創業吧，享受自由生活

Take the plunge for a life of freedom

By Luke Johnson

親愛的21歲的你，
Dear 21-year-old,

你剛剛走出大學校門，還不知道以后的路該怎么走。你一直努力想找到一份不錯的工作，但就是沒有什么讓你感到興奮的工作。
You have just left university, and you're wondering what to do with your life. You have struggled to find a decent job and there just aren't any available that excite you.

我的建議很簡單：別去找工作，而是創造一份工作——你自己的工作。冒險一搏，去創業，享受一種自由和獨立的感覺——這種感覺是不可能從打工生活中獲得的。
My simple advice is: don't take a job, but make a job instead – your own. Take the plunge, become an entrepreneur and experience a sense of freedom and independence that is impossible to find as an employee.

關于如何實現這一目標，這里有幾條建議。
Here are a few pointers on how to make that goal a reality.

●不要把經營自己的企業看成一種職業，你應該明白，創業比一份職業包含的東西多得多。如果你想成功，就要準備好做出犧牲。你會延遲享樂——可能不得不推遲休假、推遲買房，甚至推遲組建家庭。
在你這個年齡去冒險要好于以后冒險，因為現在你肩上沒有多少責任。大多數偉大的企業家都是從年輕時起步的。畢竟，現在你有什么好失去的呢？
● Don't think of running your own business as a career – see it as far more all-encompassing than that. Be prepared to make sacrifices if you want to succeed. There will be delayed gratification – you may have to put off going on holiday, buying a home or even having a family.
It is better to take risks at your age, when you have so few responsibilities, than later. Most great entrepreneurs started young. After all – what have you to lose?

●不要擔心沒有一個偉大的點子：如果你睜大眼睛，你會發現身邊機會多多。看看其他企業的成功之處，然后將其引入你的企業。
我喜歡Springwise.com這個網站，它為有抱負的企業家提供了許多點子和創意。注冊該網站，在全世界搜索靈感，或者完全追隨你的心，做你熱愛的事情。
● Don't worry about having a great idea – there are thousands of opportunities around if you open your eyes. Find out what has worked elsewhere and introduce it to your community.
I like the site Springwise.com, which offers tips and ideas for aspiring entrepreneurs. Enlist the web to search the world for inspiration – or simply follow your passion and do what you love.

●找一兩個合伙人——與單槍匹馬相比，團隊行動永遠有更大的勝算。作為一個團隊，你們將從客戶、資助者和供應商那里獲得更多信賴。但要謹慎選擇你的合作伙伴，這條冒險之路有起有落，你需要的是具備合適技能和性情的人，各項素質可以與你互補的人。
● Find a partner or two – teams always have a better chance of making it than solo operators. Together you will have more credibility with customers, backers and suppliers. But choose your fellow adventurer carefully – the journey will have ups and downs and you need someone with the right skills and temperament, whose qualities complement yours.

● 不要說你沒有資金，而是去找一項不需要融資的業務。你或許可以利用供應商貸款或獲取補助，或者從客戶那里獲得預付款。現在正是發揮你的想象力、解決資金缺口的時候。
● Don't say you haven't got any capital – instead find a business that doesn't need funding. You might use supplier credit or get a grant, or get paid by clients in advance – now is the time to use your imagination to solve the financing gap.

●隨時隨地聽取建議。對于初創企業而言，如今可利用的資源比以往任何時候都多：從Mentorsme等指導組織和Seedcamp等創業孵化活動，到有關如何尋找辦公場所和最棒技術的各種建議。做好功課，永遠不要停止學習。
● Take advice from anywhere and everywhere. There are more resources for start-ups than ever before – from mentor organisations such as Mentorsme and events such as Seedcamp to tips on finding space and the best technology. Do your research and never stop learning.

● 獲取有關你所在行業的專業知識。你必須盡快成為一名專家，了解你所在的市場、競爭對手、利潤率、貨源、定價，等等。找到與你情況相關的案例，看案例分析。在學校里參加的那些考試只是彩排，這才是真正的"考試"，你真的需要好好準備。
● Acquire domain knowledge about your industry.You must become an expert as quickly as possible – understanding your local market, competitors, the margins, sourcing, pricing and so forth. Find examples of case studies relevant to your situation. Doing exams at school and college was a rehearsal – this is the real thing, where you really need to do your revision.

