Book Review: Reality Check

I just got done reading Guy Kawasaki's latest, Reality Check.

I have some mixed feelings about it, but overall it's got enough value in parts of it that I can recommend it.

The book is a loosely compiled series of essays, top ten lists (a favorite format of his), and interviews. Much of it is repurposed from his blog and he states as much early in the book. This makes it easy to read, as each chapter is small, accessible and quickly digestible. However, it also means the flow is somewhat disjointed, and some parts feel really shoe-horned in there.

A few of the chapters are real gems though, and justify the price of the book on it's own. In particular:

• The art of intrapreneurship: A chapter on starting revolutions with large established companies. (BTW, it's almost a blueprint of how Larrabee got started within Intel)
• The chapters on evangelism, pitching and slide decks are must-read for anyone that does any of this.
• The inside scoop on Venture Capital law, in which he does a Q&A with a VC attorney on 'stuff an entrepreneur should know.
• A chapter in which Glen Kelman of Redfin does a full disclosure of his estimated and actual costs for the first year they were in business, with notes on why they over or underestimated pieces.

Just a few examples, but that list should be enough to decide if this book is for you.