新概念閱讀:創(chuàng)業(yè)要趁早
When it comes to building a successful company, most investors and business advocates look for companies with an experienced management team. They want someone that has a “successful track record” with experience forming teams, writing business plans, building products, and managing a P&L.
說(shuō)到要?jiǎng)?chuàng)立一家成功的企業(yè),大多數(shù)的投資商和企業(yè)倡導(dǎo)人都會(huì)找一支有管理經(jīng)驗(yàn)的團(tuán)隊(duì)。他們要找的是那種曾經(jīng)有過(guò)很高成就,并且在團(tuán)隊(duì)組織、撰寫(xiě)商業(yè)計(jì)劃、產(chǎn)品建設(shè)以及成本和利潤(rùn)控制方面都有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的人。
You can’t blame them. As with almost everything in life, practice makes perfect and experience provides learning lessons that allow for improvement and growth. While betting on experienced batters can certainly produce doubles, triples, and even home-runs; the grand slams of entrepreneurship come from the young and ill-experienced 20-somethings.
你不能怪他們這樣做,對(duì)于生活中的大多數(shù)事情來(lái)說(shuō),都是熟能生巧。有經(jīng)驗(yàn)就能使改進(jìn)和增長(zhǎng)成為可能。一個(gè)有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的擊球手肯定能打出二壘打,三壘打甚至全壘打,而真正拿到大滿(mǎn)貫的人往往是那些年輕而又沒(méi)有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的年輕人。
Yes, I said it.
確實(shí)如此,我說(shuō)過(guò)。
That’s not what you’re going to read in the textbooks. You won’t hear that from a venture capitalist. And, you certainly won’t hear that in your MBA classes.
這些東西你在課本上是讀不到的,你也不會(huì)聽(tīng)一位風(fēng)險(xiǎn)資本家說(shuō)起,更不會(huì)在你的工商管理課程上聽(tīng)到。
I know, I know. Some of you will say that I am biased because I was a 20-Something young entrepreneur when I started Lendio, but let’s look at the facts:
我了解,我懂。你們當(dāng)中會(huì)有人說(shuō)我很偏見(jiàn),因?yàn)槲以?0多歲還很年輕的時(shí)候就創(chuàng)立了Lendio公司,但是讓我們一起來(lái)看看下面的這些事實(shí):
(Some of the) Most Successful Entrepreneurs of our Time and Their (Age):
我們這個(gè)時(shí)代一些最成功的企業(yè)家以及他們的年齡:
1. Founders of Google: Sergey Brin (25) & Larry Page (25)
1. 谷歌公司創(chuàng)始人:塞吉·布林(25歲);拉里·佩奇(25歲)
2. Founders of Apple: Steve Jobs (21) & Steve Wozniak (26)
2. 蘋(píng)果公司創(chuàng)始人:史蒂夫·喬布斯(21歲);史蒂夫·沃茲尼亞克(26歲)
3. Founders of Microsoft: Bill Gates (20) & Paul Allen (22)
3. 微軟公司創(chuàng)始人:比爾·蓋茨(20歲);保羅·艾倫(22歲)
4. Founder of Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg (20)
4. Facebook公司創(chuàng)始人:馬克·扎克博格(20歲)
5. Founder of Wal-Mart: Sam Walton (26)
5. 沃爾瑪創(chuàng)始人:薩姆·沃爾頓(26歲)
Anyone else recognize the pattern? Each one of the founders was between the ages of 20 and 26 when they founded what turned out to be one of the most successful companies of our lifetime.
大家有沒(méi)有注意到這些人的年齡結(jié)構(gòu)呢?每位創(chuàng)始人的年齡都在20-26歲之間,而他們所創(chuàng)立的公司都在日后非常成功地影響了我們的一生。
20-Somethings Have Nothing to Lose
20多歲的人輸?shù)闷?/p>
One of the main reasons that young entrepreneurs can build incredibly successful companies is that they really don’t have anything to lose. Most of these entrepreneurs are used to living in a cheap college apartment and eating ramen noodles. At that age, the entrepreneur usually doesn’t have a mortgage, a car payment, or a built-up lifestyle to maintain.
