--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not here to tell you what your…" description: "\"I'm not here to tell you what your average needs to be, but it would seem to me that one way to protect yourself, as an entrepreneur, from the dreaded ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/michael-gerber-3751_average_i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-avera_1829737.png" --- # I'm not here to tell you what your average needs to be… ![“I'm not here to tell you what your average needs to be, but it would seem to me that one way to protect yourself, as an entrepreneur, from the dreaded average is to understand what that looks like in your industry, your business, and your personal life and take the steps to be above average.” quote by Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/michael-gerber-3751_average_i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-avera_1829737.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/michael-gerber-3751_average_i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-avera_1829737.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/michael-gerber-3751_average_i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-avera_1829737.png) > “I'm not here to tell you what your average needs to be, but it would seem to me that one way to protect yourself, as an entrepreneur, from the dreaded average is to understand what that looks like in your industry, your business, and your personal life and take the steps to be above average.” [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Entrepreneurs should define and exceed industry standards to avoid mediocrity. **In simple terms:** Know standards, aim higher. Key Takeaway Set and surpass benchmarks. Themes entrepreneurship excellence self‑improvement Mood practical strategic Type motivational business When to use this quote - startup growth - career planning - personal development Key Concepts business strategy performance metrics Questions to Reflect On - What defines “above average” for you? - How can you balance ambition with well‑being? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on competition can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Business Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-personal-822154/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Entrepreneur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneur/) [Entrepreneur Dreaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneur-dreaded-2263214/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Personal life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-life/) [Protect Entrepreneur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-entrepreneur-2263212/) [Protect yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-yourself/) [Tell Average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-average-2263213/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yourself/) ## Related quotes > [“But I would also tell them that I was a friend and I was a hero. I would tell them that I was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-cherry/but-i-would-also-tell-them-that-i-was-a-friend-and-i-was-a-hero-i/) [Kathleen Cherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-cherry/) > [Never forget your manners. They go a long way in both your business and personal life. If you look and act like you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-bomer/never-forget-your-manners-they-go-a-long-way-in-both-your-business/) [Matt Bomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-bomer/) > [But you don't get into a business because of personal tastes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-munk/but-you-don-t-get-into-a-business-because-of-personal-tastes/) [Peter Munk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-munk/) > [How am I supposed to mind my own business if you put all your personal problems as your status and it shows up on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/how-am-i-supposed-to-mind-my-own-business-if-you-put-all-your/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [When you're in the music business, everything is very personal, because you are invested in everything; there's a very deep, personal attachment to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-re-in-the-music-business-everything-is-very-personal-because/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All business is personal...Make your friends before you need them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-johnson/all-business-is-personal-make-your-friends-before-you-need-them/) [Robert Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-johnson/) > [I will say that my personal business is my personal business. And I will leave it at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-matarazzo/i-will-say-that-my-personal-business-is-my-personal-business-and-i/) [Heather Matarazzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-matarazzo/) > [Business is business, and it is never personal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-bailey/business-is-business-and-it-is-never-personal/) [Cynthia Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-bailey/) > [Most people in business and within their personal lives move towards complexity. More To Dos. More projects. More products. More meetings. More possessions. More…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/most-people-in-business-and-within-their-personal-lives-move-towards/) [Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/) > [Last night was another night where lessons were learned. I gotta learn to separate business from personal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/last-night-was-another-night-where-lessons-were-learned-i-gotta-learn/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Business is personal and Relationships do matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morag-barrett/business-is-personal-and-relationships-do-matter/) [Morag Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morag-barrett/) > [The NBA is never just a business. It's always business. It's always personal. All good businesses are personal. The best businesses are very personal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/the-nba-is-never-just-a-business-it-s-always-business-it-s-always/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [I don't take business personal most of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinton-jackson/i-don-t-take-business-personal-most-of-the-time/) [Quinton Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinton-jackson/) > [You know the expression, "It's not personal; it's business." We sneer at such rot. All business is personal, all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/you-know-the-expression-it-s-not-personal-it-s-business-we-sneer-at/) [Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/) > [The NBA (National Basketball Association) is never just a business. It's always business. It's always personal. All good businesses are personal. The best businesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/the-nba-national-basketball-association-is-never-just-a-business-it-s/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) ## More by Michael Gerber > [The more Strategic Work you do, the more effective, productive, and joyful the Tactical Work becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/the-more-strategic-work-you-do-the-more-effective-productive-and/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [If you haven't created the time as an owner to understand why people are choosing your model over your competition, then you are only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-owner-to-understand-why-people/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [I've said it for four decades - work 'on' your business, not just 'in' your business!