The Art of the Start
Sarah Bosch continues her reviews this week, with a look at Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start : The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything.
Meaning is not about money, power, or prestige. It’s not even about creating a fun place to work. Among the meanings of “meaning” are to
- Make the world a better place.
- Increase the quality of life.
- Right a terrible wrong.
- Prevent the end of something good
Goals such as these are a tremendous advantage as you travel down the difficult path ahead. If you answer this questions in the negative, you may still be successful, but it will be harder to become so because making meaning is the most powerful motivator there is.
Guy Kawasaki is not just another businessman turned author. From his early days in 1980 at Apple Computer to becoming the founder and CEO of Garage Technology Ventures, Kawasaki knows his stuff. I found his book exciting to read and full of real world business examples and solutions. His tone is casual and effective, and though I haven’t applied his guidelines to a specific venture yet, I feel that he does a great job of communicating the necessary components needed for any startup.
From the very beginning, I found a lot of seemingly simple advice (i.e. avoid multiple word business names, don’t write emails in all capital letters, check the references of possible hires), but every chapter of the book was full of useful information. Some of the many unique hints and suggestions include:
- If three close friends tell you to give up, you should listen.
- Ask a woman to help you define your business model.
- Position yourself against the market leader.
- Ship. Then test.
Each chapter is short and focused, beginning with “GIST” (”great ideas for starting things”) and ending with FAQs (Frequently Avoided Questions) at the end. Hidden within the book are mini-chapters, which discuss smaller topics of interest, such as public speaking, PowerPoint, and even t-shirts. The book is purposefully organized in a simple way, with the intent to get the reader on the right track to success.
The Art of the Start should be a required read before starting a business, or anything else for that matter! I believe in Guy’s philosophy of success and strongly recommend it. Buy this book!
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