When Ali Abdaal first picked up ‘The E-Myth Revisited’ after medical school, he wasn’t chasing pie-in-the-sky wisdom. He’d already lived through six years of business growing pains. It wasn’t theory, but gut-punch reality—a journey that took him from $100,000 to millions annually. And surprisingly, what stuck weren’t clever hacks, but raw, human stories and the weirdly familiar traps most entrepreneurs waltz into. This review isn’t your standard highlights reel. Instead, it’s a stroll through the gritty, laugh-out-loud moments where business got way too real—with lessons lifted from flour-dusted kitchens, late-night worries, and yes, some eyebrow-raising myth-busting about what it really takes to scale a business (hint: pie crust skill alone won’t cut it).
The Recipe Doesn’t Guarantee the Bakery: Sarah’s Story Beyond the Book
1. From Sweet Beginnings to Sour Realities
Sarah’s story in The E-Myth Revisited starts off like a fairy tale. As a child, she was enchanted by her aunt’s kitchen—filled with the aroma of fresh pies, the ritual of kneading dough, the careful slicing of apples and peaches. It was a labor of love. Baking wasn’t just a hobby; it was a piece of her identity. Nostalgia, comfort, and family all wrapped into one warm, flaky crust.
But childhood dreams don’t always translate to adult happiness. That’s where things get complicated.
2. The Trap of “Follow Your Passion”
Everyone around Sarah had the same advice: “You’re so good at this, you should open a bakery!” It’s the classic line, isn’t it? Friends and family mean well, but they rarely see the full picture. Sarah believed them. She saw an escape from her corporate job—a way to do what she loved, for herself, on her own terms.
She took the leap. Rented a space. Bought ovens. Opened her doors. The dream was alive, at least for a moment.
3. The Unglamorous Grind
Reality hit hard. Sarah’s days started at 2 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m.—every single day. There was no magical freedom, just an endless to-do list. The sweet aroma of pies was still there, but so was exhaustion. She had to bake, serve customers, clean, shop, balance the books, and somehow figure out how to pay rent.
“By the time I get the pies ready, open for business, take care of my customers, clean up, close up… it’ll be 9:30 or 10:00 tonight.” – Sarah (from the book)
It’s easy to romanticize entrepreneurship. The truth? It’s often a grind. And not the kind that leaves you feeling satisfied at the end of the day.
4. When Passion Isn’t Enough
Here’s the kicker: Sarah loved baking, but she didn’t love running a bakery. There’s a difference. The book uses Sarah’s story as a parable, but it could be swapped for any field—teaching, YouTube, even medicine.
- Loving the craft is not the same as loving the business.
- Entrepreneurs spend most of their time on things they never signed up for—admin, marketing, accounting, and more.
- Burnout isn’t about laziness. It’s about the mismatch between what you’re good at and what the business actually needs.
Ali Abdaal, who reviewed the book, saw himself in Sarah. His own business, helping students get into medical school, was thriving financially—$100,000 a year before the book, “multiple millions” after—but he realized he spent maybe 5% of his time on the parts he truly loved.
5. The Universal Parable
Sarah’s story isn’t just about pies. It’s about the hidden cost of turning your passion into a business. The emotional and literal fatigue. The slow realization that you might have been happier just baking for friends, keeping the joy pure and simple.
The real villain? It’s not laziness. It’s the silent, creeping gap between skill and enterprise. The world tells people to “do what you love,” but rarely warns them that running a business is a whole different recipe.
- Sarah’s plea: Would it have been easier to just keep baking for friends?
- Ali’s realization: Most entrepreneurs are accidental—they stumble into ownership, then drown in tasks they never imagined.
Sarah’s journey is a warning. Not against chasing dreams, but against confusing the love of a craft with the love of running a business. The two are rarely the same, and the cost of learning that lesson can be steep.
The Entrepreneurial Myth: Why Most Business Owners Aren’t Actually Entrepreneurs
What’s Really Being Debunked?
The title “The E-Myth” stands for the entrepreneurial myth. But what’s the myth, exactly? Michael Gerber’s gripe is simple: Most people who start businesses aren’t true entrepreneurs. They’re not visionaries with grand plans or business wizards. They’re usually just people who are really good at something—baking, training, filming, whatever—and want to make a living out of it. That’s it.
