SME Business Guru Inspires Entrepreneurial Spirit

SMALL BUSINESS GURU AND E-MYTH FOUNDER MICHAEL E GERBER PRESENTS FINAL WORKSHOP

Business owners finding their feet and seeking inspiration after the earthquake, floods and lingering recession have been inspired by an international SME business guru. Michael E Gerber is in Auckland today presenting the last of three E-Myth workshops, after visiting Christchurch and Wellington earlier this week.

A pioneer in business coaching, Michael E Gerber founded E-Myth Worldwide in 1977. Still influential in international business circles at 73, Mr Gerber started his New Zealand tour in the South Island to present on the topic of the E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Fail and What to Do About It. His techniques, considered revolutionary in the business world, have been transforming companies for over 30 years, helping grow more than 70,000 businesses in over 145 countries and resulting in seven E-Myth books.

Managing director of the Knowledge Gym Mike Doughty says, “We’re delighted to welcome Mr Gerber back to Australasia. His seminars are always well-received, and attendees report that the sessions leave them more inspired and more focused on their businesses.

“We’ve had a lot of feedback from business owners who have experienced Michael live, and they have reported that hearing Michael has inspired them to make changes to their business, and provided them with a level of focus and direction that has, like dropping a pebble into a pond, created positive ripples through their business life.

The Knowledge Gym introduces several speakers to Australasia each year and recommends the E-Myth workshops to those who want to renew their entrepreneurial spirit and learn how to better leverage their business skills. At the core of his workshops is Mr Gerber’s focus on the power of working on your business, rather than merely in it, through the use of an extraordinary system.

For his part, Michael E Gerber says though New Zealand is in a special position, with its isolation buffering it from many of the economic woes experienced by other nations, that same distance makes business owners vulnerable to unexpected economic shifts. “Dealing with the unexpected is a skill all Kiwi SMEs must develop, so they can focus not on survival but on flourishing despite the conditions. Another skill critical to CEOs and entrepreneurs is one I call ‘foraging’ – staying close to the ground looking for choice grub available to any company with a mind to grow beyond the rest.”

“The E-Myth workshops are practical yet inspirational. Attendees frequently remark that Mr Gerber’s passion and enthusiasm for SMEs is infectious,” says Mr Doughty. “Over three decades he has continued to evolve transferable skills and tools which remain relevant for any business and phase of one’s life.”

Former training manager and now business owner Kevin Smith of NZ Fashion Tech says that examples presented by Mr Gerber in a seminar he attended over 10 years ago resonated with him.

“Back then I had just acquired a new business and was learning on my feet. Everything Mr Gerber explained dovetailed with the challenges I faced. I knew his systems could solve everything and I wanted to learn more.”

By applying the E-Myth system to both the business and academic aspects of NZ Fashion Tech, Mr Smith implemented an efficient system that continues to work at both the management and student level. “One of the most powerful things I learned was to take a step back to look at what I wanted from the business, to work from a different perspective.”

NZ Fashion Tech has grown exponentially in enrollment and graduate numbers since that seminar; 91% of students complete the programme, 81% gain a full qualification and 84% of graduates go on to employment or higher education. Student numbers have increased by over 250% since 1995, and the organization is now the preeminent fashion institute in New Zealand and the largest supplier of trained graduates in the country. It was named Provider of the Year in November 2010, from a pool of more than 700 private tertiary institutions.

“The E-Myth systems have liberated us and given us better control. Though we have fewer sites to run, we have more students each year - managing the company is easier than ever before,” says Mr Smith.

Mr Smith attributes much of NZ Fashion Tech’s success and development to the E-Myth system and is attending today’s Auckland workshop at the Rendezvous Hotel with his team.

Michael E Gerber’s Knowledge Workout programme with Mr Gerber is designed to help business owners dispel the myths and common assumptions about starting a business. Having worked for many years on the development of entrepreneurship, in this series Mr Gerber is turning his attention from the management of existing businesses to the awakening of entrepreneurs in the start-up phase.

The Knowledge Gyms intends that the workshops will furnish attendees with the skills to harness their businesses, capitalize on strengths and leverage their organizations with extraordinary systems. Timely, in a year that will bring a major international sporting event and a national election.

For more details regarding Michael E. Gerber’s E-Myth workshops visit www.theknowledgegym.co.nz

ends

About Michael E Gerber
Michael E Gerber is the founder and chairman of EMyth Worldwide, the coaching, training, and education firm he founded in 1977 to transform the development of small businesses worldwide.

Now approaching its 34th year, the E-Myth company has helped to grow more than 70,000 businesses in over 145 countries.

Michael E Gerber is a revolutionary thinker in small business management. As the author of seven E-Myth books, including the mega-bestseller The E-Myth Revisited, Michael has established his pioneering perspective as the gold standard for small business development, becoming what Inc. Magazine called “the world’s #1 small business guru” and one of Business Week’s bestselling authors of the past decades.


About The Knowledge Gym
The Knowledge Gym is a premium events organizer and membership association, operating as a franchise network in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch and as a company in Melbourne and Sydney.

Members The Knowledge Gym can choose from a series of coaching programmes on offer and energize fresh thinking in their businesses.