The E-Myth Accountant: Why Most Accounting Practices Don't Work and What to Do About It

by Michael E. Gerber, M. Darren Root

Distilled small business advice for accounting practices

Many accountants in small and mid-size practices are experts when it comes to their professional knowledge, but may not have considered their practice as much from a business perspective.

Michael Gerber's The E-Myth Accountant fills this void, giving you powerful advice on everything you need to run your practice as a successful business, allowing you to achieve your goals and grow your practice. Featuring Gerber's signature easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement style, The E-Myth Accountant features

Gerber's universal appeal as a recognized expert on small businesses who has coached, taught, and trained over 60,000 small businesses A recognized and widely respected co-author and leader in the accounting field

The E-Myth Accountant is the last guide you'll ever need to make the difference in building or developing your successful accounting practice.

Genres: Business, Accounting, Buisness, Nonfiction, Self Help

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

Michael E. Gerber is an American author and founder of Michael E. Gerber Companies, a business skills training company based in Carlsbad, California.

Reviews

[Tj Miron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent read. I was hoping it was going to be more detailed. I feel I got more from the original E-Myth than I did the Accountant specific version.

[Tim Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a lot of good ideas, but I found it a bit depressing since the chances we'll implement some of the better ideas are near zero.

[Scott Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before, After and Questions - no good insights

I haven't read the E-myth but started here first.
I have downloaded some e-myth stuff from their website - it is fantastic.

I don't think this book provides the systems to run an accounting practice that it promises.

There are some good descriptions & stories of The Before state - the busy accountant octopus - the centre of everything
AND the After State -
the 'to the side' business owner where the team and systems asist with all but the most complex matters.

There are Questions to ask yourself and a few general suggestions to help you bridge the gap between before and after - technology, team, great systems and a lot on your mindset.

There were a few concepts in here that I hadn't heard elsewhere - but I felt that this is written like a 2 hour free seminar selling a $4k course at the end - hopes, dreams, mindset help and questions but minimal real practice frameworks, tips, tactics and strategies.

Also - I purchased a video course a week before I purchased this book. I did think - maybe I already know it all - NOPE the course had a whole bunch of great practical stuff, how to structure the team, specific types of team members who have specific roles, founder strengths, communication from client strategies so that handled by lower rather than higher team members whilst not losing the relationship with the client partner, - none of which was in this book (obviously I bought the book because I respect the E-Myth brand and maybe similar and more would be in this book).

This is written for a worldwide audience by an American author - so I understand that they didn't want to give country specific examples.

Also - I'm not saying that the book isn't worth a read - I must admit when I got to 70% I skimmed pretty quickly to the end realising that I wasn't likely to get many additional gems if I hadn't received what I was hoping would be groundbreaking information already.

I do believe that the authors likely know this information, and how to communicate it - but just that this has been written as a book with chapters allocated to the 2 authors - rather than - how can we delight our readers with as much concise, practical information as possible.

[Kelly Schuknecht]

I read The E-Myth Revisted a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, I wasn’t writing reviews at the time, so I don’t have a review for the book to share with you. However, I do remember that the message was great and the book was pretty boring.

Because The E-Myth Accountant was specific to an industry, I felt that it was less boring and very applicable to the reader. The primary message in The E-Myth Revisited is that business owners need to work on the business rather than in the business if they want to grow. In The E-Myth Accountant, Michael Gerber and M. Darren Root, his subject matter expert for this book, walk accounting firm owners through the process of making this a reality for their firm.

"The problem with most accounting practices is that the systems thinker—the entrepreneur—is completely absent. And so is the vision."

This book is a must-read for any accounting firm owner who wants to get out of the daily grind of compliance-based work, increase the value of their services, and grow their firm.

[Ian Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the specificity around the domain of accounting lends itself well. I found the Gerber chapters a little more than poorly framed pep-talks. However, I did get value out of the Root chapters. Having that subject matter expert apply the E-myth principles helped drive home the approach.

However, overall I think this books lacks in depth and detail around the how. It's very much high level and almost reads as a marketing piece for the respective authors' consulting and advisory practices. That being said, if you are a struggling accounting practice owner. This is a book I would recommend reading.

[Matt Veilleux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the material can be found in the original E-Myth book, but it's still helpful to hear how an accountant can implement the concepts.
"If your business depends on you, you don't own a business- you have a job. And it's the worst job in the world because you're working for a lunatic." Great quote.

[Darron Kendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Ideas

Good application of the E Myth style to accounting practices. But will it work? For upcoming professionals who can avoid being tainted by the ideas of people my age, I believe the actions suggested will work wonders.

[James Worswick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book hoping to learn why "Accounting Practices" aka GAAP Accounting doesn't work. What I got instead was why Accounting Firms don't work.

Basically the book summarises the E-Myth Revisited and how it can be applied to Accounting Firms.

[Timothy Wingate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

This was a book that help with mindset and gave you the foundation for setting up systems in your accounting practice.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was included in Audible, so I was able to get the majority of The E-Mythin Revisited for "free".

Great book. Don't agree with all parts, but the majority rings true.

[Vicky Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, great book! I'm on my third time reading it and I get something new every time.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the thought processes presented in this book to be very helpful and insightful. I did not necessarily love the format of two authors writing on the same topic. I would have encouraged many more examples of how to implement some of the ideas with more concrete details. I felt like Gerber primarily rehashed his primary book The E-Myth, and Root added the accounting substance. Granted, this is exactly what they told you they were going to do, so don't be surprised that you will get exactly what they say.

In closing, my biggest wish is that they simply would have given me a few more concrete ways to implement some of these ideas. Yet, perhaps that is the idea. Maybe it isn't so much the implementation of a system, but the development of my own, and this book is just meant to be a stepping stone along that path.

I believe any accountant working in their own firm will find the thoughts presented here to be helpful in better defining their practices and goals.

[Mark Polino · Rating 3 out of 5]

The application of the emyth principals to accounting firms is interesting. I think that there can be opportunities to systemize accounting firm processes. I do worry that the focus on systemization drives out opportunities to truly wow clients. I'm not sure that's the intent of the book but it comes across that way.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, I think every accountant should read this book. It guides you from being an accountant to a business owner, something most firm owners today don't understand. If you are going to build a business you have to work on your practice not work in your practice.

[Vera · Rating 3 out of 5]

so-so