He calls them “technicians with a dream.” They love the craft, not the business. And that’s where the trouble begins.
The Triple Threat Nobody Talks About
Gerber’s big insight? Every business owner needs to be three people at once:
- The Technician – the doer, the expert, the one who loves the work itself.
- The Manager – the organizer, the planner, the one who brings order to chaos.
- The Entrepreneur – the visionary, the dreamer, the one who sees what could be.
Most people never realize they’re missing two-thirds of this trio. They open a bakery because they bake killer pies, or start a YouTube channel because they’re great on camera. But running a business? That’s a whole different pie.
The Fatal Assumption
Here’s where most small businesses crash and burn. They fall for what Gerber calls the fatal assumption:
“Just because you understand the technical work of a business does not mean you understand a business that does that technical work.”
It sounds obvious, but it’s a trap almost everyone falls into. The baker knows how to bake, but does she know how to hire, market, budget, or scale? The personal trainer knows fitness, but can he manage staff, handle taxes, or create systems? The vlogger? She might be a natural on camera, but what about contracts, analytics, or sponsorship deals?
Real-Life Analogies: When Passion Isn’t Enough
- The Gym-Goer: He loves working out. He’s the go-to guy for fitness tips. So, he opens a gym, thinking, “How hard can it be?” Turns out, running a gym is more about leases, payroll, and marketing than deadlifts.
- The Vlogger: She’s got a million views and a loyal audience. She launches a merch line, expecting instant success. But supply chains, customer service, and inventory? That’s a whole new world.
- The Baker: Her pies are legendary. She opens a shop. Suddenly, she’s drowning in paperwork, supplier calls, and staff drama. The joy of baking? It’s buried under admin work.
It’s the same wall, over and over. The technician’s passion doesn’t translate into business acumen.
Why Most Businesses Are Doomed From the Start
Gerber throws out some harsh numbers. According to the book, 80% of small businesses fail within the first five years. That’s not just bad luck. It’s a structural problem.
He estimates the typical small business owner is:
- 70% Technician
- 20% Manager
- 10% Entrepreneur
That’s a recipe for disaster. The technician is in charge, obsessed with “doing the work.” The manager and entrepreneur? They’re barely in the room.
Year Five: The Real Test
Here’s the kicker. Surviving past year five is almost impossible if you buy into the myth. If you think being great at your craft is enough, you’re setting yourself up for burnout—or worse, business failure.
The E-Myth’s biggest punch is this: Being fantastic at your craft won’t save your business from failure. Most people become “technicians with a dream”—and end up as their own worst boss, caught in a loop of predictable mistakes.
Gerber’s message might sting, but it’s honest. Knowing how to do the work barely scratches the surface. Building a business? That’s a different skill set entirely.
Triple Threat: The Secret Recipe Nobody Tells You About
The Three Hats Every Business Owner Wears (Or Should)
Michael Gerber’s “triple threat” theory isn’t just a catchy phrase—it’s a reality check. According to him, every founder needs to juggle three roles:
- Entrepreneur: The visionary. This is the dreamer, the one who lives in the future and sees opportunities before anyone else does.
- Manager: The pragmatist. They’re grounded, organized, and always cleaning up after the entrepreneur’s wild ideas. The manager translates vision into action, making sure the business doesn’t fall apart.
- Technician: The doer. The technician loves the work itself—tinkering, building, fixing. For them, strategy is just a distraction from “real” work.
Sounds simple, right? Well, not really. Most people are wildly unbalanced.
Imaginary Example: The Surly Chef
Picture a chef who invents mind-blowing dishes but can’t keep track of inventory—or even remember to send out invoices. He’s a technician with a sprinkle of entrepreneur, but zero manager. The kitchen? Chaos. The business? Bleeding money. The food? Amazing, but who cares if the doors close next month?
Ali’s Frank Moment
Ali, a real-life founder, once admitted: “I spent all my time printing textbooks, not teaching medicine.” He was stuck in technician mode, buried in the daily grind, while the real mission—education—got lost in the shuffle. It’s a classic trap.
Why Most of Us Are Lopsided (And That’s OK—At First)
Here’s the kicker: almost everyone starts out lopsided. Gerber estimates the typical small business owner is:
- 10% Entrepreneur
- 20% Manager
- 70% Technician
That’s not just a guess. It’s a pattern. Most founders are great at the “doing” part. They’re bakers, coders, designers, or doctors. But managing people? Or dreaming up the next big thing? Not so much.
