Which one are you an Entrepreneur, Manager, Technician?

In the book by Michael Gerber, the E-Myth Revisited, he talks about what type of business owner you are. There are three key roles each business person:

• The Entrepreneur
• The Manager
• The Technician

70% of people who start their own business are considered the technician. They are the one who lives in the present, sees the work to be done, and requires a methodology.

If you the technician in your business, there is a good possibility that you will not find time to work “on” your business because you are always working “in” your business.

Some of the items to consider to help your business grow include culture, marketing, procedures, financial, and transitioning your business up or out.

Let’s look at one item in particular – KPI or Key Performance Indicators. For me personally, my KPI are billable hours. I need to bill a certain number of hours per day, week and month to be able to show improvement. I can look at my schedule to see how many hours I will bill, then I can offer other times to market or network, or work on my business. In another situation, one might have an ice cream business. Their KPI may be scoops per hour or day sold. If they are making more than their goal, they may need to call more staff in, or send someone home if they aren’t selling enough.

If you, as the technician, are always busy working “in” your business and not considering some of these other items, you may be working yourself “out” of business.

Thanks to Sybil Ege of the Elgin Small Business Development Center for hosting valuable workshops that inspire me as a business person and help me grow.