BOOK BRIEF 01 | Art of the Start 2.0

Hey all. Today’s briefing will cover Guy Kawasaki’s book: ART OF THE START 2.0: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything

As with any Book Brief, the purpose is to provide as much potentially useful information as you may need to decide if reading the book under consideration will be a good use of your time. But to be useful, they have to be books and information you're interested in. So, if there are books you'd like me to read or questions you'd like answered, let me know.

ISBN-13: 9781591847847

Year: 2015

Version: Paperback (purchased new on Amazon for $13.68 in 06/2019)

Pages: 316 (including Afterword and After Afterword)

Dimensions: 7.75 x 5 x 0.75 (inches)

Other versions: hardcover, audiobook, Kindle, used, and mp3 cd, mp3 audio (Amazon); hardcover, Nook (Barnes & Noble)

Why did you buy it? I was looking for a guide to help me make a new start, and the subtitle caught my attention: “the… guide for anyone starting anything.”

In 2019, I knew I was preparing for a big transition. I was going to leave my position and start a new career, probably in a new city, and possibly in a different state. I was also thinking about the eventual startup of a consulting business and how to approach it.

Would you buy it again? Maybe.

Will you keep it as a resource? Yes.

Who is it for? Up front, entrepreneurs. Especially those in tech and product development. With that said, if you are starting a for-profit or nonprofit business, organization, program, project, or event, this could be the book for you.

If you look at an author, you'll have an idea of who their audience is.

Guy Kawasaki is the guy who gets excited about entrepreneurs and the new technology and digital platforms and ideas they bring to the market. So, even if you're not starting a new tech company, if you think of your services as a cutting edge idea or new product and you think like an entrepreneur, this book could be for you.

He’s a venture capitalist, so he’s the guy who invests in startups that are going to grow big and juicy and make a lot of money. He’s a “technology evangelist” (a term he popularized), so he’s the guy who gets everyone else on board and amped up about the startup—like a Christian evangelist spreading the gospel. If you're looking to hook investors and market the heck out of your product (or business, organization, program, project, event) this book may be for you.

Even if you don't think like an entrepreneur, you're not looking for investors, and don't expect to do much marketing, you may still find it useful.

How does it read? Easy.

Did you find it useful? Yes. I'm not a notes-in-the-margin person, but I mark up paragraphs, bookmark with page tabs, and make notes on a separate paper. In this book, there were a few mark ups, and I was inspired to make several notes about product development, marketing, networking, and generated a few new product ideas.

How long did it take you? 3 hours (9 sittings of 20min each, over 3 days)

Did you skip anything? Yes. There were 2 to 3 chapters which, after I started them, didn't seem necessary or applicable to me. So, I skipped the rest of those chapters. That doesn't mean they won't be applicable to you.

Anything else I might want to know? Kawasaki stated that the e-book is valuable, because of the hyperlinks to resources he references. These appear as underlines in the print versions. So, if you like e-books, you get extra content.

Art of the Start 2.0 is designed to be very interactive. Kawasaki has included many elements which are meant to engage the reader as an active participant. The assumption would be that he expects his readers are ambitious and eager to get started.

If you have a background in education, behavior, or cognitive science, you might also recognize that he is keyed into "entrepreneurial thinking." He seems to understand that people who think like entrepreneurs will respond positively to the engagement he's including. And, that people who want to think like entrepreneurs need to practice.

This concludes my Book Brief. If there are books you'd like me to read or questions you'd like answered, let me know.

Thank you for reading. Have a great day, and come back soon.

Shannon