I Was Just a Technician, Then I Discovered the Secret to Being a Successful Entrepreneur!

Like many skilled professionals, I believed mastering my craft would naturally lead to business success. I was a technician at heart — a doer. However, running a successful business required more than just technical expertise. This realization hit me hard, echoing what Michael E. Gerber describes in “The E-Myth Revisited” as the “entrepreneurial seizure.”

Gerber’s book was a wake-up call. He explains that many small businesses are initiated by individuals who understand the technical work of a business but not the business itself. They suffer from what he calls an ‘entrepreneurial seizure,’ where the technician’s sudden urge to start a business is often misguided by the misconception that understanding the technical side equates to understanding the business as a whole.

I was in this exact situation. As a technician, I was great at what I did, but I soon realized that running a business was a different ball game. It involved marketing, financial management, strategic planning, and customer service — areas where my technical expertise offered little help.

The secret to transitioning from a technician to a successful entrepreneur, as Gerber suggests, lies in the development of entrepreneurial skills and a shift in mindset. It meant learning to work on the business, not just in it. This involved stepping back from the day-to-day technical work and focusing on the bigger picture — strategic growth, systemizing processes, and building a team.

One of the most significant changes I made was in systematizing operations. This move ensured that the business could operate smoothly without my constant intervention. It also opened up time for me to engage in business development and strategic thinking.

Embracing the role of an entrepreneur also meant cultivating leadership skills and understanding the market and customer needs more deeply. It was about building a vision for the business and aligning all activities towards that vision.

In essence, discovering the secret to being a successful entrepreneur involved recognizing the limitations of being a technician and embracing the broader, more strategic aspects of running a business. This shift not only saved my business but also set it on a path of sustainable growth and success, a journey inspired by the insights from “The E-Myth Revisited.”