10步成为一个成功的创业者

    本文为与《创业者》杂志的合作内容。下文最初发表于Entrepreneur.com。

    成功的创业者需要付出努力和毅力，因为非常不幸的是，世上并没有创业小精灵，能够神奇般地将成功赐予小公司和他们的老板。

    大多数成功的创业者都遵循类似的模式，并且具备类似的基本特质。无数在线文章和图书宣称掌握了商业成功的秘诀，但事实上其中大多数都可以归结为几个相同的要点。

    激情、毅力和积极的心态，是创业成功的关键。培养这些特质要有天赋和一些小技巧。

    下面是开发一个商业平台时需要考虑的主要元素。这些元素可以帮助任何新公司制定明智的策略：

    1. 热爱自己的事业。

    激情是保持公司策略顺利运行的关键所在。在创业过程中三心二意，将让你失去成功的动力。从长远来看，坚持不懈是推动一切事物发展的唯一保证，不论是个人生活、工作还是运营一家公司。直到晚年，亚伯拉罕•林肯的大多数努力都以失败告终，但他从未放弃。

    2. 慢慢来。

    一次投入全部很少能够成功。虽然确实有人倾其所有，在六个月或一两年之后成为赢家，但这只是个案。对于任何初创公司来说，风险管理都是一个重要元素，账目平衡至关重要。如果你在最开始承担的风险更少，你就更容易消化损失。而这些损失将是必不可少的、富有价值的教训。

    3. 向他人学习。

    成功的创业者在自己创业之前，通常都曾在同一领域的其他公司工作过。在业内工作数年时间，并且找一位优秀的导师，将为你的创业成功奠定坚实的基础。从前辈的错误中总结经验教训，思考如何改进他们的模式。找到愿意指导你的人，然后再考虑自立门户。

    4. 学会自我推销。

    自信和出色的“电梯演说”可以提高推销的水平。任何一家公司最早的市场营销经验都来自它的创始人。因此，花时间学习如何分享你的愿景，但不要给人留下“你只是想卖东西”的印象。不要害怕寻求销售机会，但你应该牢牢记住：永远以客户为中心。

    5. 持续行动

    创业者都是行动者和颠覆者。他们不能去分析每一个细节，否则他们将寸步难行。初创公司没有拖延的资本。创业是一个全天候、无休假的职业，创业者必须具备持久不变的前进动力。迈出每一步的时候进行简单的评估，然后继续前进。相信自己的直觉。

    6. 制定计划。

    阅读成功的商业案例。吸收史蒂夫•乔布斯等成功创业者以及《创智赢家》（Shark Tank）提供的知识财富。一份成功的商业计划书不需要长篇累牍。10页纸的商业计划书既便于理解，又足以包含你要开始实施的所有内容。

    7. 建立声誉。

    主机运营商HostGator.com公司的布兰迪•班奈特认为，在一家可靠的网站上坚持写博客，或者做一名志愿者，贡献出你的时间和技能。不要去告诉别人你是谁，而应该通过实际行动去展示你自己，这样做可以积累专业知识以及个人信誉。

    8. 不论何时开始都不算晚。

    许多成功的创业者都是在中年之后才开始创业。《哈利波特》的作者J•K•罗琳、大厨茱莉亚•查尔德和沃尔玛超市创始人山姆•沃尔顿，都是在经过多年的舒适生活之后，才创建了自己的品牌，并大获成功。随着年龄增长，经验更加丰富，你会对自己的事业产生一种独特的看法。生活经验所带来的睿智，是大多数受过教育的年轻人难以预见的。

    9. 组建自己的“一流团队”。

    根据你希望推广的品牌文化，寻找能够为其提供支持的技能和态度，可以促进公司的创新，增强公司的信誉。从外部寻找帮手，帮助你的团队进步。 这将开启一个免费的营销连锁反应，为你树立自信并增加收入。

    10. 注意自己的心态。

    创始人的心态将为公司定下基调。消极、懒惰和理所应当的心态，不仅浪费时间和金钱，还会损害你的信誉。成功很大程度上取决于能否在犯错后从容地接受批评。直面挑战可以让一位普通的公司老板变成真正的领导者。

    创业会对创业者的个人生活造成严重影响。虽然上面的建议对创业成功至关重要，但从精神和身体上照顾好自己同样是必要的。锻炼、睡眠和饮食是确保你成功执行这些策略的关键要素。这些要素能够帮助你调整心态，获得动力，拓展人际关系。

    成功的CEO都保持着都极有规律的生活，他们每天早起，锻炼身体，身边会放一些点心补充能量，每周拿出几个晚上进行社交。

    你或许要很长时间才能实现工作与生活的平衡，但努力遵守这个清单，并将其作为创业的目标，将会产生不一样的效果。创业者如何看待所取得的进步？以及一家公司多快才能实现正常运营和实现收支平衡？遵循这些建议，你很快就能找到答案。（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    审校：任文科

    This post is in partnership with Entrepreneur. The article below was originally published atEntrepreneur.com.

