Not all of us Hivers may consider ourselves start-up entrepreneurs, but on some general level, that’s exactly what we are. We create content in Hive not only for the pleasure of it but also because we expect some future reward. Entrepreneurship and business management are extensive fields that may take years of study to comprehend theoretically, though there is no guarantee that it will translate to success in practice. Some may even argue that acquiring a business degree such as an MBA is actually detrimental to success. Thankfully nowadays we have access to a lot of information and tools that are useful when planning and starting a business. I was excited when I recently came across a simple old school system that promises to teach you “in 15 steps” how to start up your own company.
I need another notebook like a fish needs a bicycle, but I'm a sucka for excellent design, and this one delivers in all the right places. Review coming up in my Hive blog. pic.twitter.com/9fpGrnezYh
— litguru (@litguru23) January 4, 2023
As the tweet suggests, I am a little obsessed with old style technologies from pre-computer days. The tangible aspects of fibre-based storage systems have a different effect on our thinking and reasoning than their digital analogues. More important, well-designed products excite me because they elevate my enthusiasm and willingness to interact with them. So, when I came across the Start-up Journal, my ears perked up.
Leuchtturm1917 is a German stationery company that got on board the Moleskine notebook craze some time ago. For those of you who are sane human beings, the Moleskine notebooks gained notoriety when they began to be associated with Bruce Chatwin, a travel writer who carried with him little notebooks that were were held together with an elastic band. When the original manufacturer of these notebooks went out of business, Chatwin bought a hundred of them.
The pages were squared and the end-papers held in places with an elastic band. I wrote my name and address on the front page, offering a reward to the finder. To lose a passport was the least of one's worries; to lose a notebook was a catastrophe.
Bruce Chatwin
An Italian company resurrected the little (size A6) notebooks, and the mystique surrounding them swelled up to ridiculous proportions among stationery aficionados. Apparently Picasso, Matisse, Hemingway, Andre Breton and other famous personages used similar style notebooks, which soon acquired a mythic status. While the brand Moleskine became the main purveyor of notebooks to addicts, soon other companies began to jump in the fray.
At some point, word got out that the notebooks were being manufactured in China, and although the Moleskine brand gained widespread acceptance with the general public, stationary connoisseurs began to look elsewhere for a notebook with better paper and quality assurance. Leuchtturm1917 filled this void by improving on the notebook with that good old German engineering.
As mentioned, I don’t need any more notebooks in my life, but when a witty reviewer referred to the new Leuchtturm1917 journal as an MBA in a notebook, it roused my curiosity. Though I never say never, I am not interested in formally starting my own company, but I soon realized that the concepts, templates, and methods found in the notebook could be useful in developing my blog. So, I soon purchased a copy of the Start-up Journal to see what the fuss was about.
I was not disappointed. In my hands, the Start-Up Journal felt hefty. It is a medium size (A5 145 x 210 mm) notebook with 294 pages of 100 g/m² paper. The 'leatherette' cover has a yellow-orange colour reminiscent of a deliciously ripe mango but is formally called ‘Rising Sun’. On the front, the words Start-up Journal are embossed in golden type on the upper left corner. This is a nice aesthetic choice because it is simple and doesn’t load the front cover with unnecessary information and branding. On the back of the cover, the words Leuchtturm1917 are embossed at the bottom and are barely visible. A Moleskine-style band with the same orange color as the notebook keeps it closed. The back of the cover also has a pocket (a la moleskine) in which you can keep the bits and bobs of your endeavors.
Opening the notebook to the endpaper, you notice an inspiration quote on the left side and a thick sheet that has some empty lines to put your personal info in case of loss (the way Bruce Chatwin used to do it).
Notice the whitespace around the text. Great design touch
Turning over a couple of pages, you see some information about the authors and designers. A publisher note summarizes the general intent of the journal as a way to “collect, shape and sharpen your thoughts”, so you can transform your ideas into a full fledged start-up company or moving to the next thing if the idea doesn't pan out.
I enjoy the little design touches that the graphic designers added here and there, including the approximate reading time for each section.
I also like the two-page illustrations at the beginning of each section. They were added for aesthetics but they add a nice touch to the journaling experience. Each illustration is different, but a common theme of a paper boat runs through them and helps to remind you of the precarious and fickle nature of starting your own business.
There is an Index that is entitled “Start Anywhere,” a message which is reinforced by the words of William Wordsworth on the facing page: To begin, begin.
I supposed the idea is not to get bogged down in linear thinking but “start with whatever interests you most”.
Each of the 15 sections is laid out in a similar manner. There is a two page illustration that visually and metaphorically captures the essence of each chapter. Then relatively short theoretical introductions and technical explanations are followed by the templates themselves.
The templates contain a variety of exercises that aim to delineate the key elements of your fledgling start-up. You don’t need to understand the theory to fill out these templates, but it helps to give you the proper context.
Although I've taken my share of post-secondary business courses, I cannot assess the quality or accuracy of the content; nor can I tell you whether it will actually help you on your enterprising endeavors, but if you have ideas percolating in your head then this notebook might just be the spark that sets the wheels in motion.
You can tell from the quality of the journal that the authors and publishing team had a lot of fun designing it. To illustrate the concept of branding, for instance, they even included a loose leaflet with folding instructions.
What happens when you fold it?
Ta-da!
This little boat is a tangible example of branding, and a clever way to brand Leuchtturm1917 itself. I further tested the little boat on water and I can corroborate that it is a sea-worthy vessel.
There is much more to this hybrid journal than I can show in this post. It is a tour de force that mixes theory and practice to get entrepreneurs and hobbyists thinking about those processes that may lead to bigger and better things. The exercises alone are worth the price, and the design touches are the icing on the cake. Let’s face it, not all of us have the means or inclination to complete a business degree and learn the ins and outs of a start-up. This journal grabs you by the mast and chucks your little boat into the turbulent waters of creativity, business acumen, and entrepreneurship.
In case you were wondering or care about such things, the journal was designed in Germany and made in Taiwan.
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