The Art of Start ( Book Review)

The Art of Start
by Guy Kawasaki
A good book for new start ups. The author, Guy Kawasaki was the chief proponent and success catcher for Apple's Macintosh computer. He is founder and CEO of Garage Technology Ventures, a top successful company in Silicon valley. Based on his experience and idea implementation trials, he evolved many Do's and Don'ts for new start up companies and explained them in very simple and straight language, without jargon of management terminology.

He gives tips right from how the name of company be decided, how to develop a brand. He asserts that both microscopic and telescopic analysis of business scenario is needed to achieve success. The key to success is to survive the microscope tasks while bringing the future closer. But he is against too much study of management methods and advocates learning by doing rather than doing after learning.

Motivating the young entrepreneurs, he gives 5 great ideas, which help in building a successful business.

1. MAKE MEANING .
Your first task is to decide how you can make meaning. Meaning or reason of starting business is not getting money, power, or prestige. It is the desire to make the world a better place by improving efficiency, econmy, quality and comfort.It is also about correcting wrong system and protecting and preventing loss of good system.

2. MAKE MANTRA.
Do not write down mission statements. Instead, take your meaning and make a mantra
or magic motivator word phrase out of it. Mission statements do not evoke power and emotion that Mantra can achieve. Your Mantra will set your entire team on the right course.He gives example of the world’s shortest mantra as the single Hindi word Om.
He mentions five examples good mantra:
• Authentic athletic performance (Nike).
• Fun family entertainment (Disney).
• Rewarding everyday moments (Starbucks).
• Think (IBM).
• Winning is everything (Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers).

3. GET GOING.
Instead of spending time in planning and documentation, think more about tools you use to build products and services.. Start creating and delivering your product or service.

4. DEFINE YOUR BUSINESS MODEL.
No matter what kind of organization you’re starting, you have to figure out a way to make money. The greatest idea, technology, product, or service is short-lived without a sustainable business model.

5. WEAVE A MAT (Milestones, Assumptions, and Tasks).
Finally, decide the milestones in progress of project, jot down the basic assumptions that are built into your business model and list the tasks you need to accomplish to create an organization.

I feel that the steps as suggested by Guy Kawasaki, provide simple guidelines for entrepreneurs confused by complex management theories being advocated by experts and conditions to be evaluated at the start of business.