送给创业菜鸟的15条致胜锦囊

创业是一种让人又兴奋又恐惧的体验。

我曾经开过的公司数量，其实要比我愿意承认的多得多。我的切身体会就是，创业就像开车行驶在浓雾当中，你的视线只有车前几英尺那么远——你不知道前方有什么，直到它突然出现在你面前。但随着创业时间越来越长，你可以更轻松地穿越这层迷雾。

我已经在这团浓雾中行驶了十多年。以下就是我基于这些经历总结出的15条经验教训。毫不谦虚地讲，这些建议基本上都属于“早知道这些就好了”的必读经验。

1、不要相信统计数据

人们喜欢滥用统计数据，说95%的公司都失败了。别听这些——这只是让你安心放弃梦想的借口。即便这个数字是正确的，那也是因为多数人没有全身心投入，他们没有坚持到底，或者他们在管理资金方面太过愚蠢。

2、做自己喜欢的事情

不要做你在五年之后可能不想再做的事情。因为如果你成功了，五年之后你可能依旧要做这件事。

3、你不可能无所不知

事实上，在最开始的时候，你可能什么都不懂。但不要气馁。我最初进入房地产投资行业，根本不知道如何购买房产，如何出租房屋，或者如何赶走房客。所有这些技能都是一边干一边摸索出来的。你也一样。

4、学会有始有终

我认识的几乎每一位创业者，都面临着同样的诅咒：一开始满腔热情，最后却草草收场。换言之，作为一名出色的创业者，你会有许多很棒的想法。多数想法或许可行，最终能让你赚得盆满钵满。但这并不意味着，你要把每一个想法都付诸实施。你应该选择其中之一，并坚持下去，直到它失败，或者让你变得足够富有，可以买下一座私人小岛。

5、选择合作伙伴时，不能图方便

你选择的合作伙伴，应该让你变得更强大。错误的合作伙伴会让你崩溃，让你讨厌自己的工作。这样的合作伙伴往往成事不足败事有余。

6、人事管理是门苦差事

这没什么，每个人最初都有这样的经历。但对于这项任务，你必须让自己变得更擅长。现在就聘请一位助理，即使它只是一位每小时3美元的虚拟助理。它能够给你提供出色的管理培训，并且没有副作用。

7、社交媒体并没有那么重要

我们只是假装它很重要，这样我们就可以在Facebook上看猫咪的照片了。我建议安装一个Facebook消息拦截器。

8、别摆弄商业计划/名片/商标这些事

在现在这个阶段，这些事情根本不重要。你应该一心一意地构筑业务，而不是整天忙于做这些让你感觉自己正在干大事的琐事。

9、专注与痴迷其实只是一线之隔

不用在意它们之间的微妙区别，你甚至需要经常跨越这条线，所以，如果有人说你太痴迷于自己的想法，不必理会。我深深地痴迷于房地产投资——这没什么不好。你又对什么痴迷呢？

10、别太早辞职

没错，辞职之后，你将有更多时间创建自己的公司，但实话实说：每周有168个小时，你用在工作上的时间只有40个小时，还有50个小时在睡觉。如果你能督促自己关掉Netflix，你会有大量的时间。但在经济条件许可的情况下，也不要害怕辞职。

11、专注于回报更高的任务

将你的任务进行分类，确定哪些是“每小时10美元”的任务，哪些是“每小时1000美元”的任务。专注于做更多“每小时1000美元”的任务，减少“每小时10美元”的任务。实际上，你做的许多工作都价值每小时1000美元，只是你可能还没有意识到而已。你只需要做得更多。

12、爱人和孩子比事业更重要

永远不要忘记这一点。

13、多读书

如果没有时间，可以听有声书。读的内容不止限于商业类图书。你可以读一些励志的书，自助的书，成功类书籍，小说、自传等。

14、早点起床

没错，你能做到，而且你应该早起。别说你是一个不喜欢早起的人，这只是懒人的借口而已。更多建议，可以阅读哈尔·爱尔罗德的《神奇的早晨》（The Miracle Morning）一书。这个习惯将改变你的一生。

15、别担心融资问题

只要你专注于创业，便会有不可思议的人给你投资。

我刚才说了，创业就像是在一个弥漫着大雾的漆黑夜晚，开车行驶在空无一人的高速公路上，会令人有些恐惧。希望上面的建议至少有一条能够帮助你更轻松、更自信地穿越迷雾。如果你是刚刚开始创业的新人，只要记住一点：迎着迷雾继续前进。未来会给你回报。

你还有其他的建议吗？或者你希望展开讨论哪个话题？欢迎在下方评论，让我们继续沟通。

最后，如果你认为这篇文章可以帮助你的家人或朋友，欢迎在你最喜欢的社交媒体平台上分享。你的小小举动或许会改变某个人的人生。(财富中文网)

译者：刘进龙/汪皓

审校：任文科

Starting a business is exciting -- and scary.

