著眼所想而非所為

1. Look at How They Think, Not at What They Do.
1.著眼于他們是如何想的，而非其所作所為。

If you just observed the actions entrepreneurs take, you would conclude there isn’t that much to be gained from studying them. Each entrepreneur’s behavior is as idiosyncratic as they are. You would have to be Larry Page and Sergey Brin to start Google; Oprah Winfrey to found Harpo Productions.
如果你只是觀察企業(yè)家們所采取的行動(dòng)，你會(huì)得出這樣的結(jié)論：研究他們沒有多少收獲。每個(gè)企業(yè)家的行為和他們自身一樣獨(dú)具特色。創(chuàng)立谷歌（Google）的必須是拉里 佩奇（Larry Page）和謝爾蓋 布林（Sergey Brin）；成立哈普娛樂集團(tuán)（Harpo Productions）一定要是奧普拉 溫弗里(Oprah Winfrey)。

But—and it is a huge but—if you look at how they reason, you see remarkable similarities. The process just about all of them follows in creating their companies looks like this. They:
但是如果關(guān)注他們是如何思考的（這是一項(xiàng)龐大的工程），你就會(huì)看到明顯的相似之處。他們在創(chuàng)立自己公司時(shí)所遵循的思考過程就像下面所示：

A. Figure out what they really want to do.
A． 弄清楚他們真正想做什么。

B. Take a small step toward that goal.
B． 向那個(gè)目標(biāo)邁出一小步

C. Pause after taking that small step to see what they have learned.
C． 邁出一小步之后稍停片刻看看學(xué)到了什么

D. Build off that learning and take another small step.
D． 積累經(jīng)驗(yàn)，再前進(jìn)一小步

E. Pause after taking that step.
E． 之后再停下來

F. Build off what they learned in step two. And then take another small step…
F． 積累第二步中的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。然后繼續(xù)前進(jìn)……

If we were to reduce it to a formula, it would be Act. Learn. Build Repeat.
如果我們要把它提煉一下的話，那就是行動(dòng)、學(xué)習(xí)、積累重復(fù)。

Put simply, in the face of an unknown future, entrepreneurs act. They deal with uncertainty not by trying to analyze it, or planning for every contingency, or predicting what the outcomes will be. Instead, they act, learn from what they find, and act again.
簡言之，在面對一個(gè)未知數(shù)時(shí)，企業(yè)家們采取了行動(dòng)。他們應(yīng)對不確定性時(shí)，沒有試著去分析它、為每一個(gè)偶然性制定規(guī)劃，或者預(yù)測結(jié)果。相反，他們采取了行動(dòng)，從他們的發(fā)現(xiàn)中吸取教訓(xùn)，然后再采取行動(dòng)。

本文轉(zhuǎn)自福布斯中文網(wǎng)，圖片來源于華蓋

市場需求

2. They Start with a Market Need.
2.他們從市場需求入手。

Ideas are easy—I bet you can come up with 10 new product or service ideas within five minutes right now, if you had to. And because new ideas are plentiful, they are not worth very much. As with anything else, if there is a glut—of ideas, in this case—the value goes down.
想法唾手可得——我敢打賭，如果趕鴨子上架的話，你能夠在五分鐘內(nèi)提出關(guān)于產(chǎn)品或者服務(wù)的十個(gè)新點(diǎn)子。而且因?yàn)閺膩聿蝗保@些新想法沒什么價(jià)值。和任何其他東西一樣，如果供過于求，其價(jià)值會(huì)下降，在這里指的是點(diǎn)子。

Besides, there is no guarantee anyone will buy the great idea you have come up with. If you start with the idea, you need to go in search of customers. If you begin with the need, you already have a market—the people who need what you have.
另外，未必會(huì)有人買你想出來的這個(gè)好主意。如果你從創(chuàng)意著手，就必須去尋找顧客。而如果你從需求入手，你已經(jīng)擁有了一個(gè)市場——那些人需要你的想法。

