Entrepreneurial Thought

Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Lecture by Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is a founder and Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures. Prior to this position, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. and sits on the board of BitPass Inc. A noted speaker and the founder of various personal computer companies, Guy was one of the individuals responsible for the success of the Macintosh computer. He is also the author of eight books including Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. Guy holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a M.B.A. from UCLA, as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

Garage Technology Ventures Introduction
Guy Kawasaki, Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures, provides a description of Garage Technology Ventures and their services. These include: mergers & acquisitions, investment banking, and venture capitalism. He also describes what Garage Technology Ventures looks for in startups.


The Importance of a Good Presentation
Kawasaki talks about how he uses a top 10 format for Powerpoint presentations and thinks that most presentations are terrible. For example, he says either the presentations are too long, Powerpoint is used poorly, or the font is too small to read.


Entrepreneurs: Then and Now
Kawasaki provides advice about foundation, priorities, financing, key employees, getting the word out, leveraging resources, scope, business development, raison d'etre, and the big picture. For example, a few years ago, cleverness was the priority, he says. Today, expertise in technology is important and entrepreneurs should be thinking of making the world a better place, he adds.


Passion vs. Money
Whatever you build, says Kawasaki, it's about passion, and less about money. Your goals should be about changing the world, or making the world a better place, he says. He also talks about his experience growing up thinking that money was the most important thing in life. He advises students to study abroad and to spend as much time learning as possible.


Silicon Valley 4.0
What does Silicon Valley 4.0 look like? Kawasaki does not consider himself a visionary, but he does see changes in the future. For example, he believes everything will be wireless and have an IP address.


10 Ways Silicon Valley 4.0 Will Not Happen
In Kawasaki's opinion, he discusses the 10 reasons why Silicon Valley 4.0 will never happen.


Listen to Customers
Listen to your customers and your noncustomers, emphasizes Kawasaki. People who are not your customers are going to buy your product and use it in ways that you would not expect, he says. It is a good thing to see people using your product in a way you didn't intend means that your product means something to them, he adds.


Selling the Dream
Kawasaki talks about the essence of Selling the Dream, his new book. You need evangelists, those who sell your dream, he says. The way to get others to believe in your dream is to show them you're making the world a better place, he adds. Kawasaki uses Google as an example of a company that has changed the world and has evangelists supporting their cause and spreading the word.


To get An MBA or Not?
Kawasaki shares his thoughts on whether or not to get an MBA. The problem with an MBA he says is that you believe you are being taught how to manage, and he generally thinks it is impossible to learn how to manage in school. The only way to learn how to manage, according to him, is to do it in the real-world.


Ideas: What Makes Them Successful?
What is the difference between a brilliant idea that is successful and a brilliant idea that is not successful? Kawasaki believes that luck, timing and karma are the keys to success. Karma has to do with whether your product will ultimately make the world a better place, and he believes that the best technologies really do survive.


Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow
Kawasaki thinks that companies like Nordstrom, Audi, and Nike make the world a better place. His advice: don't start a business because you think that's what's hot. You should study and do what you love, he says. He can't promise you that the money will come, he does promise that if you start a company simply for the money, you will probably end up miserable.


Education: Importance of Peers
The most valuable part of your education is your peers-network, says Kawasaki. He recommends that students develop and maintain relationships while they are in school.