Your Startup Toolkit
Introducing the Startup Library, in the second of our holiday gift guides
Ideas. Everybody has them, every single day.
Most ideas remain just that: an idea. But some are powerful, disruptive forces, with a fiery passion driving them. Amazon, Patagonia, your friend’s homemade jam business — these all started with a simple spark. The question is how to take that spark, and make it a reality.
The Startup Library is a shot of inspiration that’s all about big ideas. Whether you or someone you know is a budding Steve Jobs, or you are working on a side project and looking to take it to the next level, these four books will provide you with the tools you need to fine-tune a concept and put it into action.
What lies behind all great ideas is passion. But balancing that passion with the day job, home life and the lure of Netflix can be difficult. Fortunately Gavin Strange, senior designer at Aardman Animations, is on hand to show you how to find your own creative path and make the most of the 24 hours you get each day. Whether you are just starting out as a recent graduate or looking to make a change in your career, Do Fly is a practical guide to unleashing your potential. Learn the importance of applying your passion to side projects, how to deal with the setbacks you’ll encounter, and discover how to harness your creativity and find work that lets you be your best self. Do work you love. What are you waiting for?
Extract: Gavin Strange on rejecting cynicism and embracing positive change
You may want to launch your own world-changing business, or simply have a personal project you’d like to develop. Maybe you have bold plans for innovation within the company you work for. Either way, it’s important to understand how your concepts compare to the status quo, and what you can do to stand out. Perhaps you don’t have any ideas — yet. That’s okay. You can still learn how great ideas work. How they change the world. Do Disrupt is a ‘colouring book about world domination’ (that’s what VICE said) that will teach you to think big and do things differently. Author Mark Shayler shows how companies and individuals disrupt the market with revolutionary ideas — and how you can do it too. Define your customer, refine your idea and out-smart the competition. Shake things up. Make a difference.
Extract: Mark Shayler explains what defines true innovation
If you are going to take a concept from the desk to the market, people need to care. Your idea needs to have something that customers relate to. In other words, it needs a purpose. David Hieatt, co-founder of legendary jeans company Hiut Denim Co (as well as The Do Lectures) understands this better than most. In Do Purpose, he explains how to position your idea — whether it’s a product, service, or something entirely new — so that people notice the change it is trying to make. And how your purpose will define everything you do, from your brand’s voice to the people behind the scenes. It is what makes some brands truly great: important, ground-breaking, successful — you name it. And it all begins with understanding and communicating the purpose of your idea.
Extract: David Hieatt on how to find your purpose
If you decide to take the plunge and start your own business, there are steps that need to be taken to ensure that your precious idea is protected. Do Protect offers clear and accessible legal advice from Johnathan Rees, a company commercial lawyer with over 25 years’ experience advising startups. Understand your intellectual property rights, how best to structure your business and the risks and rewards of raising finance. The legalities may not be the fun stuff, but they are vital. Making the final step toward putting your ideas into action? Build your business on a strong foundation.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to regain focus, the Startup Library has something to help. Clear, practical advice, motivation to keep going, and a reminder to always stay true to your original vision.
Click here to find out more and to make a purchase.
The Startup Library is available exclusively via the Do Books website. £32 for four books: Do Fly, Do Disrupt, Do Purpose and Do Protect. All with original artwork or photography.
Illustrations for this Medium post © Gavin Strange
To find out more about Do Books, visit our website and sign up to our newsletter for updates and exclusive Christmas offers.
