Creating and operating profitable solo work-from-anywhere digital businesses

Here's another contribution to my "Books to Read" recommendations that I think you, and most other entrepreneurs, would enjoy and find quite enlightening if you're finding it difficult to begin your Lone Wolf business.

The book is written by Guy Kawasaki.  My copy has post-it notes in every chapter begging me to return to study and ponder Kawasaki's thoughts and sometimes "contrarian" strategies for starting not only businesses, but just about any other endeavor of major proportions.

The Art of the Start is appropriately named and the subtitle suggests the applicability of this information to a broad audience and range of subjects:  "The Time-tested, Battle-hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything."

In my opinion, the author's sense of style and his forthright advice lend much to the credibility of his mentoring because he doesn't mince words about the often useless business practices that traditionally have plagued entrepreneur's as they have labored to get their ideas to market.

This is a very bottom's up guide to looking at business creation from the view of the owner, which is the perfect perspective for the solo operator since he generally isn't concerned with fancy business plans, financials aimed at securing bank loans, and other larger business protocols.

Some of the chapters, like those on "pitching," raising capital, and finding partners, may not be of great interest to the solo owner; however, they still should be read for their perspective and insight into the small business world.

I found the chapters on "bootstrapping," "positioning," and "branding" to be of particular importance as they hold a wealth of often non-traditional wisdom that will help you to focus on getting you business up and running on a solid foundation.

Kawasaki preaches that you start your business with meaning by asking, "How will my product or service make the world a better place?"

Follow that exercise with making a mantra out of your answer.  Forget long and boring mission statements that no one remembers.

Kawasaki says it's important to "get going."  Instead of spending a lot of time and effort on fancy packages and window dressing, it's more productive to start cranking out product and selling, even if you haven't nailed down the exact execution routine you'll come to later on.

Well, I don't want to give away too many of the secrets to The Art of the Start.  You will find this an easy read and full of both big and little bits of business startup wisdom that are a perfect complement to the Lone Wolf business strategy.

In case you'd like to get a glimpse of the author and his writing and style, you can visit his blog HERE.

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