I found en excerpt from Guy Kawasaki's book "The Art of the Start" in the form of a manifesto on ChangeThis (a great site). It's basically a list of 5 things that entrepreneurs should do when starting a business. Here's my summary:
- Make Meaning: Your idea should add value to the world. Creating something with actual meaning is gonna be an important motivator when things get tough.
- Make Mantra: Forget the mission statement! Create a Mantra instead. A mission statement is a pointless 30 word sentence that no one understands and even fewer remember. A mantra is a 3 or 4 word phrase that you and your employees can't help but repeat in your heads over and over. Check out the manifesto for examples.
- Get Going: Before you lose yourself in your favorite word processor, writing pitches and financial projections, you should create a prototype or start offering your services. It doesn't need to be perfect. The hardest thing about getting started is getting started.
- Define your Business Model: According to Guy Kawasaki, this process consists of answering two questions; "Who has your money in their pockets?" and "How are you going to get it into your pocket?"
- Weave a MAT: This one is hard to describe in a couple of sentences, but I can tell you that MAT stands for Milestones, Assumptions and Tasks. It's basically a simple way of creating an action plan for your business. Again, check out the manifesto.
What I found especially appealing with this advice was the brutal simplicity of it. Business is littered with complexities and BS. It's refreshing to take a step back and look at entrepreneurship using common sense, combined with Kawasaki's years and years of experience.
If you want to check out the manifesto it's right here.