The Art of the Start 2.0
The TimeTested, BattleHardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything
by Guy Kawasaki
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More Recommenders
“For a firsttime entrepreneur: Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki is an excellent introduction to many key issues.”
Source →Recommended by 3 notable people, including Ev Williams and Keith Rabois
Check price on AmazonProof-backed recommendation
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Reading Profile
Should I read this?
This is a rapid-fire, opinionated guide that reads like a long TED talk. Kawasaki delivers short, punchy chapters packed with bullet points, aphorisms, and reusable slides. What works best is a comprehensive checklist of things to consider when starting a venture—from crafting a pitch to managing cash flow. However, its breadth means depth is sacrificed; some sections feel like repurposed blog posts, and the tone can grate if you're allergic to relentless positivity and Silicon Valley swagger.
Read this if...
- •A first-time founder with a prototype who is terrified of public speaking and needs a step-by-step pitch script.
- •A corporate employee tasked with launching a new internal initiative who wants a fast, jargon-heavy introduction to lean startup methods.
- •A recent grad starting a side hustle with no business background who needs a friendly, overly simple framework to get moving.
Skip this if...
- •You'll likely put it down when the barrage of unsupported assertions starts to feel more like a motivational speech than a strategy manual.
- •This will annoy you if you prefer deep dives with data, rigorous case studies, or original thinking.
- •Not for you if you're already steeped in startup culture and find terms like 'crush it' or 'evangelist' exhausting.
A new product, a new service, a new company, a new division, a new organization, a new anything?where there?s a will, here?s the way. It begins with a dream that just won?t quit, the onceinalifetime thunderbolt of pure inspiration, the obsession, the worldbeater, the killer app, the next big thing. Everyone who wants to make the world a better ...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:easy
Audience Fit
- A first-time founder with a prototype who is terrified of public speaking and needs a step-by-step pitch script.
- A corporate employee tasked with launching a new internal initiative who wants a fast, jargon-heavy introduction to lean startup methods.
- A recent grad starting a side hustle with no business background who needs a friendly, overly simple framework to get moving.
- You'll likely put it down when the barrage of unsupported assertions starts to feel more like a motivational speech than a strategy manual.
- This will annoy you if you prefer deep dives with data, rigorous case studies, or original thinking.
- Not for you if you're already steeped in startup culture and find terms like 'crush it' or 'evangelist' exhausting.
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 4 sources and appears in Business Planning, Business Plan, and Best Startup Books.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Keith Rabois
Technology executive and investor
“For a firsttime entrepreneur: Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki is an excellent introduction to many key issues.”
View sources (2) ▾80%
Appears In
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“Accidental Presidents offers eight narrative portraits of men who succeeded to the U.S. presidency without election, using anecdote-rich scenes and readable context to show how personality and circumstance interact with office power. It’s strongest as a set of self-contained stories that make succession stakes concrete for non-specialist readers; it does not prioritize dense archival argument or exhaustive methodology, so expect some interpretive generalizations and repeated themes across cases. Use it for fast historical orientation rather than scholarly deep-dives.”
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How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.