The Read

   Unless it is an entertainment magazine, I rarely pick up a book and just read for leisure.  I find reading to be very boring.  However, I know that it will help me tremendously in he long run.  

   One of my weekly tasks was to read a book over Spring Break.  My end goal is to one day, own a karate school, assisting urban youth with understanding themselves, the quality and value of their lives, character and discipline.  Over these past few weeks, I have found myself stuck, trying to figure out what to do next.  So, I read a book about entrepreneurship; "The Art of the Start."

   One of the most interesting things to me was that each chapter began with "GIST" ("great ideas for starting things"), covering a variety of facets to consider, from identifying your customer base and writing a business plan to establishing partnerships and building brand identity.  From beginning to end each chapter builds on the previous one and I found myself not wanting to put the book down. It's easy to read and understand.  It breaks down things you would need to know from a legal aspect, accounting, public relations, advertising and headhunting alike.  Similar to this class, the author encourages you to have a step by step process and weave a MAT (Milestones, Assumptions and Tasks).  In this, you will find ways to prove your concept, raise capital, and make it appeal to your geared audience.  

   All in all, "The Art of the Start" was a great beginning to the things I hope to accomplish in the near future.