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The Monk and the Riddle: The Art of Creating a Life While Making a Life |  |
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The Monk and the Riddle: The Art of Creating a Life While Making a Life | |
To illustrate, Komisar takes the reader through a hypothetical Silicon Valley start-up, with an eager entrepreneur named Lenny trying to get funding for an online casket-selling business. As Komisar helps Lenny find the real purpose of the business, the passion behind the revenue projections, he reflects back on his life as an entrepreneur. Komisar emerges as a master storyteller, the kind of guy you'd feel honored to share a bottle of wine with. And you believe his conclusion: "When all is said and done, the journey is the reward." It's great if you've made billions on the journey, but the important thing is that you do something you can truly throw yourself into. --Lou Schuler --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Komisar is among a new breed of executives who have been called "virtual CEO's." Unlike consultants, they not only advise but actually work for companies that tend to be very small high-tech or Internet start-ups. In addition to working currently for seven such companies, Komisar has worked with WebTV and TiVo, was the "real" CEO at LucasArts Entertainment, and was one of the founders of Claris Corporation. With the assistance of freelance writer Kent Lineback, who has produced numerous films and videos for the Harvard Business School, Komisar here intertwines the story of his own career with that of two fictional entrepreneurs. The purpose is to show how deals are made and businesses get started in Silicon Valley. Komisar's many experiences allow him to speak firsthand about how venture capitalists and headhunters think and operate. He also warns that passion and vision are just as important as a well-crafted business plan. Throughout, we also get a strong dose of Komisar's own philosophy of success and fulfillment, a philosophy that might best be called Zen capitalism. David Rouse --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
Silicon Valley is the backdrop for this helpful book, written by a successful professional business adviser. Komisars experiences have included working with LucasFilms, Apple, WebTV, TiVo, and Claris Corporation. Devoting himself to a handful of startup companies at a time for about a year or two, Komisar is regarded as a `Virtual CEO` who provides planning and decision-making advice and is not involved in day-to-day operations. Here, Komisar demonstrates his expertise through his conversations with potential entrepreneurs interested in starting an online funeral business. However, while the book does deal with the specific wheelings and dealings of Silicon Valley (such as the role of venture capitalists) Komisar for the most part offers the type of general advice that can be helpful for any entrepreneur. He mixes lofty opinions about business (`Business is one of the last remaining social institutions to help us manage and cope with change`) with practical advice (`Business conditions are forever changing. You need to reconsider your strategies and business models constantly and adjust them where necessary. But the big idea that your company pursues is the touchstone for these refinements`). One key issue that Komisar writes about is the danger of the `Deferred Life Plan,` where one is led to believe that you need to `do what you have to do` before you `do what you want to do.` As Komisar tries to explain, time is the only resource that matters, and what will make an entrepreneur truly successful is the ability to combine both the drive with the passion. The intriguing title refers to a February 1999 incident when Komisar encountered a monk in Burma, an incident that confirmed his belief that `the journey is the reward.` While perhaps not written for those interested in get-rich-quick schemes, Komisars account provides enough business tips and Zen-like ideas to inspire would-be entrepreneurs. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
