The Art of the Start 2.0 by Guy Kawasaki is the 2015 revised and expanded version of a book Portfolio first published in 2004. Kawasaki, best known as an early Apple evangelist and later a venture investor, wrote it as a quick guide for anyone starting anything: a company, a non-profit, a school club or a project inside a big organisation.
What is The Art of the Start about?
Kawasaki’s argument is that starting something is mostly about a handful of actions done well and early. Find a reason that matters, get a first version out, tell a clear story, recruit good people and sell. Everything else, from logos to office space, can wait. He warns against founders who spend months perfecting plans and pitch decks while nobody outside the team has seen the product.
The 2.0 edition keeps the original structure and adds chapters for newer realities: social media, crowdfunding and cheap online tools for building and launching. Chapters run from getting started, planning and pitching to bootstrapping, recruiting, raising money, partnering, branding and selling, and they close with a chapter on being a decent person in business. Each chapter is a run of tips with short stories, and many end with answers to common questions.
The book stands out for its range and pace. It covers the whole first stretch of a venture in an easy voice, and you can jump straight to the chapter you need on a given day. His 10/20/30 rule for pitch decks, which founders still repeat to each other, sits at the centre of the pitching chapter.
What are the main lessons for founders?
- Make meaning first. Kawasaki advises founders to start from the change they want to make for customers. A clear purpose helps with hiring, pitching and hard decisions.
- Write a mantra, then a mission. A two- or three-word summary of why you exist is easier to live by than a long mission statement. Test yours by asking team members to say it from memory.
- Follow 10/20/30 when pitching. Ten slides, twenty minutes and a 30-point minimum font keep your story tight and readable. Investors remember a clear story long after the meeting.
- Bootstrap like you mean it. Design the business to make money early, sell directly and keep costs low. A company that funds itself keeps control and stays close to customers.
- Let a hundred flowers bloom. Watch who is buying your product, even if they were not your target, and be ready to change your market to follow them.
Who should read The Art of the Start?
It suits first-time founders who want a broad overview before going deep on any single topic, and people starting non-profits or projects inside larger organisations. Students and career changers find it an easy, encouraging first business book.
You can skip it if you have already started a company and need depth on one area. Readers of Kawasaki’s blog posts and talks will recognise much of the content.
How do you put The Art of the Start to work this week?
- Write your mantra in three words or fewer and test it on five people outside your team.
- Cut your pitch to 10 slides, rehearse it in 20 minutes and check that the smallest text is readable from the back of a room.
- List the three costs you could cut or delay to keep bootstrapping one more month.
For the pitch step, the free Pitch Playbook module in the F/MS Startup School gives you a structure and practice tasks.
Where does The Art of the Start fall short?
The tips are broad and backed mostly by Kawasaki’s own stories, so the book offers little evidence or method for checking whether your idea works. Social media advice ages fast, and the chapter written for 2015 platforms has dated the most. The fundraising chapters reflect Silicon Valley venture capital and say little about grants, revenue-based options or the hurdles women and minority founders face with investors. For deeper funding detail, read Venture Deals, and for testing the idea itself, The Lean Startup.