Netflix原創(chuàng)美劇《妹子老板》(Girlboss)的主角Amoruso(由演員Britt Robertson飾演)。
圖片來源: Karen Ballard/Netflix
企業(yè)家內(nèi)幕網(wǎng)絡(luò)是美國的一個(gè)在線社區(qū),美國創(chuàng)業(yè)界中最睿智和最有影響力的一些大咖會(huì)在這里及時(shí)回答與創(chuàng)業(yè)和職業(yè)有關(guān)的問題。今天為大家分享的是Vacasa公司聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人、首席發(fā)展官克里夫?約翰遜在“初露頭角的創(chuàng)業(yè)者應(yīng)該知道哪些事?”這一問題下的回答。 沒有一份“說明書”會(huì)手把手地教你創(chuàng)業(yè)。在創(chuàng)業(yè)過程中,事情的發(fā)展也很少會(huì)按照你的意愿來。那些幸運(yùn)的創(chuàng)業(yè)者無一不是一路跌跌撞撞地取得成功的,很多年之后,他們才會(huì)回頭反思創(chuàng)業(yè)路上的經(jīng)驗(yàn)教訓(xùn)。在2009年我們創(chuàng)辦Vacasa的時(shí)候,我們發(fā)現(xiàn)有一個(gè)策略很有用,那就是創(chuàng)業(yè)者一定要培養(yǎng)對(duì)創(chuàng)業(yè)的自我認(rèn)知。在創(chuàng)業(yè)的早期階段,創(chuàng)業(yè)者就應(yīng)該提出正確的問題,這樣才有助于在充滿風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的創(chuàng)業(yè)道路上樹立正確的方向,明確優(yōu)先要解決的問題。 至于在創(chuàng)業(yè)初期應(yīng)該明確哪些問題,不妨參考以下幾條意見: 確定你的影響力水平 您已經(jīng)花了一些時(shí)間制定了運(yùn)營計(jì)劃,明確了目標(biāo)市場,并且估算了需要多少啟動(dòng)資本。接下來,你應(yīng)該用一兩分鐘來想想,為了讓你的計(jì)劃獲得成功,有哪些東西是你愿意放棄的。有些投資者并不干預(yù)創(chuàng)業(yè)公司的具體運(yùn)營,而有些投資者則想全盤控制你的公司。因此,你首先需要考慮的是,你想要保留多少對(duì)公司的影響力,這對(duì)你以后的決策是有好處的。 你想讓公司按你的想法運(yùn)營,還是按照投資人或是你聘請(qǐng)的經(jīng)理人的想法來? 確定自己最擅長的 一旦你確定了自己最擅長的事情,你就可以圍繞它進(jìn)行創(chuàng)業(yè)了。拿我來說,我最擅長的就是打理一些看得見摸得著的東西。而我們的這家度假租賃公司主打的就是客戶服務(wù)和清潔房屋。我很喜歡這一點(diǎn)。如果是在一家做“軟件即服務(wù)”的公司當(dāng)總經(jīng)理的話,或許我就不會(huì)做得這么好了,除非它和某些看得見摸得著的東西有關(guān)聯(lián)。 你做什么事的時(shí)候最如魚得水? 挖掘意想不到的潛力 創(chuàng)業(yè)人的反應(yīng)必須敏銳。從客戶服務(wù)到董事會(huì),你樣樣都要參與。而在這個(gè)過程中,你也會(huì)在自己身上發(fā)現(xiàn)一些以前從來沒有意識(shí)到的潛能。比如作為一個(gè)律師出身的人,我對(duì)自己的業(yè)務(wù)開發(fā)能力就感到十分驚訝。別人都不愿意干的電話推銷,我卻覺得很有意思。因?yàn)槊孔龀梢粏螛I(yè)務(wù)都是一個(gè)建立關(guān)系的過程,而這個(gè)過程讓我非常享受。 你打算如何確定和培養(yǎng)自己的這種意想不到的潛能? 認(rèn)識(shí)自己的弱點(diǎn) 你要盡早認(rèn)識(shí)到自己的弱點(diǎn)。我是一個(gè)過于樂觀的人,這可能是一把雙刃劍。有的時(shí)候?qū)⒁患峦七M(jìn)得太猛,反而會(huì)過猶不及,導(dǎo)致在質(zhì)量、效率和增長之間失去平衡。 你最大的弱點(diǎn)是什么? 捍衛(wèi)你的價(jià)值 你的業(yè)務(wù)模式的核心,其實(shí)就在于你對(duì)客戶、員工和社會(huì)的價(jià)值。你的決策應(yīng)該是以價(jià)值為導(dǎo)向的。如果你想不到自己對(duì)客戶有什么價(jià)值(別擔(dān)心,你肯定是有的),那你不妨拿張紙來,在上邊寫下你希望客戶用哪些詞來形容你。在認(rèn)識(shí)自己對(duì)員工和社會(huì)的價(jià)值時(shí)也可以采用這種方法。 你的公司可以用哪五個(gè)詞來定義? 走出舒適區(qū) 作為一個(gè)創(chuàng)業(yè)人,難免不時(shí)會(huì)遭遇窘迫與潦倒的洗禮。你要經(jīng)常走出自己的舒適區(qū),為這種可能性做準(zhǔn)備。比如嘗試一種新的體育運(yùn)動(dòng),找到自己的極限,或是逼自己做些以前從未嘗試過的事情。你也可以參加一些志愿活動(dòng),體驗(yàn)生活的艱辛,并且通過志愿活動(dòng)對(duì)社會(huì)進(jìn)行回饋,最終在公司條件許可的條件下對(duì)公益事業(yè)進(jìn)行經(jīng)濟(jì)捐助。 哪些事會(huì)讓你不舒服? 解決一個(gè)難題 如果你在業(yè)務(wù)開展過程中沒有遇到什么困難,那么你的業(yè)務(wù)或許就不會(huì)持久了,因?yàn)檫@意味著你的競爭對(duì)手可以輕松地復(fù)制你的商業(yè)模式。在Vacasa公司,我們會(huì)負(fù)責(zé)對(duì)世界各地的房主的房子進(jìn)行清潔和維護(hù),這對(duì)后勤方面提出了嚴(yán)峻的挑戰(zhàn)。而這也正是令我們的公司與眾不同的原因,而且這也是最讓我們有激情的地方。 你的公司有什么困難? 注冊(cè)公司時(shí)要著眼長遠(yuǎn) 你要提早思考把公司注冊(cè)在哪里。即使你的公司架構(gòu)很簡單,或是能拿到稅收優(yōu)惠,這也是有利有弊的。你或許想把所有的業(yè)務(wù)放到網(wǎng)上來做。然而或許等到業(yè)務(wù)發(fā)展到一定程度,你又想在全國各地開實(shí)體店了。所以你要提前想好未來去哪里。 你的創(chuàng)意會(huì)怎樣增長? 科技優(yōu)先 不管你身處哪個(gè)行業(yè),每一家公司都是一家科技型公司。如果你不能做到把你的夢想數(shù)字化,那就要盡早聘請(qǐng)一個(gè)能做到的人。 你在技術(shù)上的挑戰(zhàn)是什么? 創(chuàng)業(yè)并不是一件容易的事,但是如果你樂于去擁抱未知的事物,那你就有更大的機(jī)率成功。你要多與其他創(chuàng)業(yè)者交流,多提問題,多多思考。你對(duì)創(chuàng)業(yè)的自我認(rèn)知越高,你就越能從容應(yīng)對(duì)前方未知的挑戰(zhàn)。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)) 譯者:樸成奎 |
The Entrepreneur Insiders network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in America’s startup scene contribute answers to timely questions about entrepreneurship and careers. Today’s answer to the question, “What should budding entrepreneurs know about building a business?” is written by Cliff Johnson, co-founder and chief development officer of Vacasa. There’s no blueprint for how to launch a business, and in entrepreneurship, things rarely go according to plan. Fortunate founders blunder their way to success, and then years down the road, step back to reflect on the wild ride. One strategy I found to be helpful when we were starting Vacasa back in 2009 was developing a state of startup self-awareness. Making time to ask the right questions in the early stages will help you