‘If they were equally balanced, we’d be describing an incredibly competent individual.’
But let’s be honest. Who is? Balance is rare. And maybe, at the start, that’s fine. You need to get your hands dirty. But if you stay lopsided, you’re in trouble.
Stories of Hilarious Imbalance
- The Techie Trio: Three brilliant engineers start a company. They build, build, build. But there’s no direction. No one’s steering the ship. Eventually, they realize they’ve created a product nobody wants, and there’s no plan for what’s next.
- The Napkin Dreamer: One founder’s office is filled with napkins—each scribbled with a new business plan. But nothing ever gets finished. The dreamer is in overdrive, but the technician and manager are missing in action.
The Wild Card: The Three-Bodied Octopus
If you’re still reading, try this analogy on for size: Imagine a business owner as a three-bodied octopus. One arm is reaching for the future (entrepreneur), another is organizing the past (manager), and the last is wrestling today’s tasks (technician). It’s a juggling act. Sometimes, one arm drops the ball—or eight.
Gerber’s point? You can’t just be a skilled worker in disguise. If you want to build something that lasts, you have to learn the other hats. Otherwise, your business will choke on your own expertise. The technician in you will keep you busy, but you’ll never move forward. The manager in you will keep things tidy, but maybe too slow. The entrepreneur? Without them, you’re just running in circles.
Why Balance Matters (Even If It’s Messy)
Burnout. Stagnation. The “infancy trap.” These are the risks if you don’t find some kind of balance. Sure, nobody’s perfectly even. But the closer you get, the more your business can breathe—and grow.
So, next time you’re knee-deep in invoices or lost in a daydream, ask yourself: Which hat am I wearing right now? And which one am I ignoring?
The Infancy Trap: Why Working Harder Can Kill Your Dream
Business Infancy Isn’t Cute: It’s Chaos Masquerading as Progress
Let’s be honest. The early days of running a business look nothing like those glossy Instagram posts. Gerber calls it the “infancy trap,” and he’s not wrong. The founder is everywhere—answering emails, fixing the website, chasing invoices. It feels like progress. But is it really?
Ali, for example, admits that 95% of his time in the early days was spent on logistics. Only 5%? That was the work he actually loved—teaching. The rest? A blur of admin, tech headaches, and endless to-do lists. It’s a common story. Founders become the world’s busiest (and, honestly, loneliest) employees.
Classic Error: Mistaking Busyness for Effectiveness
Here’s the trap: activity feels like growth. But it’s just noise. You’re moving, but not forward. There’s a difference between being busy and being effective. Most people don’t see it until they’re knee-deep in chaos, wondering why their dream feels more like a job they can’t quit.
‘There’s nothing wrong with being a technician, but there is something wrong with being a technician who owns a business.’
Gerber doesn’t sugarcoat it. The founder who can’t let go of the reins? He’s not building a business. He’s building a cage.
Automation as Salvation—Ali’s Social Media Workflow Confessional
Ali’s story takes a sharp turn with automation. Before Make.com, his team would:
- Visit every social media profile, one by one
- Dig through analytics, copy-paste numbers
- Manually update Notion or Google Sheets
It was, frankly, a mess. A time sink. And for what? To keep up with data that could have been handled by a robot.
Enter Make.com. Suddenly, daily reports were automated. Instagram metrics flowed straight into Notion. No more manual entry. No more wasted hours. The workflow now handles 10,000 operations a month—without breaking a sweat.
Ali admits, automation didn’t just save time. It gave him back his creativity. More space to focus on content, on teaching, on the stuff that actually matters. The business started to feel less like a treadmill, more like a launchpad.
Wild Tangent: That Time You Thought Buying a Better Office Chair Would Fix Your Time Management
Let’s be real. Who hasn’t tried to buy their way out of chaos? A new chair, a fancy planner, maybe a productivity app or two. It’s a classic move. But none of it fixes the real issue: doing everything yourself.
The problem isn’t your chair. It’s your systems—or lack thereof.