If you can discover a market need you can make a fortune. But intriguingly, that is not the primary motivation of the most successful entrepreneurs, and that brings us to the next point.
如果你能發(fā)現(xiàn)市場需求，你就能賺得大錢。但有趣的是，那并非最成功的企業(yè)家們的主要?jiǎng)恿?，于是我們就研究出了下一點(diǎn)。

別想從開始就賺錢

3. Don’t Set Out to Be Rich.
3.別一開始就想著賺錢。

The best entrepreneurs don’t have making a fortune as their goal, as they start off. Wealth is just (an extremely pleasant) byproduct.
創(chuàng)業(yè)初期，最優(yōu)秀的企業(yè)家沒有將財(cái)富作為他們的目標(biāo)。財(cái)富只是這個(gè)過程中一種令人非常愉快的副產(chǎn)品。

Why not focus on gaining wealth? Well, if your primary objective is to get rich quick, you are bound to cut corners, short-change your customers, and fail to take the time to truly understand what the market needs. And that is true whether you are trying to get your company off the ground, or are introducing a new product or service in order to make this quarter’s numbers.
為什么不專注于獲取財(cái)富？好吧，如果你的主要目標(biāo)是快速致富，你勢必會(huì)偷工減料，欺騙你的顧客，而不會(huì)花時(shí)間去真正了解這個(gè)市場的需求。的確如此，無論你是在努力推動(dòng)公司起步，還是推出一款全新產(chǎn)品或者服務(wù)來完成這個(gè)季度的業(yè)績。

Instead, they identify the market need we talked about in point 2, and get to work.
相反，他們能夠識別我們在上述談到的市場需求，開始工作。

營銷

4. Marketing. (Psst. Compete Differently)
4.營銷。（嘿!以不同的方式競爭）

The conventional wisdom—find a niche; zig when others zag—is right, but not particularly helpful. It lacks, to be kind, specificity. Far better is to describe what the best entrepreneurs do and that is “compete differently.”
像找到一個(gè)利基和隨大流等傳統(tǒng)經(jīng)驗(yàn)固然沒錯(cuò)，但并不特別有用。至少可以說，它缺少針對性。不如說，最優(yōu)秀的企業(yè)家們所做的是“以不同的方式競爭。”

How do they do it? Here are some examples:
他們是如何做到的？以下有幾個(gè)例子：

–Make small bets. Your resources are limited and starting anything new is risky. You don’t want to compound those risks by betting everything on one role of the dice.
——小試一把。你的資源有限，任何新嘗試都要冒風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。你不希望孤注一擲而讓風(fēng)險(xiǎn)大增。

–Make those small bets quickly. No, you don’t want to lose money. But, since you are not risking much, you can afford to fail. Get out in the marketplace fast and let potential customers tell you if you are onto?something. Action trumps everything—especially planning.
——迅速押注。不，你不想賠錢。但既然押上的不多，你經(jīng)受得起失敗。迅速進(jìn)出市場，讓潛在的客戶告訴你是否該做下去。行動(dòng)勝過一切——尤其是規(guī)劃。

–Where do you place those small bets? (I) Obviously, in areas where competitors don’t exist, or are weak. Not so obviously, in places where you feel strong. That confidence will help you overcome the inevitable hurdles you will face.
——押注哪個(gè)領(lǐng)域？(I)顯然是那些沒有競爭者，或者競爭力較弱的領(lǐng)域。此外，還應(yīng)押注你感覺自己實(shí)力強(qiáng)大的領(lǐng)域，這也許沒那么明顯。這種自信會(huì)幫助你克服你將面對的不可避免的障礙。

–Where do you place those small bets? (II) No customer wants to be entirely dependent on just one supplier, no matter who it is. Ask yourself, what your competitor’s customers want. Better yet, ask those customers?yourself.
——押注哪個(gè)領(lǐng)域？(II)沒有哪一位顧客會(huì)完全依賴于一家供應(yīng)商，無論是哪家供應(yīng)商。問問自己，你的競爭對手的客戶想要什么。然而更好的是，親自去問問那些客戶。

