Guy Kawasaki interview
When our chief founder read Dr. Guy Kawasaki's new book The Art of the Start, he wanted to spread its penetrating philosophies to all readers at Sonshi.com. The book is more than just about how to achieve entrepreneurial success; it is about how to soundly conduct business and live life.
Peruse any chronicle of Apple Computer, Inc. and you will see Guy Kawasaki's name prominently next to Macintosh, one of the company's most successful products. His marketing concept of evangelism not only spread throughout Apple but also to the hypercompetitive high-tech industry as well.
Being a Mac evangelist or a Mac advocate means you proselytize PC users in a very personal way to switch to the Macintosh platform. If you have ever used an Apple computer, you will understand why. Thus, Dr. Kawasaki is also largely responsible for all the stubborn, near-rabid Apple users you see out there!
Guy Kawasaki is currently a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Forbes.com. Dr. Kawasaki is the author of eight books including The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. He has a BA from Stanford University, an MBA from UCLA, and an honorary doctorate from Babson College.
What a distinct honor for us that Guy Kawasaki accepted our interview request and be a part of our continuing strategy discussions.
To learn more about Dr. Kawasaki, go to www.guykawasaki.com.
Sonshi.com: Your impact on the success of Apple Computer's Macintosh cannot be emphasized enough. You later became an Apple Fellow. You also founded software companies like ACIUS and Fog City. What main strategies did you employ throughout your business experiences to drive the competition crazy (referring to the title of one of your books)?
Kawasaki: The main strategy I used was that the best way to drive your competition crazy is to succeed, and the best way to succeed is to do things FOR the customer, not TO the competition. Very few people buy a product in order to help you hurt the competition. To think otherwise is lunacy.
Sonshi.com: We were very impressed by a recent talk you gave through Raindance. You pointed out many concepts that Sun Tzu would point out if he were alive today. Sun Tzu expounded on ideas far beyond simply destroying the enemy, but paradoxically, preserving him. Have you read Sun Tzu's Art of War, and if so, what do you think of his philosophy?
Kawasaki: I've absolutely read The Art of War, several times as a matter of fact. There is similarity in what I said because I stole it from Sun Tzu. I'm not ashamed of this...it takes some expertise to figure out what to steal.
Sonshi.com: Selling a new product in the market is tough, even if it is fantastically better than what is currently available. Your concept of "let one hundred flowers blossom," originally from Mao Tse-tung, is one way to address the situation. Please tell our readers more about this concept and why you think it is important for companies to embrace?
Kawasaki: Ultimately, the customer, not the company, positions a product and decides how to use it. You can have all the plans, offsites, and focus groups, but all of that goes out the window the moment you ship. The key at that point is to not be proud. You think you make a workstation for CIOs, but desktop publishers like it? Don't get stubborn, flow with the go. The key is to be open to unintended success. Some companies just can't take yes for an answer.
Sonshi.com: You have a new book out. It is called The Art of the Start, a guide for "anyone starting anything." Why did you decide to write the book?
Kawasaki: My personal mantra is "empower entrepreneurs." I view this book as a way to spread the word. Also, there's royalty. :-)
Sonshi.com: We agree with Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay -- everyone should thoroughly absorb the last chapter in The Art of the Start called "The Art of Being a Mensch." Would you share with our readers what a mensch is and why would being one make sense for businesspeople?
Kawasaki: Mensch is a Yiddish word for a person who is highly respected, trusted, and admired. There is not greater achievement than to be labeled a mensch. Trying to achieve menschdom makes sense even for business people because, to use another culture's terminology, of karma. When you're a good person, good things happen to you.
You shouldn't be a good person with the expectation of therefore deserving good things, but in its purest form, I believe when you do good, good comes back to you.
Sonshi.com: The speech you gave to Palo Alto High School graduates was humor at its best -- and right on the mark. For example, truths such as #2 Obey the absolutes and #1 Enjoy your family and friends before they are gone are absolute gems. You grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii (hockey's unofficial mecca). How do you view life in general? That is, what gets you up in the morning?
Kawasaki: What gets me up in the morning is either my three-year old daughter crawling into bed or my sons having to go to school. I love my family. They need a certain level of economic resources. They need my time. They need my attention. That's why I do what I do...and don't do what I don't do what I don't do.
Sonshi.com: What is next for Guy Kawasaki?
Kawasaki: I'm fifty one years old. Most of my life is over. I am going to enjoy my family and friends before any of us depart this earth. I'll never start another company. I'll never work long hours again. At this point in my life, I only answer to God, my wife, and my kids. Everything else is secondary--especially the expectations of strangers.
