5 Mantras That Successful Entrepreneurs Share成功企业家的五条箴言

It goes without saying that starting your own business takes a lot of work. Roughly 50 percent of new U.S. businesses fail in the first five years. It can be very intimidating and scary to start a business， knowing there’s no guarantee it’ll work out.

众所周知，创办自己的企业需要做大量的工作。大约一半的美国新创企业不到五年就会倒闭。创业会令人们感到非常胆怯和畏惧，因为你清楚无法担保这件事会成功。

Over the years， I’ve had the privilege of working with entrepreneurs and startups at various stages of growth. Some of these businesses have gone on to great successes， while others， unfortunately， not so much.

多年以来，我有幸与处于不同成长阶段的企业家和初创公司共事。一些企业经营得非常成功；然而另一些企业，很不幸，就不太成功了。

But there are lessons to be learned from success stories and failed attempts alike. If half of businesses fail in the first five years， what are the other half doing right and what can entrepreneurs learn from them？ Below are tips， tricks and words of wisdom to consider when kicking off a new venture.

但是，从成功的故事和失败的尝试当中，我们都可以吸取一些经验教训。如果有一半的企业不到五年就倒闭了，那么另外一半企业又做对了什么？企业家可以从成功的例子中学到什么？当你开办一家新的企业时，不妨参考以下这些建议、技巧和箴言。

1. Bend before you break

1. 不屈则易折

As a business owner， and especially as an entrepreneur， you must be adaptable. When leading a business during the early stages of the unknown， you’ve got to master the craft of working well during times of constant change. If something can go wrong， it likely will， but if you’re able to be fluid， you and your company will avoid wasting time backpedaling and scrambling.

作为一名企业主，尤其是一名初创企业家，你必须得有适应能力。要领导一个发展未知、正处于早期阶段的企业，你要掌握对不断变化的事态应对裕如的本领。如果事情有可能出错，那也许最终就会出错，但是如果你能灵活应变，你和你的公司就不会浪费时间手忙脚乱地朝令夕改。

Robert Kiyosaki， author of Rich Dad Poor Dad， simply explains this notion： “When times are bad is when the real entrepreneurs emerge.”

罗伯特·清崎，即《富爸爸，穷爸爸》一书的作者，简明地解释了这样一个观点：“当形势不好的时候，就是真正企业家浮现的时候。”

2. Deny instant gratification and think about the long term

2. 拒绝即刻满足并作长远打算

Avoid making decisions that provide short-term or ad hoc solutions—you need to think about your business’s success three or five years down the road. Build what customers are looking for， not what will be a quick win.

不要做短期或临时解决问题的决定——你需要思考你的企业未来三五年的成功。要创造出顾客需求的东西，而不是追求快速取胜。

In the words of author Seth Godin1， “The media wants overnight successes （so they have someone to tear down）. Ignore them. Listen instead to your real customers， to your vision and make something for the long haul. Because that’s how long it’s going to take.”

用畅销书作家塞思·戈丁的话说：“媒体想要一夜成功（这样他们就有人可诋毁了）。不要理他们。相反，要听取真正客户的意见，遵从内心愿景，并作长远打算。因为成功就是需要持之以恒。”

For example， don’t hastily create a poorly designed website because you need one in a week. Customers who visit your site and have a negative experience will be turned off by the lack of usability or intuitiveness and your brand’s reputation， potential sales and customer loyalty will suffer. It takes a lot of work to turn around this type of damage.

例如，不要因为你在一周以后需要一个网站，就匆匆忙忙地创建一个设计欠佳的网站。访客会因为网站不够直观实用而感到体验不佳，从而失去兴趣，而你的品牌名声、潜在销售量和客户忠诚度都会受到损失。要扭转这类损失，就要做大量的工作了。

3. Cater to your customer

3. 迎合你的客户

Don’t build a business model where the target customer is anyone in the world. Your customers will be the fuel for your business， but you need to first identify who they are then invest in them heavily. Get to know your customers—speak to them frequently， ask questions， earn their trust and learn their pain points and what they’re looking for.

不要打造一种目标客户泛泛的商业模式。你的客户会是企业发展的动力，但是你首先需要确定你的目标客户，然后在他们身上投入大量资金。了解你的客户——经常和他们交谈、提问，赢得他们的信任，了解他们的痛点和他们需要什么。

Customer satisfaction and loyalty can be the most valuable tool to a brand’s longevity. Always keep in mind that it takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience.

客户满意度和忠诚度可谓是让品牌长久的最有价值的手段。要始终牢记，十二次积极体验才能弥补一次未得到解决的消极体验。

4. Embrace technology as a helpful tool， not a complicated burden

4. 把技术当成实用的工具而非复杂的累赘

Identifying and deploying the best IT early out the gate can potentially help your company be leaps and bounds ahead of competitors who don’t. Before you deploy an IT strategy， pay attention to tech trends and think through your business， particularly how it affects customers. Envision where you want to be in three， five and 15 years and then determine what technology tools will allow your business to reach your customers so you are able to scale and grow.

尽早识别并有效利用最好的信息技术，可能会让你的公司遥遥领先于没有这样做的竞争对手。在部署信息技术战略之前，要关注技术趋势并全面思考你的业务，特别是要思考它将如何影响客户。设想你希望在未来三年、五年和十五年后到达何处，然后再确定什么样的技术手段能让你的业务接触到客户，以实现业务的扩张和增长。

Don’t implement technology for technology’s sake， do so because it’s what’s best for your business.

不要为了使用技术而使用技术，使用它是因为它最有利于你的业务。

5. Grit and determination in the face of failure will lead you to success

5. 面对失败的勇气和毅力会引你走向成功

As an entrepreneur and leader， you need to become one with perseverance and determination.

作为企业家和领导者，你需要成为有毅力和决心的人。

Consider the perspective of Max Levchin， who co-founded PayPal： “The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little less， but still failed. The third one， you know， proper failed， but it was kind of OK. I recovered quickly. Number four didn’t fail. It still didn’t really feel great， but it did OK. Number five was PayPal.”

想想贝宝联合创始人马克斯·列夫琴的观点：“我创办的第一个公司失败得很惨。第二个公司失败得少一些，但仍然是失败了。第三个公司，你知道，相当失败，但也还好。我很快就恢复了状态。第四个没有失败。它仍然不很出色，但是运行没有问题。第五个公司就是贝宝。”

Some of these points may seem like common sense， but when you’re in the trenches making crucial decisions， it’s tough to slow down and step back to think about long-term impact. Having these simple guidelines and insight gives you a place to start when the going gets tough. If you keep these five pieces of advice in mind， you’ll be on the right track to join the successful 50 percent.

以上有些观点像是常识，但当你处于商战第一线、需要做出关键决定时，你很难慢下脚步，并且后退一步思考长远之道。有了这些简单的指南和见解，你就能在形势严峻之际知道要从哪里开始。如果能把这五条建议铭记于心，你就走在了加入那一半创业成功群体的正确路径上。

（译者单位：四川民族学院）

1美国营销大师，前雅虎营销副总裁，企业家、畅销书作家和演讲家。