–Let the market define you. People will tell you what they like, and what they don’t, about your product. Incorporate their ideas with yours. Making the world’s best videocassette recorder does you no good, if what people really want are DVRs.
——讓市場來定義你。人們會(huì)對你的產(chǎn)品給出反饋意見，告訴你他們喜歡什么和不喜歡什么。把他們的想法和你的結(jié)合起來。如果消費(fèi)者其實(shí)需要DVR，那么生產(chǎn)世界上最棒的錄影機(jī)對你毫無益處。

–One step at a time. Be satisfied with making one significant improvement in a product or service. You’re bound to make mistakes just attempting one thing—many more if you try to do too?much.
——一步一個(gè)腳印。滿足于在一件產(chǎn)品或者服務(wù)上實(shí)現(xiàn)的明顯改善。在只嘗試一件事的時(shí)候，你還未免會(huì)犯錯(cuò)誤——如果你嘗試得太多，所犯的錯(cuò)誤也會(huì)更多。

–Keep looking for places…where you have a genuine competitive edge. That’s where profitability and security lie. Tempting as it may be, don’t try to buy your way into markets where you offer the same product at a lower price. That’s where you’ll be vulnerable.
——不斷摸索……你在哪里才有真正的競爭優(yōu)勢。那才是可以賺錢的穩(wěn)固領(lǐng)域。盡管看起來可能很誘惑，但是不要試圖以削減利潤空間的低價(jià)策略占領(lǐng)市場。在這種情況下你很容易受到攻擊。

融資

5. Financing.
5.融資。

This is perhaps the biggest area people fail to understand. With all the attention paid to venture capitalists, there is a mistaken impression that the best entrepreneurs begin their companies with millions of dollars in start up financing. That simply isn’t true.
這或許是人們最沒能理解的地方了。隨著所有的注意力都投向風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資家，這會(huì)給人以錯(cuò)誤的印象——最優(yōu)秀的企業(yè)家在創(chuàng)業(yè)時(shí)，都有數(shù)百萬美元的啟動(dòng)資金。事實(shí)并非如此。

The actual number is $109,416, according to the Kauffman Foundation, and that figure includes the (relatively few) companies, such as biotech firms, that needs millions to begin.
據(jù)考夫曼基金會(huì)（Kauffman Foundation）稱，實(shí)際數(shù)字是109,416美元，而這一統(tǒng)計(jì)涵蓋了那些需要數(shù)百萬美元啟動(dòng)公司（這種公司相對教授），如生物科技公司。

Sure, $109,416 isn’t chicken feed, but the figure is not particularly daunting.
當(dāng)然，109,416美元也不是小數(shù)目，但是這個(gè)數(shù)字不會(huì)特別嚇人。

Why is it so relatively low? It relates back to the ways that the best entrepreneurs think about starting their companies. Since they are taking small steps, they only need sufficient financing to accomplish the next one.
為什么會(huì)這么低？這又回到了優(yōu)秀企業(yè)家們對創(chuàng)業(yè)的看法上來。既然他們每一步走得都很小，他們只需要籌措足以完成下一步的錢即可。

團(tuán)隊(duì)建設(shè)

6. Team Building.
6.團(tuán)隊(duì)建設(shè)。

Yes, of course, the company founder needs to delegate early. You can try to micromanage but there are four large obstacles if you do:
沒錯(cuò)，這家公司的創(chuàng)始人當(dāng)然需要早早分派職責(zé)。你可以嘗試微觀管理，但如果你這么做就會(huì)遇到四大阻礙。

--The business will never grow bigger than one person (you, the CEO) can handle effectively;
——這家企業(yè)絕不會(huì)發(fā)展到超出一個(gè)人（你,首席執(zhí)行官）有效管理范圍之外的規(guī)模;

--Your company won’t be able to move very quickly. Since everything will have to flow through you, you will create a bottleneck;
——你的公司不可能實(shí)現(xiàn)快速轉(zhuǎn)變。既然所有的事情都要經(jīng)過你把關(guān)，你將制造一個(gè)瓶頸。

