I:30:J We have been big enthusiasts of the Book, “The E-Myth” by Michael Gerber. There is a lot awareness that can absolutely assist small business owners to better understand their business and why they do what they do.
Early in the book, he explains about The Entrepreneur, The Manager and The Technician. These are three very different personalities that are inside every small business owner. The reason this is such a compelling concept for Couple Entrepreneurs, is that it further proves that a couple can be more successful running their business together than alone. We have explained about understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your partner to make your business more efficient. But it is also important to further designate which of the personality traits is stronger in each of you:
The Entrepreneur – this is the Thinker and the Visionary. In our case, this is Scott. The quantity of ideas that he comes up with is astonishing! Many dinner discussions with friends, he is conjuring up a new goods and services to take to market. Each small business requires this kind of thinker since otherwise the business will get stale and not develop and mature with new thoughts, suggestions and technologies. Remember to make sure that The Entrepreneur discusses the ideas with The Manager before acting on them. The most illogical business we ventured into was owning a restaurant – The Manager of us, Heidi, expressed the perils associated with that business, however we pursued it anyway. We had a hard time and eventually shut it down and sold it.
The Manager – this is the proverbial organizer. This person desires to consider the real business running. Making sure that everything has a place, that every task is thorough and can see the start and the end of the entire process. In our situation, this is Heidi. Scott comes up with a concept for a business or a new system that we should seek to improve our current businesses and Heidi evaluations it. She asks all the difficult questions, many people could infer this as being a downer, but Scott, The Entrepreneur understands that these questions should be asked and appreciates the “Devil’s Advocate” approach. But she also respects that a few of the visionary ideas need to be tried, even if every detail is not discovered in advance.
The Technician – this is the doer. Successful couples share this role. If only one partner is the Technician, then that partner will work himself or herself to the bone and can resent the The Entrepreneur and The Manager. But you must be careful not to do the same tasks. Scott works with our web designer to create our Site but I handle the content. Scott goes onto the home sites to meet with Subs; I talk to the various departments to make sure the process is moving forward. We often remind couple entrepreneurs to not duplicate efforts. A good analogy is mowing the lawn – you don’t both need to push the mower, one can push the mower, the other can bag up the clippings.
As Michael Gerber clarifies in his book, to ensure a small business to become successful, all 3 of these personas must be included in every day actions. It is simple to get involved with the doing or the managing and forget to have ideas. It will be good to read and learn and see vision, however there has to be exact development. As couple entrepreneurs, you have got the fortune of sharing these personality traits with your partner. You will likely understand that you handle the other parts of your life in the same ways too.
Identify these types of personality traits in you and your partner and be thankful for the incredible value they collectively provide for your small business.
Scott and Heidi Shimberg are Serial Entrepreneurs who are actively studying business opportunities in the online/offline marketplace. Know Numis, and tell your friends, family and begin to have Hope too.