The Art of the Start is a great motivator for those who are interested in starting just about anything. Yes, Guy dives into a lot of topics pertaining to venture capitalism, but if you are starting a small business, this book will still give you to motivation to go out and get things done. This book is like a match lit up under your seat. Read it. You'll enjoy it and be driven by it.

From page one through out the entire book, you can't put it down. Almost every page of my book is highlighted and notes taken. Packed FULL of necessary information to start up your own business. Very well written and easy to comprehend. A definate must for anyone considering and planning a healthy start up business.

My first start-up has taken me over a year to get off the ground. It's a huge and ambitious project and has put my entrepreneurial skills to a test. I truly believe in learning from others so I'm a member of virtually every entrepreneurial blog, magazine and forum. I have also purchased about 8 different books on the subject, all varying in context slightly. The problem with this is that the time spent on blogs, magazines, forums and books is time you can very well spend actually building your company.

If the Art of the Start would have been the first book I bought, I would have saved a lot of time. All the answers I had looked for previously were in there, and they were all explained in that typical Kawasaki way; to the point and no B.S.

This book is by far one of the best pieces of literature on the entrepreneurial start-up process I have yet to get my hands on. If you are planning to start a company, NGO or just a project within your already existing organization, I recommend you read this book FIRST. There will surely be other books that will guide you or help you with the specific details of the area you are working on but try to start out by getting the basic "how to..." of a start-up out of this book.

The Art of the Start is an excellent book. I work for a start-up and I wish I had this book years ago.

Because Guy Kawasaki is associated with tech and Silicon Valley, you might think his book about how to execute a start up wouldn't apply much if you're launching a dry cleaning service or a machine shop. But there is valuable information here for any business.

No matter what you're doing, positioning, business plans, and pitching your business are essential, and Kawasaki does a great job of explaining how to do all three without going overboard.

Another area where his insight is especially valuable is financing. His experience has taught him a lot about bootstrapping, borrowing, and other ways of raising capital. These days, when loans are hard to come by, any new business needs creative options, and Kawasaki provides several.

He devotes a fair amount of time to branding and sales as well, but the meat and potatoes is in the areas I mentioned above. On every topic, Kawasaki provides a list of further reading recommendations for those who want more detail.

Overall, the book is heavy on common sensical, practical suggestions. Kawasaki has been on all sides of the start up game and knows most if not all of the angles.