“Yes, sensei!”

“Starting Forms!”
“Hai!”
“Kata Number One: Start!”
“Do you think about starting?”
“No, sensei!”
“Do you prepare to start?
“No, sensei!”
“Do you start?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“When do you start?”
“Now!”
“Kata Number Two: Continue!”
“Will it be easy?”
“No, sensei!”
“Can you build the product so fast that you'll never get demotivated?”
“No, sensei!”
“How will you continue?”
“Step by step!”
“Will you sometimes feel doomed and hopeless?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Will you quit?”
“No, sensei!”
“When will you move forward?”
“Daily! Daily! Daily!”
“How long will you keep trying to move forward?”
“Eternity! Eternity! Eternity!”
“Kata Number Three: Choose!”
“Will there be sacrifices?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Will you choose your sacrifices?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Do you have to quit your job?”
“No, sensei!”
“Do you have to work yourself to death?”
“No, sensei!”
“Do you have to abandon your family?”
“No, sensei!”
“Do you have to work every day and every weekend?”
“No, sensei!”
“Do you have to keep moving forward?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Do you need a plan?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Will you accept the consequences of your plan and your choices?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Will it always work?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Kata Number Four: Commit!”
“Are you a coder?”
“No, sensei!”
“Are you a software developer?”
“No, sensei!”
“Are you an entrepreneur?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Is that career change permanent?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“What is your new objective in life?”
“Starting companies!”
(Bow.)
“Blocking forms!”
“Hai!”
“Kata Number Five: Don't read!”
“Do you read blogs?”
“No, sensei!”
“Do you read e-mail?”
“No, sensei!”
“Do you debate on mailing lists or online discussion groups?”
“No, sensei!”
“Do you read and prepare?”
“No, sensei!”
“Reading is passive. Action is active.”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Kata Number Six: Do it wrong!”
“Is source code control important?”
“No, sensei!”
“Is legal work important?”
“No, sensei!”
“Are graphics important?”
“No, sensei!”
“Is high quality code important?”
“No, sensei!”
“Are backups important?”
“No, sensei!”
“What is important?”
“Company! Company! Company!”
“If you have a choice between doing it the wrong way or having your company fail, what do you do?”
“Do it wrong!”
“Kata Number Seven: Do it your way!”
“Do you listen to naysayers, critics, complainers or whiners?”
“No, sensei!”
“Do you change to suit other people?”
“No, sensei!”
“Is it your company?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Do you do things your way?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“For once, do you follow yourself rather than other people?”
“Yes, sensei!”
(Bow.)
“Attacking forms!”
“Hai!”
“Kata Number Eight: Build the end!”
“Are startups easy to build?”
“No, sensei!”
“Should you choose a niche because it seems easy?”
“No, sensei!”
“Should you build a product that somebody else says is a good idea?”
“No, sensei!”
“Should you build the company that you want, even though it seems impossible?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Should you follow your ambition?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Should you build the company that you want to own in the future?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Kata Number Nine: Hire!”
“Can you do it all yourself?”
“No, sensei!”
“Is it ever too early to hire?”
“No, sensei!”
“How can you hire?”
“Equity! Equity! Equity!”
“Can you always hire?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Are the legal and management parts of hiring scary?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Do you hire anyway?”
“Yes, sensei!”

“Kata Number Ten: Change!”
“Is there always a next level?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Does the next level always have new and different milestones?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Does the company always need to grow to succeed at the next level?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“Does your role always need to change?”
“Yes, sensei!”
“How long will your role require learning, expanding, growing and changing?”
“Eternity! Eternity! Eternity!”
(Bow.)
E-mail Dan Howard about this article

