Guy left off the number 500,000 from his list of relevant numbers that he learned about from the launch of Truemors. Guy Kawasaki 
has something around 500,000 page views every month for his blog. He only has to mention Truemors a few times to get more free exposure than most bloggers can afford in a lifetime. He has taken a bold step to make sure that he is not leaving money on the table while his name and fame have such high value.
Movie stars, Rock stars, and other celebrities use their name to launch things. Guy is just using the value of his name in this area. Seth Godin pre-sold more copies of The Dip 
than the average because his network, blog reach, and reputation enable it. The book got rave reviews by very well known people. If Seth were not THE Seth Godin would anyone have even been read his preview copies?
Would Paris Hilton have sold a drop of perfume if she were not a celebutant? Would Al Gore have anyone watching his movie - correct or not - if he had not been the Vice-President? How many Senators have movies going right now? We could go on but the point is clear. Who you are is as important, or even more important, than what you are trying to do.
In the book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell talks about the need for orchestras to have auditions where the musicians are behind a screen This is so that gender, appearance, or acquaintance cannot help or hinder the objectivity of the evaluators. The Washington Post stunt with Joshua Bell in the DC subway was a great example of how little people can value such a talented person when that person must start to establish their credibility from scratch.
Since the majority of the rest of the world do not have these advantages what can you do?
You can do just what they did. Use what you have and build on it. What choice is there? To start over every time is a waste of your efforts. The only time you should start-over is when you have botched things so badly that you are better off changing your name and having surgery.
Comments welcome.
