https://contentforsaas.hashnode.dev/build-a-saas-that-runs-without-you
Learn how SaaS founders can escape the founder trap and build a business that runs without them using lessons from The E-Myth Revisited.
Ever felt like your SaaS — the one meant to give you freedom — has turned into a full-time cage?
The business you built to gain independence now can't survive a day without you. You've become the bottleneck — the CEO, product manager, marketer, and customer support all in one.
Here's the hard truth: The problem isn't your business. It's your mindset.
You're still working in the business, not on it.
This is exactly what Michael E. Gerber calls the Entrepreneurial Myth in his classic book The E-Myth Revisited — one of the most essential reads for SaaS builders and solo founders who want to scale beyond survival.
Most small businesses — including SaaS startups — aren't started by "true" entrepreneurs. They're started by technicians — developers, designers, or marketers who are great at their craft and think:
"I can just start my own thing and be my own boss."
But when you go solo, you don't just do the work you love — you do everything else too. And that's when burnout begins.
Gerber breaks this down perfectly. Every founder has three personalities fighting inside them:
The Entrepreneur — This is the part of you that gets excited about possibilities, dreams up features, imagines your SaaS being huge.
The Manager — This side wants order, creates processes, thinks about how things should run smoothly.
The Technician — This is you at 2 AM just wanting to code and build cool stuff.
If you're like most founders, you're probably 70% Technician, 20% Entrepreneur, and barely 10% Manager. That's the trap right there.