I've started more businesses than I'd care to admit. In my experience, it's a bit like driving through a heavy fog where you are only able to see a few feet in front of the windshield -- you don't know what's up ahead until it's upon you. However, the longer you are an entrepreneur, the better you can navigate through that fog.

As I've been driving through the fog for over a decade now, I thought I would take today's post and boil down 15 of the biggest lessons I've learned over the past decade of building and growing businesses. Consider these tips "stuff I wish I had known when I was young and stupid." Let's get to them.

1. Don't listen to statistics.

People love to throw around the statistic that 95 percent of business fail. Don't listen to that -- it's an excuse to make you feel comfortable about giving up. If that number is even correct, it's because most people don't commit, they don't follow through to the end or they are stupid in how they manage their money.

2. Do something you like.

Don't start something you won't want to do in five years. Because if you are successful, you'll still be doing this in five years.

3. You are not going to know everything.

In fact, you probably won't know anything when you first start. Start anyway. When I first got into real-estate investing, I had no idea how to buy a property, rent a house, or evict a tenant. I figured it all out "on the job." You will too.

4. Finish what you start.

Nearly every entrepreneur I know suffers from the same curse: we like to start things more than we like to finish them. In other words, if you are a good entrepreneur, you'll have a lot of great ideas. Most of them would probably work out well and make you a lot of money. However, that doesn't mean you should pursue them. Pick one and go with it until it dies or it makes you rich enough to buy a private island.

5. Never partner with someone because it's convenient.

Partner with someone because it makes you stronger. The wrong partner will drive you crazy, make you hate your work and end up causing more problems than they solve.

6. You are going to suck at managing people.

It's OK, we all do at first. However, this is one task you must get better about. Hire an assistant right now, even if it's only a virtual one for $3 an hour. It will give you some great training on managing, with little downside.

7. Social media probably isn't that important.

We just pretend it is so we can look at cat pictures on Facebook. I'd recommend installing a Facebook newsfeed blocker, such as this one.

8. Stop designing business cards, logos, business plans and stationery.

They don't matter right now. Go build your business and stop doing busy work that makes you feel like you are accomplishing something.

9. There is a fine line between dedicated and obsessed.

Screw the line. Trample right over it. You need to cross that line continually, so never let anyone tell you that you are too obsessed with your idea. I'm completely and overwhelmingly obsessed with real-estate investing -- and it's OK. What are you obsessed with?

Related: 7 Lessons From Entrepreneurs Who Kept Their Day Jobs While Starting Their Businesses

10. Don't quit your job too soon.

Yes, you'll have more time to build your business, but let's be honest: there are 168 hours in a week, only 40 are consumed by your job and another 50 by sleep. You have plenty of time if you would just hustle and turn off Netflix. But don't be afraid to quit your job if you can afford it.

11. Focus on your higher paying tasks.

Divide up your tasks and determine what your "$10 per hour" tasks are and what your "$1,000 per hour" tasks are. Focus on doing more "$1,000 per hour" tasks and fewer "$10 per hour" ones. For more on this, read Want to Make $1,000 or More Per Hour? And yes, you do a lot of $1,000 an hour tasks, even if you don't realize it. Just do more of them.

12. Your spouse and kids matters more than your business.

Never forget that.

13. Read -- a lot.

If you don't have time, listen to audiobooks. And not just business books. Read motivational books, self-help books, success books, fiction books, biographies -- whatever.

14. Get up earlier.

Yes, you can, and you should. I don't care if you are not a morning person. That's an excuse lazy people use. For more advice on this, read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. It's life changing.

15. Don't worry about raising money.

Focus on building a business so incredible people throw money at you.

Like driving down a lonely highway on a dark, foggy night, entrepreneurship can be a little scary. But hopefully at least one of the above tips will help you navigate through the fog a little easier with more confidence. If you are just getting started with your business, just remember this: keep driving through the fog. Your future self will thank you.

Do you have any additional tips you'd like to add? Or something you'd like to expand upon? Leave your comments below and let's continue the conversation.

Finally, if you think this post could help one of your family members or friends, share it on your favorite social-media channel. You never know whose life you might change.