Computer guru and entrepreneurship evangelist Guy Kawasaki has some thoughts on how to start things (companies, mostly, but other stuff too). His 2004 book, The Art of the Start, was recently recommended to me as relevant to arts organizations (the first chapter is available for free download from his web site).
It’s the kind of book you can browse and digest while standing in the bookstore, so I wouldn’t recommend an actual purchase. But the first chapter has some thoughtful nuggets that are, indeed, relevant to the arts. Kawasaki’s five key points for entrepreneurs, for example, might as well be rules for the cultural manager:
- MAKE MEANING. The best reason to start an organization is to make meaning — to create a product or service that makes the world a better place. So your first task is to decide how you can make meaning.
- MAKE MANTRA. Forget mission statements; they’re long, boring, and irrelevant. No one can ever remember them — much less implement them. Instead, take your meaning and make a mantra out of it. This will set your entire team on the right course.
- GET GOING. Start creating and delivering your product or service. Think soldering irons, compilers, hammers, saws, and AutoCAD — whatever tools you use to build products and services. Don’t focus on pitching, writing, and planning.
- DEFINE YOUR BUSINESS MODEL. No matter what kind of organization you’re starting, you have to figure out a way to make money. The greatest idea, technology, product, or service is short-lived without a sustainable business model.
- WEAVE A MAT (MILESTONES, ASSUMPTIONS, AND TASKS). The final step is to compile three lists: (a) major milestones you need to meet; (b) assumptions that are built into your business model; and (c) tasks you need to accomplish to create an organization. This will enforce discipline and keep your organization on track when all hell breaks loose — and all hell will break loose.
Kawasaki’s extension of point number two above is also worth a moment. He suggests postponing the mission statement until you actually know what you’re doing, and know that it will endure. In the meantime, he prefers crafting a ”mantra” — a short, sacred, focused word or phrase that captures the essence of what you want to do (he points to Nike’s “authentic athletic performance,” and Starbucks’ “rewarding everyday moments,” among others). Says Kawasaki:
The beauty of a mantra is that everyone expects it to be short and sweet. (Arguably, the world’s shortest mantra is the single Hindi word Om.) You may never have to write your mantra down, publish it in your annual report, or print it on posters. Indeed, if you do have to ”enforce” your mantra in these ways, it’s not the right mantra.
