreneurs to “See it, Say it, Insist upon It” drove Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Steve Jobs of Apple, Ray Kroc of McDonald’s and Walt Disney to build iconic companies.
According to Gerber, entrepreneurs always ask the question to the point of obsession of “what’s wrong with this picture” in coming up with transformational products and services.
Gerber wrote the book, The E-Myth, a quarter of a century ago. He has since authored or co-authored 20 or more books under the E-Myth brand.
He has a new E-Myth book coming out that will focus on building companies from one employee to 1,000.
The E or Entrepreneurial Myth, is the assumption that people with strong technical skills will automatically be successful at running a business, said Gerber, a native of Elizabeth, NJ.
Instead, many would-be entrepreneurs are individuals who want to be their own boss, perhaps out of frustration with previous employers or not being able to hold a job. The pitfalls are many not communicating the vision or failing to set up a system that can work at multiple locations.
He points to the McDonald’s system of churning out burgers, fries and shakes that feed tens of millions of people worldwide every day, even though he bluntly adds that the food “sucks.”
Gerber was in Delaware to speak with Horn students and accept the 2016 Siegfried Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Gerber received the award, which included a $10,000 honorarium in a private ceremony.
On hand was the award’s namesake Robert Siegfried, founder of the Wilmington-based accounting and business services firm, the Siegfried Group.
Over the past couple of decades, Siegfried has grown from a small accounting firm to a nationwide company with more than 500 employees in 18 offices coast to coast.
Siegfried is chair of the advisory board for UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. The Horn program is part of the Lerner College.
Siegfried, a long-time client of Gerber, has worked with his own clients on employing E-Myth principles.
Along the way, the E-Myth principles have helped transform the Siegfried Group, Siegfried said.
According to Siegfried, the process involved writing out an obituary. One line that stood out for the young father was Siegfried being a “successful businessman.” It seemed a little hollow, he remembered.
Siegfried worked to develop a vision for the company that would mesh with his values and vision. It involved getting a room at the Hotel duPont and spending days on writing down a vision and strategy that involved helping people.
He also took the painful step of making sure his partners bought into his vision It led departures from the business, but set the stage for expansion and double-digit sales growth over the years.
One E-Myth core principle, a robust service platform has been used at Siegfried with each of the 18 offices of the company having a common design.
Gerber received the award, which includes a $10,000 honorarium, during a private celebration on Thursday.
