Business Quote by Michael Gerber
“Organize around business functions, not people. Build systems within each business function. Let systems run the business and people run the systems. People come and go but the systems remain constant.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The E-Myth Revisited, 1995
Advocates structuring organizations by function, not individuals, ensuring systems endure beyond staff turnover.
In simple terms: Build functional systems, not people‑centric ones.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize resilient processes.
Themes
business
systems
management
Mood
practical
analytical
Type
business
strategic
When to use this quote
- startup scaling
- operations
- human resources
Key Concepts
organizational design
process optimization
Questions to Reflect On
- How can systems stay adaptable?
- What balance between people and process?
A Different Perspective
Systems may become rigid without flexibility.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)