The Art of the Start
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Kawasaki (Rules for Revolutionaries) draws upon his dual background as an evangelist for Apple's Macintosh computer and as a Silicon Valley venture capitalist in this how-to for launching any type of business project. Each chapter begins with "GIST" ("great ideas for starting things"), covering a variety of facets to consider, from identifying your customer base and writing a business plan to establishing partnerships and building brand identity. Minichapters zero in on particular jobs that will need doing, while FAQ sections address the questions readers are most likely to have: Kawasaki covers the basics in an effectively casual tone. Much of the advice, however, consists of generic banalities—start your company's name with a letter that comes early in the alphabet, use big type in presentation slides for older businessmen with declining eyesight, and avoid writing e-mails in all capital letters—that can be found in any mediocre guide. Fortunately, Kawasaki does rise to the occasion here and there. He goes into great detail when it comes to raising capital and offers effective methods for sorting through the nonsense associated with interviewing prospective employees.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Guy Kawasaki, who helped make Macintosh a household name, now runs Garage Technology Ventures, a venture-capital firm. He has held his workshop, “Boot Camp for Start-ups,” around the world. Kawasaki is the author of seven previous books, including Rules for Revolutionaries.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Guy Kawasaki is the author of Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions He is also the co-founder of Alltop.com, an "online magazine rack" of popular topics on the web, and a founding partner at Garage Technology Ventures. Previously, he was the chief evangelist of Apple. Kawasaki is the author of nine other books including Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
247 of 254 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The book makes a big promise with its sub-title, "The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything." I wondered if such a book could live up to it. "Starting anything" refers to a business, not a career, school, or hobby.
Obviously, it's impossible to create a comprehensive book of business best practices because every business has its own variables. What works great for one may kill another. However, the book doesn't take that approach. Rather, it tells how it is starting a business and the rough road of dealing with VCs (venture capitalists). If you expect a positive spin on stuff that's hard to do. Read a fairy tale instead.
Rather than abrasiveness and a "do this, don't do this" attitude, Kawasaki uses humor to explain the process. Anyone who has a small business including those around for a few years will benefit. When ready to take action, use this book as the manual that doesn't come with starting a business. Thinking about it isn't going to make a business successful.
Every chapter begins with the GIST of it, an overview of what's to come. Each ends with FAQ, frequently AVOIDED questions, to review the chapter's content and drill it in deeper for better understanding and implementation.
Get simple, but important hints on everyday business practices such as how to give a strong presentation. How many times have you sat through a presentation where each slide has over 20 words in size 12 point and the presenter practically reads the words adding little to what is on the slide? Kawasaki smartly covers the 10-20-30 rule. 10 slides, 20 minutes, and size 30 font. Making changes to the small practices can lead to reaching the next milestone.
This book can be likened to a quick reference guide for starting a business and useful strategies: has just what is needed without heavy-duty or dry language. It is, however, larger than most quick guides, but a fast and easy read into the world of startups and dealing with VCs. If a VC isn't involved, the book provides valuable tools and ideas to help with any business. However, technology start ups seeking VCs will benefit most.
Stuck on a business plan? Learn what is needed and not needed. Don't waste valuable time and use the book to do what's necessary without going overboard.
If long hours and challenges aren't in the plans, then read a romanticized business book instead. The Art of the Start shows how it really is and it's hard, but it can be a little easier with this book as a guide.
Get a taste of the book by reading its manifesto (http://www.changethis.com/1.ArtOfTheStart), a free PDF download. The 34 page document should give you a clear idea of whether or not the book is for you as it includes the same components found in the book. As a bonus, the manifesto includes Great Ideas for Starting Things, covered in the first chapter. If the material and the table of contents sound enticing, get it.
Obviously, it's impossible to create a comprehensive book of business best practices because every business has its own variables. What works great for one may kill another. However, the book doesn't take that approach. Rather, it tells how it is starting a business and the rough road of dealing with VCs (venture capitalists). If you expect a positive spin on stuff that's hard to do. Read a fairy tale instead.
Rather than abrasiveness and a "do this, don't do this" attitude, Kawasaki uses humor to explain the process. Anyone who has a small business including those around for a few years will benefit. When ready to take action, use this book as the manual that doesn't come with starting a business. Thinking about it isn't going to make a business successful.
Every chapter begins with the GIST of it, an overview of what's to come. Each ends with FAQ, frequently AVOIDED questions, to review the chapter's content and drill it in deeper for better understanding and implementation.