--You won’t get the best ideas out of your people. Once they understand the company is set up so everything revolves around you, your employees are not going to take the time to develop their best ideas. “Why should I,” they’ll ask. “He is just going to do what he wants anyway.” And
——你不會(huì)從你的員工那里獲得最棒的想法。一旦他們了解到，這家公司是這樣建立，那么一切事情都會(huì)圍繞著你，你的員工將不會(huì)花時(shí)間自己去想好點(diǎn)子?！盀槭裁词俏?，”他們會(huì)問，“不管怎樣老板只會(huì)做他自己想做的事?！倍?/div>

--It’s exhausting.
——這樣做還很累人。

發(fā)揮各自長處

7. They play to their strengths.
7.他們發(fā)揮自己的長處。

The biggest surprise, when it comes to people, is that the best entrepreneurs find a Yin to their Yang, someone who offsets their weakness and compliments their strengths. This allows them to concentrate on what they do best, leaving the things they are not good at to someone else.
對人們來說，最驚訝的莫過于：最優(yōu)秀的企業(yè)會(huì)維持陰陽平衡，取長補(bǔ)短。這樣會(huì)使他們集中精力于他們最擅長的領(lǐng)域，將他們不擅長的領(lǐng)域留給別人來做。

Walt Disney had Roy Disney. Steve Jobs had Steve Wozniak and Orville Wright had Wilbur Wright. Wherever there is great innovation, there is a dreamer and an operator; an “idea man” and someone who turns those ideas into reality.
華特-迪士尼有洛伊-迪士尼 。史蒂夫-喬布斯有史蒂夫-沃茲尼克斯，歐爾威爾-萊特有威布爾-萊特。只要有一項(xiàng)偉大的創(chuàng)新，就會(huì)有一個(gè)夢想家和一個(gè)操作者；一位“創(chuàng)意家”和能夠?qū)⑦@些想法變?yōu)楝F(xiàn)實(shí)的執(zhí)行者。

障礙轉(zhuǎn)化成資產(chǎn)

8. Turning Obstacles Into Assets.
8.將障礙轉(zhuǎn)化為資產(chǎn)。

I am not big on clichés like “every time God closes a door he opens a window,” or “there are no problems, only opportunities.”
我對那些陳詞濫調(diào)不感興趣，比如“當(dāng)上帝關(guān)上一扇門時(shí)，他會(huì)在某處打開一扇窗”，又或者“不存在問題，只有機(jī)會(huì)?！?/div>

But the best entrepreneurs believe and act as if everything is a gift. Well, maybe not every single thing imaginable. But assuming that everything is a gift is a good way of looking at the problems and surprises you’ll encounter in any endeavor, such as getting a new venture off the ground, obtaining buy-in from your boss, or launching a new product line in an ultra-competitive market.
但是最優(yōu)秀的企業(yè)家們相信并會(huì)采取行動(dòng)，好像這一切都是上天賜予的禮物。好吧，或許并非每件事都都預(yù)料到。但是假定這一切都是禮物，有助于你看待在今后努力過程中遇到的問題和意外情況，比如，讓一個(gè)新事業(yè)起步，獲得你老板的認(rèn)同，或者在競爭激烈的市場推出一條新產(chǎn)品線。

Why take this seemingly Pollyannaish approach? There are three key reasons.
為什么要采取這種盲目樂觀的態(tài)度？有三大原因。

First, you were going to find out eventually what people did and did not like about your idea. Better to learn it as soon as possible, before you sink more resources into the concept, venture, or product line. You always want to keep potential loses to a minimum.
首先，你要找出弄清楚人們究竟喜不喜歡你的想法。在你向這個(gè)想法、事業(yè)，或者產(chǎn)品線投入更多資源之前，最好盡快了解。你總是希望將潛在損失降低到最低。

