It was the mid-90s. I was deep in the hustle of my knitwear business, standing in my booth at the One-of-a-Kind Show. I was overworked, overwhelmed, and wondering if this was really what entrepreneurship was all about.
Then a fellow exhibitor handed me a book.
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber.
That subtitle stopped me in my tracks. “My small business doesn’t work,” I thought. “I mean, not really.”
This book has sold over 5 million copies worldwide, been taught in over 100 universities, and translated into 29 languages for a reason. Gerber lays out why so many small business owners struggle and how to build something exciting and profitable instead.
The big idea? Most of us don’t start businesses as entrepreneurs — we start as technicians having an entrepreneurial seizure.
Like Sarah, the baker in the book, who loves baking but ends up doing everything from mopping floors to payroll from early morning to night. Her dream turns into a stressful, exhausting job with always more to do.
I could relate! 
The book talks about building measurable systems for a small business to create consistently excellent results, just like McDonald’s does. This allows the business to grow- you can hire people, and even sell the business when the owner wants to do something else!
It also allows the owner to take vacations, spend time with family and enjoy life more!
It felt overwhelming though. How could I overhaul the entire business like this?
But I knew I had to. And the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.
Bit by bit, my team and I started building simple systems into the business and saw real results fast!
An opening checklist meant the sidewalk sign went out every morning, and a closing one meant it didn’t get left out overnight to get stolen or battered up. That alone saved us a ton of stress, hassle, and lost sales. Eventually, we created systems for store management, hiring, training, buying, customer service – truly everything!
Systems = Freedom!
Those systems gave us the power to open multiple locations, deliver a consistent customer experience, and actually enjoy the business again.
Hiring systems meant I could trust store managers to build their own teams. Training systems got new employees up to speed quickly. Manuals gave everyone the tools to do a great job.
This wasn’t overnight. It was a long process. But it was the transformation I needed to go from “my little business” to a 7-figure company.
It took dismantling what I had already built. Letting go of doing it all myself. That part is hard, but it’s what allows you to grow beyond burnout and frustration.
Now, as a business coach, this is what I bring when I work with you: Decades of experience growing businesses, coaching entrepreneurs, and building systems that bring clarity, growth, and freedom.
And despite my love of systems, I still get reminders of why documented systems are so important, even for a solopreneur.
A Painful Reminder of Why a Business Needs Systems
Recently, I was working on my side business, a small-batch jewellery line. I was experimenting with tools, sanding techniques, and ways to create an efficient production flow. I had figured out a method that worked great for polishing the pieces, but I didn’t write it down or take a pic of the layout. 
A month later, I came back to it and… had no idea how I’d done it.
Trying to recreate what I had figured out a month ago and forgotten, I ended up with an awkward way of holding the piece. It slipped and …
Production paused. Progress lost. And all because I hadn’t documented the system.
Systems open the door to a world where things go right more often than not. They take you out of chaos and into clarity and allow your business to move forward faster!
I had been resistant. I worried systems would take the fun and freedom out of my business. I thought it might feel like a stuffy corporation.
But systems and structure allowed more fun, creativity and freedom because we spent less time fixing problems and sidewalk signs, and more time actually growing the business.
If you’re ready to talk strategy, systems, business models, and get live coaching on how to make your business actually work for you — join me at Business Power Hour.
Bring your questions to this live Q & A and you’ll leave unstuck, inspired and ready for action in your business.
One recent guest said at the end of a Business Power Hour session, “I’m on fire! I’ve got lots to do this afternoon now!” So if you want that kind of experience, sign up below!
Business Power Hour
Free business strategy Q & A for women+ entrepreneurs
Thursday, August 21, 12–1 PM 
Register here
Can’t make that one? I host the meeting monthly!
At the same link you can sign up for August and the rest of the year, if you like.
I’d love to see you there!
