You have heard it before: work on your business, not just in it. The idea comes from Michael Gerber’s book The E-Myth Revisited. Most trade business owners agree with it. Far fewer act on it.
A familiar story
Bob loves woodwork. He sells his pieces at weekend markets, and one day he quits his job to do it full time. He sets up a workshop, hires someone for the paperwork, and opens Bob’s Wood World. He is his own boss and he spends his days on the tools.
It does not last. Gerber calls this an entrepreneurial seizure: the urge to be your own boss, followed by going to work for a demanding boss, yourself. There is far more to a business than making and selling the product, and unless Bob deals with the rest, he will not have a business for long.
Three roles in every business
- The technician does the work. In Bob’s case, the woodwork.
- The manager keeps the business running: ordering materials, bookkeeping, tracking jobs, chasing payments, paying bills and staying on top of tax and compliance.
- The entrepreneur looks at the big picture: what to sell, to whom, at what price, on what business model and in what structure.
Technicians and managers work in the business. The entrepreneur works on it, designing a business that can run without them every day.
Ask yourself two questions
- Does the business rely on you doing the daily work, on the tools or in the office?
- Do you believe only you can do that work well enough?
If the answer to both is yes, you are chained to the business. Think about a month off sick. Jobs stop, customers wait and the reputation you built takes the hit. And a business that depends on one person is hard to sell when you want to move on or retire.
Where to start
- Hire an apprentice and train them in how the work is done.
- Write down the way you do each job, and the way you run the office.
- Give yourself time each week for the four areas that build a business: marketing, operations, leadership and financial control.
- Know your numbers: your cash cycle, your most profitable work, which costs earn their keep and how fast your customers pay.
None of this means leaving the tools for good. It means the business no longer depends on you picking them up every morning.
If you want to map out a plan for working on your business, email accounts@tradeshq.com.au or book a discovery call.
Sources
- Michael E. Gerber, The E-Myth Revisited (book)
Sources read on 17 October 2026. General information only. It does not take your circumstances into account. Speak to us before acting on it.