shape direction and priorities over the inevitably rocky road to come. Here are some tips to get your wheels turning: Determine your level of influence You’ve spent time building an operations plan, defining a target market, and thinking about how much working capital you’ll need. Now take a minute to think about what you’re willing to give up to make it all happen. Some investors are silent; others want total control. You could become an industry leader or you could hire one. Knowing the level of influence you want to retain will help drive the decisions you make. Do you want your business to be a reflection of you, your investors, or the people you hire to run it? Identify your best self Once you know what you’re best at, build a career around it. For example, I’m at my best when impacting something tangible. At its heart, the vacation rental management business is about customer service and cleaning homes. I love that. I wouldn’t be a good GM of a SAAS company, for example, unless there was a meaningful connection to something tangible. What are you doing when you hit your golden gait? Embrace unexpected strengths Founders have to be nimble. From customer service to board meetings, you’ll do it all, and along the way, you’re going to discover strengths you never realized you had. As an attorney, I was surprised with my business development ability. I found cold calling to be fun because closing a property is about building relationships—something I enjoy. How will you identify and nurture surprise strengths? Identify your weaknesses Recognize your weaknesses early on. I’m overly optimistic, which can be a double-edged sword: Pushing too hard tends to throw off the balance of quality, efficiency, and growth. What’s your biggest weakness? Champion your values How you’ll treat customers, employees, and the communities in which you operate is core to your business model. You want to get to a place where values drive decisions. If you can’t think of any values (don’t worry, you have them), create a list of words describing how you’d like future customers to feel about your service. Do it again for your employees and community. What five words define your business? Get uncomfortable Being a founder is an exercise in awkwardness and poverty. Prepare by throwing yourself into uncomfortable situations. Try a new physical activity and find your limits. Push yourself to try something you’ve never done before. Do some volunteering so you appreciate how hard life can be for those who do not have as much as you do, and try to give back to the causes as often as you can through volunteering and eventually donating when your business can afford to. What makes you uncomfortable? Solve a difficult problem If your business isn’t hard, it’s probably not going to be around for long because it will be easy for competitors to replicate your model. At Vacasa, we manage cleaning and maintenance operations for homeowners around the world. It’s logistically challenging. It’s also what sets us apart and what we’re most passionate about. What’s difficult about your business? Register for the future It’s important to start thinking early on about where you want to register your business. There are pros and cons to having a simple or tax-advantageous structure. You might anticipate doing all your business online. Then again, you might someday want brick and mortars across the country. Make the right decision for where you want to be in the future. How will your idea grow? Prioritize tech Regardless of industry, every business is a tech business. If you can’t digitize your dream, make sure to hire someone who can as early as possible. What are your technical challenges? Launching a business isn’t easy, but you’ll stand a better chance of succeeding if you embrace what you don’t know. Talk to founders. Ask questions. Reflect. The more startup self-awareness you develop, the better equipped you’ll be for the unexpected challenges ahead. |