The Art of the Start
Encyclopedia
The Art of the Start is a popular business book written by Guy Kawasaki
. It focuses on entrepreneurship
and key points about starting a business, bootstrapping
, and pitching new ideas to potential investors.
Kawasaki opens by listing the five most important things an entrepreneur must accomplish.
Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, bestselling author, and Apple Fellow. He was one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing the Macintosh in 1984. He is currently a Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures, and has been involved in the rumor reporting...
. It focuses on entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
and key points about starting a business, bootstrapping
Bootstrapping
Bootstrapping or booting refers to a group of metaphors that share a common meaning: a self-sustaining process that proceeds without external help....
, and pitching new ideas to potential investors.
Kawasaki opens by listing the five most important things an entrepreneur must accomplish.
- Make Meaning: How will you make the world a better place?
- Make Mantra. Forget "long, boring, and irrelevant" mission statements.
- Get Going: Build something. "Don't focus on pitching, writing, and planning".
- Define Your Business Model: "You have to figure out a way to make money."
- Weave a MAT (Milestones, Assumptions, and Tasks): Compile a list for each of these to keep you "on track when all hell breaks loose".