How Founders Become the World’s Busiest (and Loneliest) Employees
In the infancy trap, the founder is the business. Every decision, every task, every problem—lands on their desk. It’s exhausting. And it’s lonely. There’s no one to delegate to, no system to lean on. Just you, your inbox, and a growing sense of dread.
Gerber’s point is sharp: if you don’t build systems, you’ll never escape. You’ll just keep running, faster and faster, until you burn out or give up.
The Real Difference: Delegation, Systems, and Software
- Delegation: Trust others. Let go of the small stuff.
- Systems: Build repeatable processes. Don’t reinvent the wheel every day.
- Software: Use tools like Make.com to automate the boring bits.
Ali’s before-and-after with automation is a lesson worth remembering. The right systems don’t just save time—they save your dream.
Some founders never escape the infancy trap. Others, like Ali, find a way out. The difference? They stop mistaking busyness for progress. They build a business, not just a job.
Automation: The Not-So-Secret Ingredient (That Most Founders Ignore)
Meet the Unsung Hero: Make.com
Most founders talk about hustle. Long hours, endless to-do lists, and the grind. But Ali’s workflow overhaul, powered by Make.com, flips that script. He doesn’t just work harder—he works smarter. And honestly, that’s the real game-changer most entrepreneurs miss.
Make.com isn’t some flashy, overhyped tool. It’s more like the quiet genius in the back of the room. The one connecting all the dots while everyone else is busy putting out fires. Ali calls it “the glue that connects all these different apps together.” And he’s not wrong.
Real Automation: Instagram Meets Notion
Let’s get specific. Ali’s team used to spend hours, maybe days, manually copying Instagram stats into Notion or Google Sheets. Every. Single. Week. Imagine clicking through each post, jotting down views, reach, engagement—then pasting it all into a spreadsheet. Tedious? That’s putting it mildly.
Now? It’s a different story:
- Make.com connects Instagram with Notion using a scheduled “scenario.”
- It scrapes up-to-date metrics—views, reach, engagement—for every Reel posted in the last week.
- All that data lands in Notion, automatically. No more manual entry. No more missed stats.
Suddenly, Ali’s team sees all their engagement stats in one place. No digging. No copy-paste. Just insights, ready to use.
From Tedious Data Entry to Creative Focus
Here’s where it gets interesting. Ali’s blunt about it: systems matter more than sweat. He’s not saying hard work is useless. But when you’re stuck in repetitive admin tasks, you’re not building, creating, or innovating. You’re just… busy.
Automation breaks that cycle. It lets founders—and their teams—do less and achieve more. Or, as Ali puts it:
‘The fact that we can use Make for all this stuff frees up my time to be able to just focus on the content.’
That’s not just about convenience. It’s about quality. With more time and brainpower, the team can actually improve the content and the product. Which, let’s be honest, is what matters most.
Why Even Small Businesses Should Automate
There’s a myth that automation is only for big companies with massive budgets. Not true. Make.com offers 10,000 operations per month on their pro plan—and that’s free for the first month. Solopreneurs, tiny teams, even side hustlers can get in on this.
And it’s not just about social media. Make.com connects marketing, operations, customer success—pretty much any workflow you can imagine. It’s the multiplatform glue that makes your tech stack actually work together, instead of living in silos.
The Sneaky Reality: Automation Isn’t Magic
It’s easy to think automation is some kind of magic trick. Press a button, and everything just works. But that’s not really it. It’s practical. It’s affordable. And, honestly, it’s surprisingly attainable—even for businesses that are just starting out.
- Practical: Automate the boring stuff so you can focus on what matters.
- Affordable: 10,000 operations a month, free to try. That’s a lot of automation for zero dollars.
- Attainable: No need for a developer. The platform is visual, drag-and-drop, and built for real people.
Ali’s candid workflow revamp (thanks to Make.com) highlights a larger point: successful businesses scale know-how by automating what doesn’t matter, so they and their teams can double down on what does.
It’s not about replacing people. It’s about freeing them. So, maybe the real lesson is this: stop ignoring the not-so-secret ingredient. Because automation isn’t just for the tech elite anymore. It’s for anyone who’s tired of busywork and ready to build something better.
Tough Love for Dreamers: How ‘The E-Myth Revisited’ Actually Changes Lives
There’s a strange comfort in thinking that reading a business book will fix everything. Ali, a doctor-turned-entrepreneur, thought so too—until reality hit. He’d slogged through years of running his business, making about $100,000 a year. Not bad, but not the dream. Then he read The E-Myth Revisited in 2019, and, well, things changed. Not overnight, not magically. But changed, all the same.
