If the man in your life is a fan of Guy Kawasaki, you’re dealing someone who wants to change the world for the better. Plenty of people say that, but Guy actually makes it happen. Help your man do the same by getting in touch with what Guy might call the four E's: Enchantment, Entrepreneurship, Excellence, and Empathy.
Think about how Guy has changed the world. For example, what would Twitter be without Guy Kawasaki’s tweets? Or his one-liners? Guy is one of the few speakers I have given a standing ovation to.
Here’s another question, what would a guy like Guy want for Christmas? Here are five Guy-inspired gifts. Hopefully, one of these will get the angels singing!
1. Enchantment. Fighter Combat: $595 for a 45 min. thrill ride
Enchantment is what makes an experience or service unforgettable. It’s safe to say that flying an aerobatic combat mission in with an former military fighter pilot fits the bill. At the Fighter Combat Center in Phoenix, AZ, he’ll board the world’s highest performance certified aerobatic airplane, the Extra 300L. After takeoff he’ll have an experience unlike any other as the pilot performs accelerated flat spins at high speeds, loops, stretches of inversion where the plane is actually upside down, and much more.
Just in case this is something he might like to show off later, the flights are recorded. If this all sounds enchanting and unlike anything else on the market... it is!
Gift certificates start at $100 up to $10,000. We recommend delivering them via thrown paper airplane, but not at speeds above Mach 3. Oh, and look for Guy’s book in March of 2011, appropriately titled, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Action. When I asked Guy on Twitter, he shot back that he wanted a review of his new book (so that’s what I’m getting Guy for Christmas, I wish everyone else where that easy to buy for).
Want more gift-giving advice? Check out these stories:
2. Entrepreneurship. Rules for Revolutionaries: $10.98
This is Guy’s innovation manifesto. Things are not slowing down and in today’s business world, either you innovate or you disappear. Stay ahead of the game with a revolutionary mindset. And while we’re talking books and revolutions, what could be more appropriate than reading a book by one of Apple’s founders of the Apple iPad? It’s okay that Guy passed on Yahoo in the early days, he got in on Apple (and met his wife Beth there).
Guy recognizes a good thing when he sees it. “When I saw what a Macintosh could do, the clouds parted and the angels started singing. For four years I evangelized Macintosh to software and hardware developers and led the charge against world-wide domination by IBM,” as written in Guy’s How to Change the World Blog
3. Excellence. Bugatti Veyron and other fine cars: $1,700,000
Guy loves fine cars and the Bugatti Veyron is about as Fine as it gets. There is no street legal car that costs more or performs better. If you’re in the mood to go from 0-16 in 2.6 seconds, or you have the itch to reach speeds of over 253 miles per hour, the Bugatti Veryon will help you out. You’ll have to ask Santa for a stretch of road where you can drive that fast, however.
But just in case you’re not a millionaire, there’s still a way you can let him drive like one. Check out Excitations.com. You choose an exotic car, it shows up at your door one morning with a full tank of gas, and it’s yours for the weekend. Drive in style, at least for a while, starting at $1,460.
4. Stocking Stuffers.
We recommend some Apple stock (through sharebuilder) or a subscription to MacWorld -- digital (if he has an iPad) or the hard copy. Or one of his ten books.
5. Empathy: The price is up to you
Every entrepreneur started somewhere. Maybe their break came in the form of an investor, an idea, or as is so often the case, with the right encouragement from the right person at the right time. This Christmas, help your guy find someone else who is looking for their break. The satisfaction of helping someone else get started on the road to their own world-changing dreams is just as potent as achieving our own personal successes.
Guy says being a legend shouldn't be your goal in life, "What you should do is create a great product or service… the goal is to change the world... if you do that, maybe you’ll be a legend." If you can be legendary, you could at least have a legendary Christmas.
All right, your turn. Let’s keep building the list of Guy Kawasaki approved gifts in the comments section or on Twitter.
Janet Meiners Thaeler is an Evangelist for OrangeSoda Inc. and the principal blogger for their corporate blog and Twitter account. She regularly advises clients on blogging and social media strategies. Her own blog is Newspapergrl.com (and Twitter account @newspapergrl). She is passionate about online marketing and is always looking for new insights, resources and trends to help her clients.