I came across a tidbit today that does a great job of describing the difference between running a business and running a holistic practice. It’s from Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant, the second in the Rich Dad series of books:

“Those who are true “B’s” (Business Owners) can leave their businesses for a year or more, and return to find their business more profitable and running better than when they left. In a true self-employed type business, if the “S” (Self-Employed) left for a year or more, the chances are there would be no business left to return to.

So what causes the difference? Saying it simply, an “S” (Self-Employed) owns a job. A “B” (Business Owner) owns a system and then hires competent people to operate the system. Or, put another way, in many cases the S (Self-Employed) is the system. That is why they cannot leave.”

Rich Dad, Poor Dad was one of the first books (The E-Myth is up there, too) that initially woke me up to the difference between self-employed practitioner and business owner. I’ve written about this before, but I thought the way Kiyosaki put it was quite effective.

And as I’ve noted before, you don’t have to make the leap from practice to business, but the rewards can be well worth it.

Recommended Reading
Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert T. Kiyosaki
The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber

PS – If you’re going to grab any of the E-Myth titles, get the The E-Myth Revisited. The E-Myth Physician is pretty weak, and doesn’t have much to offer beyond the originals…

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