1. Ali’s Transformation: From Slog to Millions
The numbers are hard to ignore. After years of trial and error, Ali’s revenue jumped from $100,000 a year to “multiple millions.” He credits this leap to actually applying the lessons from The E-Myth Revisited. Not just reading. Not just nodding along. Applying.
He admits, “I made literally every single mistake that he talks about in this book.” That’s not an exaggeration. Six years of hard-fought mistakes, all before discovering the book. Would he have skipped the pain if he’d read it sooner? Maybe. Or maybe not. Sometimes, the lesson only sticks when it hurts.
2. The Danger of Myths (and Blind Faith)
Here’s the thing: ignoring the book’s core ideas is risky. But blindly following every word? That’s risky too. The book warns about the “infancy trap”—getting stuck doing everything yourself, never growing beyond the basics. But it doesn’t hand out a perfect blueprint.
Ali’s experience? You need to adapt. The book is a guide, not gospel. “I genuinely think if you read and applied the insights from this book you are likely to have better odds.” But only if you’re honest with yourself. Only if you’re willing to tweak, question, and sometimes even break the rules.
3. Book Club: Learning in Public
Ali didn’t go it alone. For four years, he’s run a book club—publicly distilling and discussing lessons from books like The E-Myth Revisited. That’s accountability. That’s reflection. Learning in public means you can’t hide from your own gaps in understanding. It’s a support system, and it makes the lessons stick.
There’s something about saying, “I’m working on this,” out loud. It’s harder to backslide. It’s easier to spot your own blind spots. Community matters, even for the most stubborn solo founders.
4. The Blessing of Early Mistakes
Ali’s story isn’t a fairy tale. He failed, a lot, before things clicked. But here’s the twist: those early mistakes? They were a blessing. Painful, sure. But they forced him to learn, to adapt, to get real about what wasn’t working.
It’s tempting to wish for a shortcut. Who wouldn’t want to skip the mess? But the truth is, those mistakes are where the real lessons live. If you learn from them, that is.
5. Failing Smarter, Not Less
The journey doesn’t end. Ali’s business didn’t become bulletproof after reading one book. He just started failing smarter. That’s the real trick. Not avoiding failure, but making each stumble count for more next time.
It’s a continuing process—self-honesty, adaptation, and a willingness to try again. The book doesn’t promise overnight success, and Ali doesn’t pretend it does. But it does offer a framework for failing better.
6. Productivity: Ruthlessness Over Busyness
Maybe the most unexpected lesson? Productivity isn’t about doing more. It’s about getting ruthless about what matters. Ali’s team uses automation tools to cut out busywork, freeing up time for what actually moves the needle.
He says, “The only thing that our business really cares about anyway [is] the content and the product.” Everything else? Streamlined or eliminated. That’s the kind of productivity that sticks.
Conclusion: The Real Takeaway
Ali’s journey is proof that reading big ideas is only the start—and that making peace with imperfection (plus a little community support) isn’t just smart, it’s necessary for growth. The E-Myth Revisited won’t save your business by itself. But if you’re willing to get honest, to fail, to learn in public, and to focus on what truly matters, you might just find your own transformation. Or, at the very least, you’ll fail a little smarter next time.
FAQ
- Is ‘The E-Myth Revisited’ only for new business owners?
No. While it’s especially helpful for beginners, even seasoned entrepreneurs can find value—especially if they’re stuck or feeling overwhelmed. - Can reading the book guarantee business success?
No book can guarantee success. But, as Ali says, “If you read and applied the insights from this book you are likely to have better odds.” - How important is community when applying these lessons?
Very. Learning in public, like through a book club, adds accountability and helps lessons stick. - What’s the biggest lesson Ali learned?
That productivity is about focus, not just doing more. And that failing is part of the process—just fail smarter each time.
TL;DR: Don’t buy the myth that passion or technical skill alone are enough. ‘The E-Myth Revisited’ shatters illusions about small business, offers a triple-threat roadmap, and proves that automation isn’t just for giant corporations. Read on for a candid dose of tough (and surprisingly entertaining) entrepreneurial love.
