Ever since I started reading Guy Kawasaki’s books, he has become one of my top most referred source for Entrepreneurship and business start-ups guidance. His latest book, Reality Check has again made an impact like his previous book in shedding light to aspiring Entrepreneurs.
With over 400 pages of practical business information packed in this book, I believe this is the most complete book that Guy has written so far.
This huge book consists of the following sections:
- The reality of selling
- The reality of raising money
- The reality of planning and executing
- The reality of innovating
- The reality of marketing
- The reality of selling and evangelizing
- The reality of communicating
- The reality of beguiling
- The reality of competing
- The reality of hiring and firing
- The reality of working
- The reality of doing good
Out of the 12 sections, I would love to talk about 3 sections that I have benefited most.
Section 1 (The reality of starting), chapter 5 talk about Mantras. Guy has been focusing on this whenever he goes around sharing his experience. The key thing here is to create a meaning. It is essential for us to create a mantra for our business. Some mantras are like:
- Federal Express – “Peace of mind”
- Mary Kay – “Enriching women’s lives”
I believe most business owners do not have such mantras or mission statements but I do agree with Guy that this is one of the most important thing even before a business is born. The following is a video from Guy on making meaning.
10/20/30 Rule of Pitching
Guy has a relatively easy to understand structure to follow when it comes to pitching. The method is known as 10/20/30 Rule. Here it goes:
- 10 Slides – You should not use more than 10 slides.
- 20 Minutes – Limit your pitch to no more than 20 minutes.
- 30 Point Font – Simple and easy to read.
There is an interesting alternative to 30 point font. Find out the age of the oldest person in your audience and divide it by two. That’s the optimal font size. Interesting =)
Zen of Presentation
As an Entrepreneur, I think two very important skills are selling and communicating. Fortunately, you will be able to find very useful information in this book. Chapter 45 to 49 highlight the essentials on presentations. From how to get a standing ovation to becoming as good as Steve Jobs, these chapters gave me a lot of insights for preparing presentations.
There is a lot to cover but I think the best way is to read the book yourself =) Seriously, I think this is one of the few books that everyone who is starting out something should own. I have embedded a video of Guy Kawasaki talking about this book below. Enjoy!