    Succeeding as an entrepreneur takes hard work and persistence because, unfortunately, there is no business-startup fairy who magically bestows success on small businesses and their owners.

    Most successful entrepreneurs follow comparable patterns and share similar basic characteristics. Hundreds of online articles and published books claim to know the secret of success in business, but for the most part, they boil down to the same major points.

    Passion, perseverance and a positive attitude tend to set successful entrepreneurs apart. Cultivating these attributes requires an innate skill set and some tips to get started.

    So here are the main items to take into consideration if you’re trying to develop a business platform. These elements constitute will support a smart strategy for any new enterprise:

    1. Love what you do.

    Passion is key to keeping a business strategy moving. Half-heartedness in an entrepreneurial endeavor will chip away at your drive to succeed. Perseverance is the one thing that’s guaranteed to move anything over time, whether it’s a person, a job or an entire company. Abraham Lincoln failed at most of his efforts until late in his life, but he never gave up.

    2. Take baby steps.

    Jumping all in is rarely ever successful. There are success stories about people who invested everything once and came out winners after six months or a couple years, but those are rare. Risk management is an essential factor in any startup, and balance is vital. You can absorb losses more easily if you take smaller risks in the beginning. Those will provide essential and productive lessons.

    3. Learn from others.

    Successful entrepreneurs often worked for others in their field of choice before striking out on their own. Spending a few years in the industry under an excellent mentor will provide a good launching pad. Learn from your predecessors’ mistakes and brainstorm about how to improve upon their model. Find someone willing to teach, and think about starting your business elsewhere when you leave.

    4. Learn how to self-promote.

    Confidence and a good elevator speech can take any pitch to the next level. The first marketing any company experiences comes from its founder. Spend time learning how to share your vision without coming across as “salesy.” Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale, but remember: the client is always the focus.

    5. Constantly take action.

    Entrepreneurs are movers and shakers. They can’t afford to analyze every detail or they’d never get anywhere. There is no place for procrastination in a startup. It’s a 24/7, no-vacation-or-sick-days kind of job that demands constant forward momentum. Make a brief assessment at every step and move on it. Trust your instincts.

    6. Make a plan.

    Read about successful businesses. Take in the wealth of knowledge that’s been provided by successful entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs and the personalities from Shark Tank. A successful business plan does not have to be a book. A 10-page plan is digestible yet long enough to include everything you need to start.

    7. Build a reputation.

    According to Brandi Bennett at HostGator.com,maintaining a blog on a well-hosted website, or volunteering your time and skills, shows instead of tells the community, and thereby builds expertise and trust.

    8. It’s never too late to start.

    Many successful entrepreneurs started later in life. J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter author), Julia Child (chef), and Sam Walton (Wal-Mart) all started their wildly successful brands after they were comfortably along in their lives. Having the experience that comes with age can give you a unique outlook on your business. Life experiences bring depth that the most educated young adult, by his or her nature, is less able to foresee.

    9. Build your “A team”.

    Finding the skill sets and attitudes that support the culture of the brand you want to promote will foster innovation and enhance your reputation. Include folks from outside the company for the people you rely on. That will start a free marketing chain reaction that can build confidence and revenue.

    10. Be mindful of your attitude.

    The attitude of the founder will set the tone for the business. Negativity, laziness and entitlement waste time and money while they tarnish your reputation. Success largely depends on making mistakes and accepting blame in stride. Owning up to and facing challenges head-on is what makes a mere business owner a leader.

    Starting a business can wreak havoc on the owner’s personal life. While all the above tips are necessary for success, taking care of yourself mentally and physically is also imperative. Exercise, sleep and diet play a central role in ensuring you implement these policies successfully. All of them drive attitude, motivation and relationships.

    Successful CEOs tend to follow a structured, daily schedule of rising early, exercising, having snacks on hand for fuel and socializing many evenings of the week.

    Striking a balance may take a while, but working toward this list as a goal for starting your company will make the difference. How an owner feels about progress and how quickly a business can be up and running — and feeding that bottom line — will swiftly feel the impact.