●出門銷售。在創始人沒有學會如何說服客戶購買之前，任何企業都無法起步。銷售技能需要恒心、熱情和信念。與生命中一切有價值的東西一樣，掌握這項技能也需要練習和自信心。完成第一筆銷售的時刻將讓你銘記終身。
● Go out and sell. No business takes off without a founder learning how to convince customers to buy. It will require persistence, enthusiasm and belief. Like everything worthwhile in life, it takes practice and self-confidence. You will remember the moment you close your first sale for the rest of your life.

●挫折和失敗是不可避免的。每一家成功的企業身下，都有無數失敗的企業墊底。如果成功得來容易的話，那么它的滋味也就沒有那么甘甜了。在數字時代，人們能夠以比以往任何時候都更廉價和更迅速的方式進行嘗試。結束注定失敗的項目，然后繼續前進。你將從這些錯誤中得到教訓，下一次會做的更好。
● Setbacks and failure go with the territory. Every winning company is constructed on the corpses of losing ones. Victory would not taste so sweet if it were easy. The digital world allows one to experiment more cheaply and swiftly than ever before. Kill the doomed projects and
move on. You will learn from such mistakes and do better next time.

●如果可能的話，向海外進軍。你可能不想移居海外，但如果有利可圖的話，就瞄準世界市場吧。通過在線營銷和現代化物流，你的業務可以遍及數百個國家——一個擁有70億消費者的市場正在那里等著你。
● Go global if you can. You might not want to emigrate, but aim to serve the world if it makes economic sense. Via online marketing and modern logistics you can reach hundreds of countries – there is a market of 7bn consumers out there.

●撰寫一份商業計劃。把夢想轉化為文字，這是一種極為有用的訓練。這將迫使你理性的理清自己的想法，你也有了一份文件，可以給別人看，其中有人可能會成為你的資助者。當你寫下一份計劃時，不知怎的，這個事情似乎總會變得靠譜了一些。
● Write a business plan. Putting your dreams down on paper is an invaluable discipline. It will force you to think through your concept in a rational way and give you a document to present to others who might support you. Somehow it always seems more real when you have written down a plan.

我相信，大多數人心中都有一個企業，只要我們釋放自己的本能。它可能是你真正的事業，也有可能只是一個短暫的嘗試，但若不親自試一試，你永遠都不知道自己是否本來有希望成功。冒險但失敗了，無疑要比永遠不去冒險更好，不是嗎？你需要很好的運氣和耐力，不管出現了什么問題，還都要保持樂觀，但至少，你取得的所有成就，功勞都屬于你。
I believe there is a business in most of us, if we only unleash those animal spirits. It might be your true vocation, or perhaps a temporary phase – but unless you try, you will forever wonder if you could have been a contender. Better surely, to have risked and lost, than never risked at all? You will need good fortune and stamina and to stay optimistic no matter what goes wrong, but at least you will be able to claim the credit for your achievements.

祝你好運，大膽開始吧！
Good luck – and go for it!

盧克
Luke

創業者如何嚇跑投資者

項目再好，投資者有時也會落荒而逃。為什么？
Entrepreneurs With 'Founder's Disease' Will Make Any Investor Run Away
by James Price

吉姆·普萊斯(Jim Price)曾經多次創業，并且在美國密歇根大學羅斯商學院澤爾-魯瑞研究院擔任特邀講師。
不久前，一對創業者向我征求新公司的建議。他們想讓我幫忙制定推廣戰略，細化商業模式，計算融資預期，并推薦融資方式。于是，我與這對搭檔聊了一個小時，希望搞清楚他們的商業理念。
Awhile back, a pair of entrepreneurs—I'll call them Jen and
Jeff—approached me seeking advice on launching their new business.
　　結果令我很滿意。他們具備了我對創業團隊最看重的四個要素：
　　1、真正有創意的新商業理念；
　　2、產品初步成型；
　　3、對所在行業有獨到見解；
　　4、曾經歷過創業的艱辛。
　　為了讓我給他們當顧問，他們許諾給我很多股票和一個董事會席位。我說，我會認真考慮這些條件。
　　但是，過了兩天，我拒絕了他們。原因是什么？
They were looking for help in formulating their go-to-market strategy,
tightening up their business plan, and figuring out how much capital they'd need to raise and how to raise it.
So I sat with the partners for an hour or so hoping to size them up as people while also getting a sense for their business concept.
I came away impressed.
They were coming to the table with four things I love to see in a startup team: a truly innovative new-business concept; a running head-start on developing the product; domain knowledge in their industry; and what I call useful scar tissue—they'd both previously experienced the stresses and challenges of startups.
They offered me substantial stock in exchange for my advice and a board seat, and I said I'd seriously consider their offer.

