Last Thursday, I attended the Carolina Connect conference in Asheville, NC. The keynote speaker was Guy Kawasaki, author of “The Art of the Start.” Guy’s presentation was ten points (plus one) around innovation. According to Guy, the key isn’t “good stuff;” the key is “curve-jumping, paradigm-shifting, revolutionary great stuff!”

1. Make meaning
   • Innovators are motivated by making meaning– making the world a better place.
   • Entrepreneurs who are motivated by making money typically fail or make limited returns. Good entrepreneurs are motivated by making meaning.
2. Make mantra
   • Mantra, not mission statements.
   • Mantras are 2-3 words that give your reason for existence.
3. Jump to the next curve
   • 10x better, not 10% better.
   • Most people stay on their current curve due to comfort.
   • Successful innovators jump to a new curve or create a new curve.
4. Roll the DICEE
   • Qualities of great stuff:
     • Deep
     • Intelligent
     • Complete
     • Elegant
     • Emotive
5. Don’t worry, be crappy.
   • Version 1 of a curve is bound to have bugs.
   • Don’t just release crap; release revolutionary great stuff with some crappy qualities that gets to the next curve.
6. Polarize people.
   • Don’t be afraid of making some people love you and some people hate you (ex. Toyota Scion).
   • Get a target, make it great for them, and don’t worry if it pisses some people off.
7. Let a hundred flowers bloom.
   • Spread the seeds of your idea all around the field, regardless of where you want the seeds to root.
   • If a crowd other than the target adopts your product, don’t ask “what went wrong?” Instead, ask the crowd “What went right? What do you like? What would make it better?”
8. Churn, baby, churn.
   • Different versions and improvements
   • Remember, don’t ship crap. Ship revolutionary great stuff with crappy qualities that can be fixed in future versions.
9. Be the X.
   • “X” is the point on the grip where an idea is both unique and high value (Fandango, Trek Lime, etc).
   • If it is unique but low-value to consumers, its just stupid (take your pick).
   • It if is neither unique or high-value, it is a dotcom (i.e. Pets.com).
   • If it is high value but not unique, it is a price product (i.e. Dell).
10. Follow the 10/20/30 rule.
    • 10 slides; human mind can only handle about 10 ideas in one hour
    • 20 minutes for presentation; the important part are the questions and discussion
    • 30 point font; don’t script the slides or audience will ignore you and read ahead
11. Don’t let the bozos grind you down.
    • Bozos are sometimes rich and famous. Rich and famous doesn’t mean smart.
    • Don’t catch bozosity– Guy turned down an offer to be CEO of Yahoo during its early stages because he didn’t want to deal with a daily round trip commute of 2 hours.

Favorite quotes:

“I believe in God because there is no other explanation for Apple.”

“Most technology executives suck as guest speakers and they always go over their allotted time. Therefore, not only do they suck but you never know when the sucking will stop.”