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The Art of the Start
The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything
The Art of the Start offers a brief overview of some of the key aspects of starting and running a business. It covers topics such as pitching for funding, recruiting the right people, and building a successful brand.
- Entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs
- Anyone who works for a start-up or small company
Guy Kawasaki is the former chief evangelist of Apple, and current chief evangelist of the online graphic design tool Canva. He is also a venture capitalist with his own company, Garage Technology Ventures.
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The Art of the Start
The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything
- Read in 18 minutes
- Audio & text available
- Contains 11 key ideas
Synopsis
The Art of the Start offers a brief overview of some of the key aspects of starting and running a business. It covers topics such as pitching for funding, recruiting the right people, and building a successful brand.
Key idea 1 of 11
Entrepreneurs should strive to make meaning, not money.
Many people dream of starting their own company, and often their motivation stems from the desire to get rich quick.
But this is the wrong way to go about it: entrepreneurship should be about making meaning, not making money. And you make meaning when you create a service or product that somehow contributes to the world becoming a better place.
And not only does making meaning help the world, it’s also a critical element in your company’s success. It’s far more difficult to be an A-list entrepreneur if you don’t make meaning. Both you and your employees will be far more motivated if money isn’t your primary goal.
So how can you create this meaning?
Formulate a short, powerful mantra that reflects it. A mantra is a simple, frequently repeated statement that reminds the employees why the company exists. For example, Nike’s mantra is “Authentic athletic performance” and Disney’s is “Fun family entertainment.”
You may think that a company’s mission statement already performs the same function, but a mantra is different in that it is shorter, more direct and more memorable.
For example, Coca-Cola’s mission statement is “The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone it touches.” That’s a mouthful. But if we formulate a hypothetical mantra for the same company, we could come up with something like “Refresh the world,” which is much catchier and easier to keep in mind.
Key ideas in this title
- Entrepreneurs should strive to make meaning, not money.
- Don't just wing it when it comes to business: you need to set milestones, test assumptions and define tasks.
- Your company’s positioning should tell the customer what you do in a clear and personal way.
- Pitching should tell the audience what you do and why it’s important.
- Every start-up should prepare a business plan.
- If you can’t get external funding for your company, focus on generating cash flow.
- To build a great team, hire people better than yourself and fire those who don’t perform.
- If you enter into a partnership, make sure it produces a tangible financial benefit.
- To build a brand, make your product so great it spreads like a virus.
- Keep your eyes open for unexpected opportunities.
- Final Summary