????如今，全世界都在談論蘋果公司（Apple）剛推出的iPhone 6和蘋果手表（Apple Watch），人們很難相信，這家價值數萬億美元的科技巨頭曾經也只是一家很小的初創電腦公司。

????對于許多創業者們而言，蘋果、Facebook或Twitter的發展軌跡，證明消費者市場才是創業的藍海。

????但這一點并非始終都是正確的。如果放棄與公司做生意（與消費者市場相反）的潛力，創業者們將錯失大量有利可圖的好機遇。

????作為芝加哥創業服務組織1871的董事會成員，筆者接觸過許多初創企業，因此很清楚B2C（企業對消費者）公司可以從B2B（企業對企業）初創公司學到什么，包括人力資源管理公司Fieldglass、在線企業硬件交易平臺MarkITx和會議與活動在線交易市場Eved。

????B2B領域有巨大的潛力；通過將新技術整合到傳統業務當中，創業者們可以顯著提高效率，開發新市場，解決長期存在的問題，在某些情況下，甚至會顛覆整個行業。事實上，越來越多的B2B初創公司正在經歷快速增長，同時獲取了令人艷羨的利潤。

????以Fieldglass為例。這家芝加哥軟件公司最初規模很小，如今已成為全世界最大的供應商管理系統（VMS）提供商。據報道，該公司在今年五月被SAP公司以超過10億美元的價格收購，這是近幾年規模最大的私人科技公司交易。

????再比如企業IT硬件在線交易平臺MarkITx，公司成立僅8個月，市值便已經達到1,200萬美元。筆者從公司聯合創始人弗蘭克?姆斯卡萊羅那里了解到，公司今年的收入同比增長了300%。

????要創建下一家偉大的初創公司，創業者們應該從B2B公司學會以下六條經驗：

????明智地確定第一批客戶

????許多B2B公司往往會圍繞最初客戶來設計產品與服務，因此通過戰略方法吸引第一批客戶就變得至關重要。Eved成立之初，公司創始人兼CEO塔利亞?彌賽亞追逐的目標是戴爾（Dell）等大公司。后來，她設計了Eved平臺和在線市場，以解決這些客戶的需求，使客戶可以直觀了解會議和活動的總開支。而這為吸引其他大公司奠定了基礎，幫助她將客戶增加到5,000多家公司。

????With the world buzzing over Apple’s reveal this month of the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch, it’s hard to believe that this multi-trillion-dollar tech giant was once a small computer startup.

????For many entrepreneurs, the epic trajectory of Apple AAPL -0.87% — or Facebook FB -1.63% or Twitter TWTR 0.07% , for that matter — serves as evidence that the consumer space is where you go to launch a winning startup.

????But that doesn’t always hold true. By foregoing the potentials of selling to business (as opposed to consumers), entrepreneurs are missing out on a world of opportunities — and lucrative ones at that.

????As a board member at 1871, Chicago’s entrepreneurial hub for startups, I see a lot of startups and know what B2C companies can learn from B2B startups, including Fieldglass, MarkITx and Eved.

????The B2B space is rife with potential; by integrating new technologies into traditional businesses, entrepreneurs can dramatically improve efficiencies, uncover new markets, solve longstanding problems and, in some cases, disrupt entire industries. Indeed, an increasing number of B2B startups are experiencing rapid growth while achieving enviable profit margins.

????Take Fieldglass, for example. Once a small startup, the Chicago-based software company is now the biggest vendor management system (VMS) provider in the world. In May, it was reportedly acquired by SAP for more than $1 billion, one of the largest sales of a privately held tech company in recent years.

????Or consider MarkITx, an online marketplace to trade enterprise IT hardware, which earned a $12 million valuation after only eight months of operations. After speaking with its co-founder Frank Muscarello, the company’s revenues are up 300 percent this year compared to last.

????To launch the next great startup, here are six lessons that entrepreneurs can learn from B2B companies about how to launch the next great startup:

????Target your first customers wisely

????Many B2B businesses design their products and services around their initial clients, making it critically important to take a strategic approach to recruiting those first customers. Talia Mashiach, founder and CEO of Eved, went after large firms like Dell when her company was still in its early stages. She then designed Eved’s platform and online marketplace to address those customers’ needs and provide visibility into their meeting and the total amount spent on an event. That set the stage for the recruitment of other large-scale firms and helped her stock her online marketplace with more than 5,000 companies.