This author puts down the constant siege of management trends built on buzzwords and oversimplified concepts. Then he proceeds to put forth his own version of the same. However, he does rely more on principle and makes some interesting points on the way. Foremost among them is that a good manager starts with asking the question "What do I want?" The wisdom behind this is derived from his original "e-myth" that successful companies are not based on an entrepeneurial culture but instead on one person's vision. Hence, a good manager should be working as the emporer of their own vision. This does not necessitate owning a separate business as long as the employment relationship allows for molding of a role into that which satisfies the vision of the manager. According to Gerber, each person must recognize and affect how much they concentrate on each vital role: emporer, manager, and technician. Two other important steps (among several put forth) are creating a marketing and financial plan. The financial plan should put every employee in touch with the type of decision making one makes with real budgets and money. It was also interesting to see yet another work by a local author, complete with references to Marin General, Corte Madera, Sonoma, and Petaluma. ( )