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/i-ve-said-it-for-four-decades-work-on-your-business-not-just-in-your/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [If you expect to grow your business, you need to be plotting out your schedules days in advance. Until you get that most basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-you-expect-to-grow-your-business-you-need-to-be-plotting-out-your/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Growing your own business is great. Watching your ideas come to life, taking care of new customers and watching them become repeat customers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/growing-your-own-business-is-great-watching-your-ideas-come-to-life/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [You can't be the accountant in your accounting firm. You can't cut the grass in your landscaping business. 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They recognize the experience of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/when-i-say-doin-it-doin-it-doin-it-to-a-group-of-small-business/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [“The natural tendency of man is to remain unconscious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/the-natural-tendency-of-man-is-to-remain-unconscious/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [There are three things that can be organized: time, space, and work. Note that, despite what many believe, you cannot organize people - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/there-are-three-things-that-can-be-organized-time-space-and-work-note/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [The world of the small business owner is all about moving multiple items forward at once, and it's a fool's errand to believe one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/the-world-of-the-small-business-owner-is-all-about-moving-multiple/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Entrepreneurship requires an unvanquished spirit of curiosity, an openness to learning, a letting go of OldCo so you're free to create NewCo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/entrepreneurship-requires-an-unvanquished-spirit-of-curiosity-an/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Here's the problem with phones - they are a ready-made diversion from the considerably harder work of growing a business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/here-s-the-problem-with-phones-they-are-a-ready-made-diversion-from/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Systems permit ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results predictably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/systems-permit-ordinary-people-to-achieve-extraordinary-results/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) [Explore all 122 Michael Gerber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) ## More Average quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-martinez/there-were-times-last-year-when-people-looked-at-the-scoreboard-and/) [Buck Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-martinez/) > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The average well-being of our societies is not dependent any longer on national income and economic growth. ... But the differences between us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-wilkinson/the-average-well-being-of-our-societies-is-not-dependent-any-longer/) [Richard G. Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-wilkinson/) > [I really focus more to hit for average, just try to put the ball in play as much as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-soto/i-really-focus-more-to-hit-for-average-just-try-to-put-the-ball-in/) [Juan Soto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-soto/) > [You give me enough shots, I'll average 20. You give me a particular system where I stick close to the basket, I'll average 10 rebounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bosh/you-give-me-enough-shots-i-ll-average-20-you-give-me-a-particular/) [Chris Bosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bosh/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I feel like what motivates me is what would motivate the regular average person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-nasty/i-feel-like-what-motivates-me-is-what-would-motivate-the-regular/) [Rico Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-nasty/) > [We're trying to do something so that when the average person uses Pinterest, it has to make the service better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/we-re-trying-to-do-something-so-that-when-the-average-person-uses/) [Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/) > [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) [Browse all 2,816 Average quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not here to tell you what your average needs to be, but it would seem to me that one way to protect yourself, as an entrepreneur, from the dreaded average is to understand what that looks like in your industry, your business, and your personal life and take the steps to be above average.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Gerber" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-average-needs-to-be-but-it-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Average" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-average-needs-to-be-but-it-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/michael-gerber-3751_average_i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-avera_1829737.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/michael-gerber-3751_average_i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-avera_1829737.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab2/michael-gerber-3751_average_i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-avera_1829737.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not here to tell you what your average needs to be, but it would seem to me that one way to protect…” — Michael Gerber", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Gerber", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not here to tell you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-average-needs-to-be-but-it-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/i-m-not-here-to-tell-you-what-your-average-needs-to-be-but-it-would/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```