In my
experience, I have seen many clients start their own businesses because they
were frustrated with the company where they used to work. They believe that
they have the knowledge to run a business much better than the people who are
operating their current place of employment. After all, how hard could this be?
 |
| "After all, how hard can this be?" |
The
Three Essential Roles
While this is probably true, the mistake these individuals
make when they go off on their own is that they don’t understand that every
successful business must have an infrastructure comprised of three (3) crucial
roles. Michael E. Gerber, author of The
E-Myth Revisited, defines these key positions as:
* The Visionary;
* The Manager; and
* The Technician.
The Visionary, who’s usually the
one who starts this new business, is the driving force behind the business, the
person with the company’s big picture. Next, is the Manager, who is necessary
for carrying out the strategies of the Visionary by developing and controlling
the product distribution systems and overseeing the company’s operations.
Whether your small business makes shoes or serves hamburgers, you need a
manager to make sure systems are set up to get the work done.
Finally, the Technician is the player
who’s in the trenches, producing the items your business sells to generate
revenue. Moreover, it is the Technician who anchors the Visionary and the
Manager, for without the Technician, the business has nothing to sell.
But just recognizing the Visionary/Manager/Technician
components will not, in itself, allow your business to “move forward”. This is
because in most instances, the aspiring business owner who decided to launch
the new business is often a Technician at heart, with absolutely no idea how to
manage the business and even less idea how to envision plans for its growth.
This frustrated Technician turned entrepreneur, is not going to find any
guidance from a traditional business plan.
Finding
Qualified People to Fill the Roles and Build the Infrastructure
As a business owner, you might
not feel you have the Visionary sense to invent successful marketing plans so
that potential clients learn about your services. Or maybe you don’t think
you’re capable of devising effective Manager systems to make sure your
company’s products are both created and distributed as efficiently as possible.
So then, how do you, as a new
business owner/Technician handle the role of a Visionary and Manager to “move
forward”?
The answer is simple. Don’t try
to perform functions for which you are not trained. Instead, find talented
people to fulfill these important roles so that your business can move forward.
And then, after you find these qualified people, require these individuals to
each present you with a precise, comprehensive, step-by-step guide for building
the marketing and management infrastructure of your business over a six month
period. Then take these plans for your new marketing department and
distribution department and combine them with your own Technician plan for how
to create a system to manufacture and assemble the high quality product that
you are going to sell. This will result in an integrated set of systems that
will allow you to “move forward” with a solid infrastructure in place after
only six months. Now that’s a real business plan!
Next week, I’ll concentrate on
defining the content of each of these detailed infrastructure plans, so that
each of the three essential role functions we’ve
discussed can be fully integrated into your business in very specific, concrete
ways.
Need
More Help?
For over 20 years, our
experienced attorneys at DregerLaw have
assisted hundreds of business owners throughout Chicago and Northern Illinois.
We can help you as well. Call us at 312-322-0955. Or follow this link* so
that we can guide you on your legal rights as a small business owner.
* The use of the information on this form for communication with the firm
or any individual member of the firm does not establish an attorney-client
relationship.
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