Making Meaning

Taken from iqdesk.com

This week I started reading “The Art of the Start” by Guy Kawasaki. It is a business book that offers great advice to entrepreneurs that are starting a business or non-profit organization.  Each of the chapters focus on different topics such as positioning, raising capital, and branding, among others. The book starts off by talking about The Art of Starting. Kawasaki offers 5 pieces of advice that he recommends every entrepreneur should accomplish in order to be successful. The 5 different suggestions are:

1. Make meaning
2. Make mantra
3. Get going
4. Define your business model
5. Weave a MAT (Milestones, Assumptions, and Tasks)

I really like the idea of making meaning. When you make meaning you help the lives of others by creating a product or service that makes the world a better place. Kawasaki said, “Making meaning is the most powerful motivator there is.” When we know that we are making a difference in the world, it can give us the strength to keep going despite the many challenges that can come with start-ups. I think when we make meaning we are more likely to feel a sense of accomplishment in our efforts. Reading about the importance of making meaning has really made me think about what my future career goals are. I hope that one day I can say that I am making meaning in the world. 

$100 Challenge Update

This week I spent some time brainstorming 20 different potential ideas for the $100 challenge. There are a handful of ideas that I am considering using for my start-up, but I need to do some more research into the viability, practicality, and affordability of the different ideas before I can make my final decision.