Get simple, but important hints on everyday business practices such as how to give a strong presentation. How many times have you sat through a presentation where each slide has over 20 words in size 12 point and the presenter practically reads the words adding little to what is on the slide? Kawasaki smartly covers the 10-20-30 rule. 10 slides, 20 minutes, and size 30 font. Making changes to the small practices can lead to reaching the next milestone.
This book can be likened to a quick reference guide for starting a business and useful strategies: has just what is needed without heavy-duty or dry language. It is, however, larger than most quick guides, but a fast and easy read into the world of startups and dealing with VCs. If a VC isn't involved, the book provides valuable tools and ideas to help with any business. However, technology start ups seeking VCs will benefit most.
Stuck on a business plan? Learn what is needed and not needed. Don't waste valuable time and use the book to do what's necessary without going overboard.
If long hours and challenges aren't in the plans, then read a romanticized business book instead. The Art of the Start shows how it really is and it's hard, but it can be a little easier with this book as a guide.
Get a taste of the book by reading its manifesto (http://www.changethis.com/1.ArtOfTheStart), a free PDF download. The 34 page document should give you a clear idea of whether or not the book is for you as it includes the same components found in the book. As a bonus, the manifesto includes Great Ideas for Starting Things, covered in the first chapter. If the material and the table of contents sound enticing, get it.
219 of 242 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Wow, I am going against the grain here. I picked this book up with a lot of hope. I only met disappointment. The books premise says a lot, leading you to believe that this is a know-how of starting companies and organizations - any types. And in a sense this is somewhat true. But this book is not geared for smaller companies. In fact the book is structured and designed only for those seeking venture capitalists and/or those who are already in the corporate world and want to start their own company. Basically, for those companies geared more towards technology.
Because of this I was very disappointed. Additionally, the tables were almost all useless and the exercises were a big waste of time. Exercises such as "Look up the background of these entrepreneurs" or "Go to eBay and look up this item" or "Fill in the blank... (where you fill in your mantra)". Even the quotes, although some were interesting, were a waste of space as the book is literally layered with them all over the place.
Again, I am really going against the grain. If you are looking for venture capital or are currently in the corporate world, this book is for you. Otherwise there is very little to learn from this book.
2.5 stars.
Because of this I was very disappointed. Additionally, the tables were almost all useless and the exercises were a big waste of time. Exercises such as "Look up the background of these entrepreneurs" or "Go to eBay and look up this item" or "Fill in the blank... (where you fill in your mantra)". Even the quotes, although some were interesting, were a waste of space as the book is literally layered with them all over the place.
Again, I am really going against the grain. If you are looking for venture capital or are currently in the corporate world, this book is for you. Otherwise there is very little to learn from this book.
2.5 stars.
53 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a truly great book. I didn't expect to get so much from it; I'm battle-hardened myself and thought I knew a lot about starting companies and thinking about product development and marketing. I'm an author myself, of two technical books (you can search for me in Amazon's author index) so I understand the process and am have pretty high standards in reading and judging books.
I've read the first 20 pages of a lot of supposedly similar books and given up on them. Time, after all, is one of the most valuable assets to an entrepreneur, and I won't have mine wasted. But with The Art of the Start I was learning and thinking on every page, and genuinely got excited about my own business by reading this book; it doesn't get much better than that.
Guy Kawasaki has a gift for getting right to the heart of an issue, in a no-nonsense way, which of course every entrpreneur needs; I'm often thinking: make your point already!
And right when you're about to call into question one of the points the author is making (and he does make some bold points that you're tempted to question) he follows it immediately with "for example..." and the examples are so compelling and clear, you immediately accede his point, change your own thinking slightly, and keep reading.
I wrote Guy Kawasaki a long email while I was on an airplane and had been reading this book, to tell him that I loved it. I normally would never do such a thing, but he points out in the book that you should always include your email address and not hide from customers, and you should answer your email, so it occurred to me that it might be okay to write to him. So I did, and he wrote back to thank me.
I've read a lot of "how-to" books on a lot of topics, from woodworking to business development, and this is one of the best ever written. I'm not sure if my review will compell you to check it out, but I thought it's worth a try. I am not one who normally recommends things, so my recommendation carries extra weight.
Get it. Read it.
I've read the first 20 pages of a lot of supposedly similar books and given up on them. Time, after all, is one of the most valuable assets to an entrepreneur, and I won't have mine wasted. But with The Art of the Start I was learning and thinking on every page, and genuinely got excited about my own business by reading this book; it doesn't get much better than that.
Guy Kawasaki has a gift for getting right to the heart of an issue, in a no-nonsense way, which of course every entrpreneur needs; I'm often thinking: make your point already!
And right when you're about to call into question one of the points the author is making (and he does make some bold points that you're tempted to question) he follows it immediately with "for example..." and the examples are so compelling and clear, you immediately accede his point, change your own thinking slightly, and keep reading.
