Book Review: The Art of The Start, Guy Kawasaki

The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything

This is a wonderful book on starting things, not just companies, but also non-profits and new ventures within existing organizations. I wish I had this book 10 years ago!

I’ve been in three startups, intimately involved in two others, advised quite a few more, and read plenty of additional business plans. Guy has lots of words of wisdom, as well as some rather unorthodox thoughts. I often smiled while reading and thought, yup we got that wrong.

From the very beginning there is (perhaps seemingly simple yet) profound advice.

“The hardest thing about starting is getting started” – I’ve had friends who have planned and schemed for years but never actually started.

“You should always be selling – not strategizing about selling.” Yes, seen that done a lot.

Some of his unorthodox advice: On business models, “ask women – and only women. My theory is that deep in the DNA of men is a killer gene.” He believes men are likely to have a business model which is “kill competitor XYZ” and women are not. I’ve certainly known companies whose business model was kill company XYZ, for example Sun Microsystem’s desire to kill Microsoft. I find this advice bizarre, although thought provoking.

The entire book – every chapter – is useful. I’ve underlined many passages and written copious notes in the back. I’ve not only read the book, but also gone back and reread many parts as well as skimming it in its entirety.

In case anyone is wondering, yes I have a current startup, The Arial Group. I’m still consulting as usual as they don’t need my daily input anymore. They do like calling me occasionally in the wee hours of the morning (they are based in Asia-Pacific).

And the startup with the most problems, both in my opinion and certainly in Guy Kawasaki’s? Drum Roll please . . . The Cerint Technology Group. I don’t wanna talk about it!