Guide For Revolutionaries Is Good Schtick
Guy Kawasaki can hack it as a stand-up comedian if his job as director of VC firm Garage doesn’t pan out. This guy had the ballroom audience cackling with laughter at his snarky asides of Apple culture and astute jabs at the advertising industry.
Along the way, he introduced 10 Rules For Revolutionaries (well, 12 if you count 0 and a bonus rule) to the audience, culled mostly from two of his latest books: “Rules for Revolutionaries” and “Art of the Start.” Although it seems his directives may be better aimed at the start-up crowd, his lessons were equally relevant to marketers and interactive types who are looking for ways to break their business into Yahoo-land.
Step 0: You need to make a mantra for your organization.
Good examples of mantras:
•Wendy’s = healthy fast food
•FedEx = peace of mind
•Nike = authentic athletic performance
Step 1: Kill the Cash Cow
Like Macintosh killed Apple II. The advertising business has some cows that need to be killed. The Internet is going to kill them.
Step 2: Jump to the Next Curve
Don’t improve by 10%, improve by 10 times. Jump the advancement curve. Go to the ultimate next level.
Step 3: Don’t Worry, Be Crappy
You ship, and then you test. Version 1.0 means never having to say you’re sorry. Don’t ship crap. Ship revolutionary crap.
Step 4: Polarize People
If you try to make everyone happy, you’ll make no one happy. Don’t intentionally piss them off. Just have no fear of pissing them off.
Step 5: Let 100 Flowers Blossom
At the start of the revolution, you will see a lot of unintended people buying product … the wrong kind of people. Take the money. Ultimately, the consumer brands you and positions you. The wrong people buying your product is a good thing. Fix for who’s buying, not the product atheists.
Step 6: Niche thyself
Two axes on a graph:
Vertical = ability to provide unique product of service
Horizontal = value to customer
The high right corner = this is where money is made, when you change people’s lives. “How do I convince the world that I have something unique and of high value to the consumer?” You need to be like our president: “high and to the right.”
Step 7: Churn, baby, churn
It is okay to ship crap, but you cannot sustain crap. Revolution is not an event. Revolution is process.
>Step 8: Follow the 10-20-30 Rule
10 = optimal number of slides in a PowerPoint presentation
20 = give those 10 slides 20 minutes to present
30 = 30pt is the optimal font size in PowerPoints.
Step 9: Make Evangelists, not Sales
At the start of the revolution, the evangelists carry the battle on for you.
Step 10: Don’t ask people to do something you wouldn’t do
Bonus: Don’t let the Bozos Grind you Down
That’s when everyone starting looking around the room, sussing who could be the next bozo…er, Bezos.
