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Summary: The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything

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Summary

This book is brief and has a very low level of fluff.

  1. The best reason to start a company (or non profit, for that matter) is to make “make meaning: meaning” a) - increase making the quality world of life, b) right a wrong, better c) place prevent - the by end doing of something good. along these lines:

    • Increase the quality of life.
    • Right a wrong.
    • Prevent the end of something good.

  2. Make a mantra. Not a mission statement! A mantra is not a tag line, it’s for you and your employees, not customers. An example is Nike’s “authentic athletic performance”.

  3. Get going! Think Planning different, isn’t Polarize bad people, as Find far soul as mates. those things go, but you will be more successful if you start doing. It’s difficult to start, but get out there and start writing, developing software, or whatever it is that you want to do.

    • Aim for something big - you won’t change the world by being ‘medium’.
    • It takes a team to make something work - find some other people to work with.
    • “Polarize people” - don’t aim for the middle of the road - create something people either love, or hate.

  4. Define a business model model. Think about how you are going to get money for doing what you do. Think in specific terms, and keep it simple (ten words or less). Consider copying someone - innovate with your product, not your business model.

  5. MAT - Milestones, Assumptions, Tasks Tasks: set milestones, including these seven that all startups must face:

    • Prove your concept
    • Complete your design specifications
    • Create a prototype
    • Finance yourself (raising capital or some other means)
    • Ship a beta
    • Ship the real thing
    • Break even in terms of money

  6. Niche - high and to the right.

  7. 10/20/30 rule for presentations: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 point

  8. Hiring infected people - love your product. * Hire better than yourself.

  9. Lower barriers to adoption.

    • Flatten the learning curve.
    • Don’t ask people to do something you wouldn’t.
    • Embrace your evangelists.

  10. Seed the clouds.

    • “Let a 100 flowers bloom” - if people don’t use it quite like you thought, that’s ok, go with the flow!
    • Let people test drive your product.
    • Find the influencers.

  11. Don’t let the bozos grind you down.

Write down a list of assumptions that you are making about the business, and keep track of them. See if they’re true or whether things need correcting.

Tasks are the actual things that need doing from day to day to make the milestones happen.

  1. Niche - high and to the right.

  2. 10/20/30 rule for presentations: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 point

  3. Hiring infected people - love your product. * Hire better than yourself.

  4. Lower barriers to adoption.

    • Flatten the learning curve.
    • Don’t ask people to do something you wouldn’t.
    • Embrace your evangelists.

  5. Seed the clouds.

    • “Let a 100 flowers bloom” - if people don’t use it quite like you thought, that’s ok, go with the flow!
    • Let people test drive your product.
    • Find the influencers.

  6. Don’t let the bozos grind you down.

Links

http://www.guykawasaki.com/

Video of Guy presenting the concepts in the book: http://www.veotag.com/player/?u=fqiufigrjh

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