Guy Kawasaki:The Art of the Start

1: If you want to be successful you have to make meaning. It cannot be all about money. You should want to change the quality of life, right a wrong, or prevent the end of something good.

2: Make a Mantra – – not a mission statement.  Mission statements are useless in the beginning. ex. Nike: just do it

3. Get Going! You have to think different, polarize people, and find a few soul mates

4. Define a Business Model. Be specific, keep it simple, and ask a women about your business model.

5. Weave a MAT (milestones, assumptions, task). Milestones include finishing a task, assumptions are testing hypothetical numbers, task rent an office.

6. Niche thyself. Use the marketing slide (graph)

7. Follow the 10/20/30 rule. 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 point font.

8. Hire infected people. People have to have a passion for the product. Do not just look at education and work experience.

9. Flatten the learning curve. Do not ask people to do something that you wouldnt do. Embrace your evangelists.

10. Seed the Clouds. Let 100 flowers blossom. Enable test drives. Find the influencers.

11: Do not let the bozos grind you down.

Kawaski is a humorous, down to earth, passionate speaker and person. Thats what makes him a good entrepreneur.

Chapter 15

The final chapter of the book is about getting your idea out there. Prototyping and brainstorming can only take you so far and then you have to converge your ideas and make people want to buy your product.  Some innovators spend an entire month on one idea and it may be subject to failure, and some innovators come up with contengency plans which seem to be more successful.  Innovation is not about perfection. Do not be afraid to take risk. Keep in mind the tips given.*

Chapter 14

This chapter was about looking into the future in terms of products.  Some ways to get inspiration for new products is by going to a toy store and checking out the ways they incorporate new things. By making products more user friendly and applicable for the future, it can make your product a big hit.  Always stay a step ahead and do not be afraid to explore the possibilities.  Observe and listen to veterans, do not let barriers interfere, and read about the past (sci-fi) to see what crazy ideas of the past became a reality today.  Nothing is too wild to think of because with today’s technology things way outside the box can be achieved.  The people at IDEO have even thought of products that may be useful in 2010 they have incorporated a palm pilot with an e-wallet.

Education Video Reflection

The video we saw in class discussed the importance of creativity in education.  The speaker said that creativity is as important as literature.  Kids are willing to take chances and they are not scared of being wrong.  Mistakes make people scared of taking chances.  Adults seem to grow out of being creative – – they are educated out of it.  Educators place the utmost importance on math and language, followed by humanities, and they place art last.  Futhermore, they place the least amount of energy on theatre and dance.  Educators make their students into prospective university professors.  Intelligence can be diverse, dynamic, and distinct.  We need to rethink the way we are educated and use our imagination wisely. 

Chapter 13

This chapter is about refining products. Ideo calls this the wet nap interface because the wet nap is such a simple product yet its success is unprecedented. Simplicity is key with product design. Customers also enjoy the hands on approach when they buy a product.  Some of the tips the IDEO brings to the table include: making people feel welcome to use their product, linking their products to familiar products, using color for attractiveness, and cutting to the chase about the quality of products. 

Chapter 12

This chapter was about thinking outside the box or “coloring outside the lines.” Risk taking is essential for all entrepreneurs (as we’ve seen in the movies in class).  At IDEO, they go by the motto “fail often to succeed sooner.” They learn from their mistakes and have failed many times but do not allow that to effect their determination.  Breaking rules is another vital component of coming up with successful products.  Linus Torvalds was an innovator for Linux who introduced open sourcing and was very successful.  Many companies gain an edge by thinking outside of the box such as Target and Rubbermaid.

Chapter 11

This chapter is about getting your product out there in a timely fashion. Speed counts.  The faster you can come up with revisions of products the more likely you are to succeed.  Competition is a good driving force. The workers at IDEO were involved with a soap box derby and came away with some really good ideas.

Chapter 10 Summary

This chapter explains that the most successful innovators break their processes into steps.  Everything does not have to be complex. Innovators make their customer’s experience entertaining and memorable. They establish common ground with their consumers via food or a personal story.  By allowing products to be user friendly and fixing little things, it can make a world of difference.  Having fun can lead to designing a new hit product.

Barrier Jumping (Chapter 9)

This chapter is about overcoming obstacles that stand in the way of you achieving your goal. Giving up would not be a good idea because failing is a part of the learning process.  Kelley cautions about going international with a product too quickly because the difference in cultures could influence if people want to but your product. The FUD factor (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) can totally take away from the ideation process and is a taboo at IDEO. When ideating, if you experience “writers block” just allow the thoughts to flow and do not be discouraged about “stupid” ideas. Do not allow for an idea to pass you by because it seems to hard by breaking it down into smaller parts it may be more manageable than you think. Some every day habits may reward you in the long run by providing insight to improvement mechanisms.  One of the most important points made by Kelley was the fact the a good idea takes energy and time and the key is to be patient.

Expect the Unexpected (Chapter 8)

This chapter is about planning for things that may not work out.  Ideas come from all over the place and when you are least expecting it the idea may “pop out ” for you (just as Webb suggests.  IDEO has come up with numerous ideas that they thought would be an instant hit but have been a complete bust in the eyes of the consumers.  Kelley goes on to give tips for getting ideas which include: subscribing to magazines, breaking the world down into scenes, hiring outsiders, and allowing your employees to work on multiple projects in order to better generate ideas.