I wrote Guy Kawasaki a long email while I was on an airplane and had been reading this book, to tell him that I loved it. I normally would never do such a thing, but he points out in the book that you should always include your email address and not hide from customers, and you should answer your email, so it occurred to me that it might be okay to write to him. So I did, and he wrote back to thank me.
I've read a lot of "how-to" books on a lot of topics, from woodworking to business development, and this is one of the best ever written. I'm not sure if my review will compell you to check it out, but I thought it's worth a try. I am not one who normally recommends things, so my recommendation carries extra weight.
Get it. Read it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Must Read for any startup
This book is a must read for any start-up, it gives a clear understanding of how the investors operate and what they are looking for in a start-up.
Published 1 month ago by M. Wilson
A must for new business owners
I thought I knew what to do and I thought I was prepared. I did a lot of research and would have probably done ok. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Cathy
awesome book
Great read. The best book I have found with regards to starting a business. Great information that was actually usefully.
Published 2 months ago by partner for youth vision
Good stuff
He gives some good tips on how to structure your presentation for getting funding, but most of his other ideas are tackled in depth in other books. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Alex Berman
Lite on real experience, in my opinion.
This book leaps off to a poor start, recommending you immediately make what you are trying to sell, and get out there and sell it. That advice goes against what other books say. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Reay
Limited value, for a limited audience
As others have said, this is not a guide to "starting anything." It's a guide (using that term loosly) to getting VC funding for your "hot" "innovative" "high growth potential"... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mike Mike Mike
Simple, comprehensive, motivating
This one will tell you why it is so much better to actually start something than think about the starting :)
Published 4 months ago by mko
The reason to start is to make meaning
1. The best reason to start and organization is to make meaning-to create a product or service that makes the world a better place.
2. Read more
2. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Golden Lion
Starting a business. For the rest of us.
From beginning to end, Guy Kawasaki breaks down how to start a business and what stops most people from starting one. The moral of the story is to get out of your own way. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bryan Chatman
Useful information - and funny!
This is the first book I have read by Guy Kawasaki and, while I wasn't blown away, I definitely found some value. If nothing else, the book appealed to my brand of humor. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jason Cromes
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
GIST (GREAT IDEAS FOR STARTING THINGS) use a top-ten list format for all my speeches, and I would love to begin this book with a top-ten list of the most important things an entrepreneur must accomplish. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ten slides Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Art of The Start, New York, The Art of Branding, The Art of Raising Capital, The Art of Starting, The Art of Bootstrapping, The Art of Pitching, The Art of Rainmaking, Harvard Business School Press, The Art of Recruiting, Steve Jobs, The Art of Writing, The Art of Partnering, United States, General Motors, The Art of Positioning, Holy Grail, Hidden Villa, Bill Gates, Silicon Valley, The Art of Being, John Scull, Title Organization, Wall Street, Garage Technology Ventures New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
GIST (GREAT IDEAS FOR STARTING THINGS) use a top-ten list format for all my speeches, and I would love to begin this book with a top-ten list of the most important things an entrepreneur must accomplish. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ten slides Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Art of The Start, New York, The Art of Branding, The Art of Raising Capital, The Art of Starting, The Art of Bootstrapping, The Art of Pitching, The Art of Rainmaking, Harvard Business School Press, The Art of Recruiting, Steve Jobs, The Art of Writing, The Art of Partnering, United States, General Motors, The Art of Positioning, Holy Grail, Hidden Villa, Bill Gates, Silicon Valley, The Art of Being, John Scull, Title Organization, Wall Street, Garage Technology Ventures New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 28
books:
See all 28 books this book cites
5
books
cite this book:
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Practice and Principles by Peter Ferdinand Drucker on 4 pages
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter F. Drucker on 4 pages
- How Breakthroughs Happen: The Surprising Truth About How Companies Innovate by Andrew Hargadon on page 23, page 25, and page 105
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn on page 26, and page 199
- The Book of Business Anecdotes by Peter Hay on page 32, and page 80
See all 28 books this book cites
- From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with books, E-Books and Information Products by Stephanie Chandler in Back Matter
- Work the Pond! Use the Power of Positive Networking to Leap Forward in Work and Life by Darcy Rezac in Back Matter
- How to Build a Successful Consulting Practice by Jack Phillips on page 71
- Daughter of the Yellow River: The Inspirational Journey of a Successful Global Entrepreneur by Diana Lu in Back Matter
- Climbing the Corporate Ladder in High Heels by Kathleen Archambeau in Back Matter
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
|
|
