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mborer23's review against another edition
3.0
A lively and informative read that is just a little dated now. Still worth it, though, for Kawasaki's solid business sense and wry humor.
haje's review against another edition
5.0
Great, short book with a lot of common sense and enthusiasm. Loved it.
dane_rodriguez's review against another edition
4.0
Personal Notes, Not Review
Microscope and Telescope analogies- Focus on the stars but also handle the small problems, or conversely, handle the small details while still keeping your sights on the goal (stars)
Make MEANING not MONEY- the money will follow if you create something valuable
Entrepreneur isn't a job title, it is a state of mind of wanting to change the world
Have a short mantra to sum up the direction of your project Ex:"Recycle Innovation"
Getting started is the most important and hardest part- create your product/service/idea and then worry about business plans and other things
Think BIG
Polarize People- get them thinking about you and choosing a side of the fence
Keep things simple
MAT- Milestones, Assumptions (market size, value), and Tasks- break them down and prioritize them, Be specific
Define your venture. Position by defining what you want to do for your customer
Find a niche and be self explanatory
Provide a unique product/service, and create value for customers with it
Have a good "verb potential" name, make it logical
Don't use common words, make it personal
Make it a given throughout your venture that everyone "gets it"
Pitch simply- what you do, how you do it, what makes you special
Ten slides- Title, Problem, Solution, Business Model, Underlying Magic, Marketing and Sales, Competition, Team, Current Status, etc.
Understand your venture enough to deliver simply
Be Accountable and on top of everything, everything about your venture is your business
Forecast Bottom-up
Make the cash flow first, profit second
Start as a service
EXECUTE- Ideas without execution are worthless
Suck Down- make friends with everyone even if you aren't sure they can help you
Network by being kind, and persistent, always follow through by making contact, make yourself reachable
Evangelize- find your supporters and early customers, foster a community and get feedback, improve off feedback and reward effective help
Speak openly, say interesting things or don't talk at all
Make value, pay back society, mensch everyone, retire rich
Microscope and Telescope analogies- Focus on the stars but also handle the small problems, or conversely, handle the small details while still keeping your sights on the goal (stars)
Make MEANING not MONEY- the money will follow if you create something valuable
Entrepreneur isn't a job title, it is a state of mind of wanting to change the world
Have a short mantra to sum up the direction of your project Ex:"Recycle Innovation"
Getting started is the most important and hardest part- create your product/service/idea and then worry about business plans and other things
Think BIG
Polarize People- get them thinking about you and choosing a side of the fence
Keep things simple
MAT- Milestones, Assumptions (market size, value), and Tasks- break them down and prioritize them, Be specific
Define your venture. Position by defining what you want to do for your customer
Find a niche and be self explanatory
Provide a unique product/service, and create value for customers with it
Have a good "verb potential" name, make it logical
Don't use common words, make it personal
Make it a given throughout your venture that everyone "gets it"
Pitch simply- what you do, how you do it, what makes you special
Ten slides- Title, Problem, Solution, Business Model, Underlying Magic, Marketing and Sales, Competition, Team, Current Status, etc.
Understand your venture enough to deliver simply
Be Accountable and on top of everything, everything about your venture is your business
Forecast Bottom-up
Make the cash flow first, profit second
Start as a service
EXECUTE- Ideas without execution are worthless
Suck Down- make friends with everyone even if you aren't sure they can help you
Network by being kind, and persistent, always follow through by making contact, make yourself reachable
Evangelize- find your supporters and early customers, foster a community and get feedback, improve off feedback and reward effective help
Speak openly, say interesting things or don't talk at all
Make value, pay back society, mensch everyone, retire rich
jrobles76's review against another edition
5.0
There's a reason this book is recommended reading for anyone thinking of starting a business! It has great ideas that even an existing company could use to help make their business better.
The book is primarily focused on tech start-ups, which makes sense, but even if you're planning on starting a brick and mortar store you can adapt the ideas to fit your business.
Definitely read whether you're planning on selling cupcakes or software.
The book is primarily focused on tech start-ups, which makes sense, but even if you're planning on starting a brick and mortar store you can adapt the ideas to fit your business.
Definitely read whether you're planning on selling cupcakes or software.
jdintr's review against another edition
I read this book after I had read Kawasaki's newest one, Reality Check. One can never get enough of Kawasaki's brusque, authoritative style, and he lays things out for start-ups concisely. However, I found the books to cover much of the same ground. AotS is basically the first half of RC.
jolibon4e's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
3.5
kinda funny but too generalising for me, still a lot of useful practical advice