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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Art of the Start summary
Guy Kawasaki
The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything
20 mins
Table of Contents
The Art of the Start
Summary of 11 key ideas
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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.
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What is The Art of the Start about?
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.
Best quote from The Art of the Start
Positioning should be about what you do for your customers – not about what you want to become.
—Guy Kawasaki
Who should read The Art of the Start?
- Entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs
- Anyone who works for a start-up or small company
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