Westinghouse was an interactive digital magazine, it was a part of Mediazines kiok, made by La Communitat and supported by Marc Vidal. Sadly the proyect had only six editions, I wrote the articles for the section “The Conference”, talking about technology and economy lead by a conference. The magazine is not available so I published the articles here. The conferences are in english but the articles are in spanish:
Welcome to my personal blog. In this space I will talk few times a year about my professional and personal interests: software, technology, education and life.
[This is an automatic translation from spanish article]
Advertisers have exploited to the boredom that the brain devotes to the analytical left half and the right half to the artistic, almost always to the right to appeal to the emotions, to decant our purchasing decision on their side. It is effective and even a good metaphor, but sorry, I have not a button in the middle of my skull to balance the use of my brain, I use both sides, we all do.
We all face many beginnings, like today makes this magazine, and we do it in the changing era in the history of mankind. A change Genís Roca has masterfully described in his TED talk and also has been analyzed in this month Westinghouse. In this context of change and continuous improvement, better that we use both sides of our brain.
The keynote at hand this first month, how could it be otherwise, is The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki. It is no accident that the word “art” is in the title of this and other books keynotes and Guy Kawasaki, as has been Chief Evangelist of Apple. Nor is it a coincidence that we start with a keynote 2006 inisistimos we live in a change of era and we want to gain perspective to analyze the economy and business in the middle of the perfect storm.
The Art of the Start is primarily the art of creating a purpose to what we do, a sense, putting us going, what moves others ultimately a horizon to go. And Guy suggests achieve it in a mantra, what we traditionally call “claim” but even smaller and oriented to the horizon, almost emotional purpose of what we are starting.
Why something that seems so naif as a purpose can have such a burden? We know from the “Conceptual Economy” that a market passes through four epochs: technological skill, struggle for functionality, offering experiences and finally create meanings. The more mature the market is closer are the meanings, as an example mobile phone and everything we think about someone when pulls out an android, a bitten apple or a small arrows to the right How was the name of that brand ?
Guy Kawasaki continues by stating the obvious: “Get going,” but gives three keys to do so effectively. First a slogan that certainly is familiar “Think different”. Did I say as he worked at Apple? Illustrated with examples of disruptive changes based technology. Another key, not leave anyone indifferent and consequently generate love and hate; differentiation no longer seems enough, you have to shake and thus get to be seen. And finally, find kindred spirits or, more Conventionally, ‘eye with partners “.
In 2006 he had not yet come Lean Startup (2008), which establishes the initial action and iteration, as basic for learning about the market and users; but it is clear that in recent years is putting the focus on action and innovation, not a mammoth planning is needed, or in the words of Marc Vidal: “Death to the business plan.” In the hotel “The black book of the entrepreneur” the question of the choice of partners is considered the main problem that entrepreneurs face, generalizing, carefully choose your travel companions.
After the action, define the business model, which defines it as Guy “Who is your customer? How do you get your money out of your wallet? “. And for that use MAT, Milestones, Asumptions and Tasks; or put another way: we will do, what we will get and how we’re going to do.
Today the Business Model Canvas (created in 2008) is becoming the de facto standard in the world startup, even appearing recently Lean Canvas, adaptation to Lean Startup model. Both let you see the business model at a glance but not enough to see development plans, this will often use a very similar to MAT which “Roadmap” as we speak.
And we come to the part of Marketing, perhaps the most controversial talk as Kawasaki gamble on strategy to generate great customer value and have a unique product; and “this is all you need to know marketing,” he says. What do the four or seven “P” of marketing? Price, distribution, promotion; give equal Guy says: Product, product, product.
As a Venture Capitalist Guy Kawasaki presents rule 10, 20, 30 to present a project 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 font size. Today it seems a no-brainer and you just have to take a look at Slideshare to realize how much they have evolved product presentations, in fact today is difficult to present something without an explanatory video. For example, crowfunding platforms like Kickstarter, apart from the product, video and social promotion are key to success.
When we start something, we have expectations, hopes and a blank canvas to fill. This keynote proposes a method of use: have a purpose, to start, define a business model with MAT, create a unique product of high value for the customer and present direct and condensed mode. There is no secret formula for success, but we can learn from the experience of others and especially use both sides of our brain, because creating a profitable business project is an art.