　　在與他們交流時，我發現創業者的各種毛病在這對搭檔身上一個不落。具體如下：
　　1、盡管資歷不夠，但他們卻堅持親自擔任一把手：創業初期擔任總裁甚至CEO沒有什么問題，但老到的創業者都知道，公司發展到某個階段，就應當引入經驗豐富的職業經理人。
　　2、他們不夠虛心：在多數情況下，他們都自認為已經知道了答案，因此不善于尋求和接受外部專家和投資者的建議。
　　3、他們控制欲過強：他們很難放手讓下屬獨當一面，即使最簡單的決策也要親自參與。
　　4、他們想融資，但卻不愿遵守游戲規則：他們希望(或需要)投資者的資金來發展企業，但卻擔心股權被稀釋，擔心董事會席位和投票權被新投資者掌握。
So why, two days later, did I choose to turn them down?
Because, as I reflected on our conversation, I realized that the partners had been manifesting all the symptoms of the dreaded founder's disease. Here are the classic tells:
1. They insist on a C-level titles, even if they aren't qualified:
It's OK to start out as president or even CEO, but savvy entrepreneurs know that, at some point, they may need to bring in professional managers who've managed rapidly-growing teams.
2. They're not coachable: They approach most situations thinking they've got the answers already, and they're not good at seeking and accepting advice from outside experts and investors.
3. They're controlling: They have trouble letting go, and feel the need to be involved in even the smallest decisions.
4. They want to raise OPM (other people's money, from angel investors or VCs), but they're not willing to play the game the way it's played:
On the one hand, they want (or need) investors' money to launch and grow your business, yet are horrified by the level of equity dilution they'll suffer and the number of board seats and preferred voting rights their new investors might have.

　　創業者的毛病不僅會嚇跑外部投資者，也會令頂級人才和優秀的顧問望而卻步。為什么？因為由這種創始人領導的公司肯定做不大。創始人的能力會限制企業的成功，他們的態度也會嚇跑人才和資本。
　　相比而言，沒有這些毛病的創始人會考慮企業的利潤，而不是自己的利益。他們的重點是引入最優秀、最明智的資本。他們善于接受專業人士的建議。他們不會因為周圍聚滿了比自己更聰明的人而擔心。他們的目標是做大整個蛋糕，而不是把目光局限于自己的那一塊。整體成功了，良性循環也就形成了：工作環境充滿活力，用戶積極參與互動，投資者和股東也將獲得豐厚回報。
　　與此同時，毛病眾多的創業公司依舊會苦苦掙扎，難以獲得足夠的資源。而這樣的創業者通常會將矛頭指向潛在投資者、客戶和員工，認為這些拒絕他的人"根本不懂行"。
Founder's disease is widely considered a total turn-off by outside investors, A-list talent, and in-demand advisors and board members.
Why? Because companies led by such founders inevitably remain small.
Success tends to be constrained by the founders' capabilities, and by the fact that their attitude scares off talent and capital.
By contrast, "disease-free" founders do what's right for their business, not for themselves. They focus on bringing in the best and smartest capital. They relish taking advice and counsel from the pros.
They're not threatened by surrounding themselves with people who are smarter than they. And they focus on growing the whole pie, not on the size of their proportional slice. By creating a successful whole, good entrepreneurs create a virtuous circle with a vibrant work environment, engaged customers, and strong returns for their investors and shareholders.
Disease-infected startups, meanwhile, remain struggling and under-resourced, with the founders so often directing the blame at the potential investors, customers and employees who turn them down, grousing that those folks "just don't get it."