The Working On It Myth – E-Myth

You’ve heard “working on it, not just in it” before, but what does it really mean? In essence, it sums up the entrepreneurial mindset that we’ve always advocated: the idea that ultimately your business is your product; that as an entrepreneur you’re looking for more than just income, you want a profitable, sellable business model that produces consistent desired results and that is not entirely dependent on you.

Let’s take a look at two often misquoted and misinterpreted aspects of the E-Myth “working on it, not just in it” approach:

Misconception #1: Working on your business is about documenting systems.

Documenting a system or process is not the same as implementing that system. When you document a system (or have created what we often refer to as an Action Plan), you’ve written down the steps to achieve a specific result. The act of writing your system down certainly has value: it helps you think through the steps and standards and is a way to effectively communicate the system to others; but writing it down is not the most important part of developing a system. Implementation on the other hand—the act of carrying that system out, of testing, and revising until it accomplishes the desired result—that’s where the real working on your business happens.

Connect More With Your Prospects

It doesn’t matter if you are prospecting, door-knocking, outreaching, introducing or just plain canvassing, if you do any or all of these without knowing the person or business you are contacting, you might as well be calling the President of the United States. At best, you’ll find yourself winded, time wasted or wares unwanted. Or at worst… humiliated. And, no one wants to feel like a cheesy, shady, pushy or unprepared salesperson.

So, you say at the end of the day you want to create a never-ending pool of heart warming and bank account filling clients? You want to capture more sales? You want to get booked solid? Make more money? Create a nest egg? Then, do me a favor. Show up front, center and in the know with all the people you want to know. There’s no minimizing your overall effectiveness and confidence when you’re packin’ preparation. So find out…

1. What motivates the person? What really gets the person’s juices flowing? What makes their eyes sparkle? It might be business, family or hobbies. Look at the photos, books and other things sitting on or near their desk or on their website or social media pages. What are they reading, referring to others or genuinely interested in?

2. What has the person accomplished? Do an online search. Go to their site and do a google image search if you don’t know what the person’s smiling face looks like, yet. Who is singing their praises? Have they won awards, received acknowledgments, public recognition or publication announcements?