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" Being an entrepreneur is more than a matter of simply starting a business. "

Michael E. Gerber

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" 'Product life' is measured in months, not years, and as soon as you introduce a 'product,' understand that others in your business are going to reverse engineer it to duplicate the results after they circumnavigate the patents, the trademarks, and the intellectual property. "

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" More than a few studies have shown that the five people you spend the most time with represent you - so you need to decide - who do you want to be? "

Michael E. Gerber

" If you are with five successful people, then you are the sixth successful person. The reverse of this is true as well, so who are you hanging out with? "

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" Quit being 'busy' and start actively owning and operating your company, and you'll be able to understand where the money is coming from and how to make more of it. "

Michael E. Gerber

" The kind of work you do, when you do it, how much of it there is, and who you delegate it to are often the cause of the quasi-schizophrenic behavior seen in many business owners and entrepreneurs. "

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" Without concentration, a business will be ordinary in every respect, because it will have no presence, no inner force, no way to attract the people upon whom it depends for its very existence - employees, customers, suppliers, and lenders. "

Michael E. Gerber

" The Big Dream of any entrepreneur really has very little to do with the entrepreneur. If you truly love repairing automobiles, chances are, you'll be a lousy business owner. Likewise, if you are fascinated by debits and credits, the dream of building an accounting firm with you at the helm is probably best left unfulfilled. "

Michael E. Gerber

" There are three things that can be organized: time, space, and work. Note that, despite what many believe, you cannot organize people - you can only organize the work that people do. "

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" The only choice that leads small business owners to real success in their endeavors is the one that requires real thought. Understanding and building the systems they need within their company to afford them a framework of organization that can scale the business from a company of one to a company of one thousand. "

Michael E. Gerber

" The world is littered with the tales of small businesses in the dire straits of hiring that spent time and money they couldn't afford to hire people who couldn't perform. "

Michael E. Gerber

" If opening your own business is the dream, then it must start with a Dream - not only to understand what it is that you want to do, but also, how you are going to build something better than the same chaotic environment you just left. "

Michael E. Gerber

" Be honest: if your pitch is 90 minutes and you only have 60 set aside for a business lunch or a cup of coffee, there is no way that you can give an honest representation of your company or products. You're lying to yourself and wasting your own time as well as that of your prospect or partner. "

Michael E. Gerber

" Entrepreneurship requires an unvanquished spirit of curiosity, an openness to learning, a letting go of OldCo so you're free to create NewCo. "

Michael E. Gerber

" As with anything we do as entrepreneurs, researching how our businesses impact and influence our customers and our markets - and our world - is critical to building something of value as a business. "

Michael E. Gerber

" No matter what, the entrepreneur must strive to be above average and, at the same time, understand what is driving those averages they are seeking to beat. Take the time to understand and test the metrics you are using, and then you can not only set the average, you can exceed it. "

Michael E. Gerber

" When you consider how many people are really not good at communication in general and interviewing in specific, it's no wonder that many companies struggle to build high-quality partnerships - or even staffs. "

Michael E. Gerber

" Everywhere you turn, there are lists and statistics. Any business, any sport, any hobby - we will try to categorize who is the best at some component of that endeavor. It's part human nature and part technology, since we have been conditioned to have access to answers and trivial problems at our fingertips. "

Michael E. Gerber

" The entire idea of building a series of systems in a business is simply this - to create the tools that allow you, as a business owner, to increase productivity and get the job done. The idea behind these systems, of course, is to quit needing your judgement or input in every area of the business. "

Michael E. Gerber

" Your first job, as an owner and an entrepreneur, has to be to understand how the business is going to actually work. "

Michael E. Gerber

" There is always going to be someone more successful, richer, better looking, or with a nicer car. "

Michael E. Gerber

" Results transform the world, and a great dream creates results. That's what this thing we call 'business' is really all about. "

Michael E. Gerber

" The world of the small business owner is all about moving multiple items forward at once, and it's a fool's errand to believe one person can do it all when the shift comes from linear to parallel. "

Michael E. Gerber

" Here's the problem with phones - they are a ready-made diversion from the considerably harder work of growing a business. "

Michael E. Gerber

" As an entrepreneur and a small business owner, you are intimately familiar with goals. You've dreamed of the 'right' ones, you've projected 'real' ones for the banker and the investor, and, secretly, you've imagined how life can be if you can reach the ones you've set. "

Michael E. Gerber

" No matter what, once the doors are open for business, the entrepreneur has no choice but to be directing multiple attacks at once - raising money, writing software, prototyping, selling, collecting, training, and marketing. "

Michael E. Gerber

" Your own business growth and success depends on many things, and along that growing path, you are going to have to concede certain responsibilities and activities - whether for your accounting, your production, or day-to-day management. "

Michael E. Gerber

" As the owner, you have to look into the mind of the customer and see and feel how their relationship to your product works - not just that the product works. "

Michael E. Gerber

" How can you, as a small business owner, figure out what you are and, from there, begin to take action? Simple - you have to understand what part of the job you are doing and, if it isn't fulfilling the role of the entrepreneur in your business, you must make the decision to take on that role. "

Michael E. Gerber

" Small business owners and entrepreneurs worthy of the title need to build systems that replace themselves. "

Michael E. Gerber

" The challenge of any business owner is not only to keep the saw sharp, but also to know if you even have a need for such a tool. "

Michael E. Gerber