At the end of my life, I want to say that I made the world a better place because I raised good children, loved my wife, and empowered entrepreneurs. If I do these things, then I can rest knowing that I made the world a better place.
[End of interview]
Peruse any chronicle of Apple Computer, Inc. and you will see Guy Kawasaki's name prominently next to Macintosh, one of the company's most successful products. His marketing concept of evangelism not only spread throughout Apple but also to the hypercompetitive high-tech industry as well.
Being a Mac evangelist or a Mac advocate means you proselytize PC users in a very personal way to switch to the Macintosh platform. If you have ever used an Apple computer, you will understand why. Thus, Dr. Kawasaki is also largely responsible for all the stubborn, near-rabid Apple users you see out there!
Guy Kawasaki is currently a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Forbes.com. Dr. Kawasaki is the author of eight books including The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. He has a BA from Stanford University, an MBA from UCLA, and an honorary doctorate from Babson College.
What a distinct honor for us that Guy Kawasaki accepted our interview request and be a part of our continuing strategy discussions.
To learn more about Dr. Kawasaki, go to www.guykawasaki.com.
Sonshi.com: Your impact on the success of Apple Computer's Macintosh cannot be emphasized enough. You later became an Apple Fellow. You also founded software companies like ACIUS and Fog City. What main strategies did you employ throughout your business experiences to drive the competition crazy (referring to the title of one of your books)?
Kawasaki: The main strategy I used was that the best way to drive your competition crazy is to succeed, and the best way to succeed is to do things FOR the customer, not TO the competition. Very few people buy a product in order to help you hurt the competition. To think otherwise is lunacy.
Sonshi.com: We were very impressed by a recent talk you gave through Raindance. You pointed out many concepts that Sun Tzu would point out if he were alive today. Sun Tzu expounded on ideas far beyond simply destroying the enemy, but paradoxically, preserving him. Have you read Sun Tzu's Art of War, and if so, what do you think of his philosophy?
Kawasaki: I've absolutely read The Art of War, several times as a matter of fact. There is similarity in what I said because I stole it from Sun Tzu. I'm not ashamed of this...it takes some expertise to figure out what to steal.
Sonshi.com: Selling a new product in the market is tough, even if it is fantastically better than what is currently available. Your concept of "let one hundred flowers blossom," originally from Mao Tse-tung, is one way to address the situation. Please tell our readers more about this concept and why you think it is important for companies to embrace?
Kawasaki: Ultimately, the customer, not the company, positions a product and decides how to use it. You can have all the plans, offsites, and focus groups, but all of that goes out the window the moment you ship. The key at that point is to not be proud. You think you make a workstation for CIOs, but desktop publishers like it? Don't get stubborn, flow with the go. The key is to be open to unintended success. Some companies just can't take yes for an answer.
Sonshi.com: You have a new book out. It is called The Art of the Start, a guide for "anyone starting anything." Why did you decide to write the book?
Kawasaki: My personal mantra is "empower entrepreneurs." I view this book as a way to spread the word. Also, there's royalty. :-)
Sonshi.com: We agree with Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay -- everyone should thoroughly absorb the last chapter in The Art of the Start called "The Art of Being a Mensch." Would you share with our readers what a mensch is and why would being one make sense for businesspeople?
Kawasaki: Mensch is a Yiddish word for a person who is highly respected, trusted, and admired. There is not greater achievement than to be labeled a mensch. Trying to achieve menschdom makes sense even for business people because, to use another culture's terminology, of karma. When you're a good person, good things happen to you.
You shouldn't be a good person with the expectation of therefore deserving good things, but in its purest form, I believe when you do good, good comes back to you.
Sonshi.com: The speech you gave to Palo Alto High School graduates was humor at its best -- and right on the mark. For example, truths such as #2 Obey the absolutes and #1 Enjoy your family and friends before they are gone are absolute gems. You grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii (hockey's unofficial mecca). How do you view life in general? That is, what gets you up in the morning?
Kawasaki: What gets me up in the morning is either my three-year old daughter crawling into bed or my sons having to go to school. I love my family. They need a certain level of economic resources. They need my time. They need my attention. That's why I do what I do...and don't do what I don't do what I don't do.
Sonshi.com: What is next for Guy Kawasaki?
Kawasaki: I'm fifty one years old. Most of my life is over. I am going to enjoy my family and friends before any of us depart this earth. I'll never start another company. I'll never work long hours again. At this point in my life, I only answer to God, my wife, and my kids. Everything else is secondary--especially the expectations of strangers.
At the end of my life, I want to say that I made the world a better place because I raised good children, loved my wife, and empowered entrepreneurs. If I do these things, then I can rest knowing that I made the world a better place.
[End of interview]