Second, the feedback could take you in another direction, or serve as a barrier to your competitors. You thought you wanted to start a public relations firm but a quick survey told you potential customers thought the field was saturated. But more than a few of them said they would love someone who could help with their internal communications.
其二，這些反饋可能會(huì)將你引向另一個(gè)方向，又或者為你的競爭對手設(shè)置障礙。你認(rèn)為你想要?jiǎng)?chuàng)立一家公關(guān)公司，但是快速調(diào)查告訴你潛在顧客認(rèn)為這一領(lǐng)域已經(jīng)飽和。但是其中很多人也表示，如果有人能夠幫助他們的內(nèi)部交流，他們很樂意接受。

Third, you got evidence. True, it was not what you were expecting or even wanted, but that still puts you ahead of the person who is just thinking about doing something (like opening another p.r. firm.) You know something they don’t, and that is an asset. You are ahead of the game.
第三，你獲得了證據(jù)。誠然，它并非是你所期待的或者想要得到的東西，但是這同樣會(huì)使你比那些還停留在空想階段（比如想創(chuàng)辦另一家公關(guān)公司）的人領(lǐng)先一步。你知道一些他們不知道的事情，這就是資產(chǎn)。你是在這個(gè)游戲中的跑在前面的人。

But what if it’s really bad news? It’s a disappointment. You were absolutely certain that your boss would approve your idea for a new software program, and she said no in a way that is still echoing down the corridor. No reasonable person can define what you’ve encountered as anything but a problem, and most people will try to solve the problem. (“Maybe she will like the idea if I go at it this way instead.”) That’s fine if you can. The problem has gone away and, again, you’ve learned something that others might not know. (The boss hates Y, but she loves Z.)
但如果得到的確實(shí)是一個(gè)壞消息怎么辦？這真令人失望。你非常有把握你的老板會(huì)贊成你關(guān)于一個(gè)新的軟件項(xiàng)目的想法，而她否定的聲音依然在走廊里回蕩。任何一位有頭腦的人都會(huì)把你所遇到的情況視作一個(gè)問題，而且大多人將會(huì)努力去解決這個(gè)問題。（“如果我換個(gè)角度闡述，或許她會(huì)喜歡這個(gè)想法?！保┤绻隳苓@么做，那很好。這個(gè)問題已經(jīng)解決，而你又學(xué)到了別人可能不知道的事情。（老板討厭Y，但是她喜歡Z。）

But what if you can’t solve it? (She hated “Z,” too.) Accept the situation to the point of embracing it. Take as a given that it won’t ever change, and turn it into an asset. What can you do with the fact that it won’t ever change? Maybe it presents a heretofore unseen opportunity. Maybe you build it into your product or service in a way that no competitor (having not acted) could imagine. Could you do it on your own? Could you take the idea to a competitor and use it as your calling card to look for the next job?
但如果你解決不了這個(gè)問題呢？（她也討厭“Z”。）接受現(xiàn)實(shí)，并敞開懷抱。把它視作將不會(huì)改變的前提，把它轉(zhuǎn)化為一種資產(chǎn)。你能拿這種無法改變的事實(shí)怎么辦？或許，它呈現(xiàn)了一個(gè)前所未見的機(jī)遇?；蛟S你會(huì)把它以某種方式融入到你的產(chǎn)品或者服務(wù)，是那些還未付諸行動(dòng)的競爭對手們所想不到的。你能夠自行完成嗎？你會(huì)把這個(gè)想法獻(xiàn)給你的競爭對手，用它作為你尋找下一份工作的名片嗎？

The thing to remember is this: Successful people work with what they have at hand—whatever comes along—and try to use everything at their disposal in achieving their goals. And that is why they are grateful for surprises, obstacles, and even disappointments. It gives them more information and resources to draw upon.
銘記這一點(diǎn)：成功的人充分利用現(xiàn)有資源——無論那是什么——而且試圖利用一切能用的資源去實(shí)現(xiàn)他們的目標(biāo)。這就是他們對意外、阻礙，甚至失望心存感激的原因。這讓他們獲得更多可以利用的信息和資源。