Of Skills and Culture

During our business training, our mentor was telling us about why a lot of small businesses, even if they have the best product or service, never get to expand their enterprise and sometimes drizzle down after decades of success.

The reason, he said, was because in business, we all must go through the the stages of being a "technician", a "manager", and then eventually, an "entrepreneur'. Most often though, people are stuck with how to be a manager because they like being a technician, never really becoming an entrepreneur.

So, what is a technician? An engineer who went to set up his own engineering firm. A lawyer who opened up his law firm. Someone who loves to cook who started his own restaurant. A person who started his business who is the one either making his own products or is the one providing the services. You can't run a business without being a technician because this is the lifeblood of the business. Whatever your business is, you have to understand the fundamentals and you have to learn or know the fundamentals or basic skills needed in your business - whether that be dressmaking, cooking, drawing blueprint or inviting guests.

A manager on the other hand requires people skills. This is about reconnecting to your people, your clients, your organization. This is about making sure that they are doing their job. The things with most people is that they hate being a manager that they hire other people to do that or they overdo being a manager that their people leave them faster than a bullet train. That's when having a system works like magic. A system makes a manager's job easier or nonexistent.

And why do we all need to become an entrepreneur? Because being an entrepreneur is the main goal of being in business. An entrepreneur builds a business that earns passive income even if you do not need to work. An entrepreneur is a leader dictating the culture and direction of your business. That's the problem most technician's encounter. They cannot give up doing the work that they stay being a technician. 

I went into business so that I can have both time and financial freedom. So that I can live the lifestyle that I want, so that I can help as many people as I can and so that I can do what I really want to do without having to worry about time and money. I am thankful that my mentor is teaching me how to become an entrepreneur and not just someone who thinks I own my business. Now that I understand it, I know the difference.

Michael Gerber talks about this concept in his book, The E-Myth.

Buenas dias!