那些年輕的企業(yè)家之所以能取得如此卓越的成就,一個(gè)主要原因就是他們真的不怕輸。他們大多數(shù)居住在廉價(jià)的大學(xué)公寓,吃著拉面。在那個(gè)年齡,他們通常沒(méi)有債務(wù),沒(méi)有汽車(chē)貸款,或者還沒(méi)有形成固定的生活方式。
On the contrary, a more experienced entrepreneur that is starting a company later in life has everything to lose. By this time in their career, they are used to a strong-paying salary. They live in a nice neighborhood with a comfortable car — maybe even a luxury car with a monthly payment attached. When his/her spouse thinks about starting a new company, he/she will also consider the stark reality of losing the comforts of life that they have worked hard to build up during their career. Suddenly, when thinking about all that he/she has to lose, the experienced entrepreneur’s plan to build a successful company include hedges, calculated moves, and conservatism.
相反,一個(gè)更有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的企業(yè)家要想晚些時(shí)候開(kāi)始創(chuàng)立公司的話,那他就什么都輸不起了。到他們那個(gè)時(shí)候,他們習(xí)慣了拿高薪,他們居住在高檔社區(qū),開(kāi)著豪華轎車(chē),也許還是每月都有貸款的豪華汽車(chē)。當(dāng)他/她的配偶想到要開(kāi)新公司的時(shí)候,他們會(huì)想到他們即將要失去辛辛苦苦建立起來(lái)的事業(yè)。突然想到這些即將要失去的東西,企業(yè)家要建立一份成功的企業(yè)會(huì)遇到很多障礙,需要精打細(xì)算,保守經(jīng)營(yíng)等。
20-Somethings Can Swing for the Fences
20多歲的人可以孤注一擲
With nothing to lose, young entrepreneurs can look at solving problems with a completely different mindset. There is very little at risk. They aren’t required to hedge. And only the thing that crosses the entrepreneur’s mind is the drive to solve the identified problem in the best way possible. Fortunately, the young entrepreneur has the energy to consistently burn the midnight candle.
因?yàn)樗麄儾慌螺,所以年輕的企業(yè)家們可以用一種完全不同的心態(tài)去看待需要解決的問(wèn)題。他們不需要冒很大的險(xiǎn)。沒(méi)有必要處處小心。他們只需要有那種能以最佳方式處理好問(wèn)題的頭腦。幸運(yùn)的是,這些年輕的企業(yè)家有很多的精力可以徹夜去思考這些問(wèn)題。
“I never took a day off in my twenties. Not one.” — Bill Gates
比爾·蓋茨說(shuō)過(guò):“我20幾歲的時(shí)候從來(lái)沒(méi)有請(qǐng)過(guò)假,一天都沒(méi)有。”
Finally, without having been in the workplace, the young entrepreneur has a fresh perspective untainted from the way-it-is-supposed-to-be mindset that is so prevalent in most boardrooms. Consequently, their solutions are new, innovative, and groundbreaking.
最后,那些沒(méi)有參加過(guò)工作的年輕企業(yè)家有著一些新鮮、有獨(dú)特視角的觀念,而不是那些會(huì)議室中普遍盛行的應(yīng)有心態(tài)。結(jié)果是,他們的方法新穎,獨(dú)特,具有開(kāi)創(chuàng)性。
If You’re a 20 Something…
如果你是一位正值20多歲的人...
Go for it.
那就去創(chuàng)業(yè)吧。
There will never be a better time in your life to live your dream of entrepreneurship. Swing for the fences with a goal to add your name to the prestigious list above. If you fail, it will have been one of the best learning experiences of your life.
這是你生命中實(shí)現(xiàn)創(chuàng)業(yè)夢(mèng)想最佳的時(shí)間了。為了讓你的名字也出現(xiàn)在上面的名單中,趕快設(shè)立目標(biāo)奮斗吧。倘若你失敗了,這也是你人生中最有價(jià)值的寶貴經(jīng)驗(yàn)。
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