初创公司要不要跑会

    经营一家初创公司，最需要关注的不是钱，而是时间！无论你能筹到或赚到多少钱，时间总是不够。不幸的是，最近我也犯了一个浪费时间的错误。

    我去伦敦参加了一个活动。我认识的很多人都提过，这个活动不错，有机会他们还会去。我就随大流了，自己并没有想得很清楚。是的，在活动现场我确实见到了很多人，是一场很好的聚会。但说实在的，我根本没必要去。这并不意味着我不应该参加任何活动，只是不是这个活动。倒也不是说这个活动不好。事实上，对于想从德国风投获得融资的初创公司而言，这是很长时间以来最好的一次活动。如果想在一个地方见到整个德国风投界和一些英国风投人士，这也是一个绝佳的场合。

    这些东西是我需要的吗？不是，我应当参加那些可以招到开发人员或创业爱好者的活动。既然我专注于金融垂直行业，任何与这个领域直接相关的活动都能帮助我更好地建立人脉网络，赢得潜在客户、合作伙伴或者员工。就算没其他事情，我也可以了解一下行业动态，或者想想我要做的事情。我原本可以更明智地支配自己的时间。

    下次你决定是否要参加某一次活动前，不妨拿下面这些问题问问自己，想想自己究竟想把时间用在什么地方：

    1.我参加这次活动想达到什么目标？

    2.我想见的人真的会出席这次活动中吗？

    3.我是在筹资、招聘、销售、寻找合伙人吗？

    4.我会遇到新的人，还是我已经认识参会的大多数人？

    5.我是仅仅参加一天的活动，还是全程参加？

    6.能不能在附近安排一些其他的会面？

    7.我能争取到发言的机会吗？这样就不用支付参会费，还能赢得关注度。

    8.我可以让我的合伙人或员工代替我参加吗？

    9.参加这次活动，我会错过其他哪些活动？

    10.我真的非去不可吗？或者说，我只是为了离开办公室，看看城里头有些什么热闹（同时，我妻子或丈夫也想一起去看看）？

    附加问题：我把丈夫\妻子\女朋友\男朋友留在家里，出去见其他人，会危及我的婚姻或恋爱关系吗？

    实事求是。如果第10个问题和附加问题击中了你，不妨暂时抛开其他问题，重新考虑创业这个事情以及你们的关系。

    保罗•乔兹菲克目前在德国经营Liquid Labs孵化器，曾负责SAP旗下风投机构SAP Ventures的欧洲业务。这篇文章最初发布在他的个人博客上。

    译者：杨智

    It is not money that you need to be most careful of when running a startup. It's time! No matter how much cash you are able to raise (or, how's-this-for-novel, earn) time is always working against you. Unfortunately, I recently made the mistake of wasting my own time.

    I went to London to attend an event. Many people whom I know had mentioned that it was good and that they would be there again. I let myself get caught up in the "trend" of everyone going. I didn't necessarily think things through to completion, though. Yes, I did see a ton of people and it was great catching up but if I am honest with myself, I didn't need to be there. This doesn't mean I should not have been at an event, just not this event. It also doesn't mean it was bad. In fact, it was the best event in a long time for startups which wanted to fundraise from German VC's. It was also a great event for people who wanted to see the whole German community plus some UK folks in one place.

    Was this what I needed? No, I should of been at an event where I could recruit developers or find folks looking to start companies. As I'm focused on the finance vertical, any event directly dealing with this space would of been better for contacts to potential customers, partners or employees. If nothing else, I could of learned something new about my industry or find an idea for something I want to build. My time would of been spent far more wisely.

    Here's some questions to ask yourself before booking that next event which can help you make up your mind about how to spend your time:

    1. What am I trying to achieve by attending this event?

    2. Will the people whom I want to meet really be at this event?

    3. Am I fundraising, recruiting, selling, looking for partners. etc.?

    4. Will I meet new people or do I already know most of the people attending?

    5. Can I go for a day or do I need to be there for the duration of the event?

    6. Is it possible to attach any adjacent meetings in the same geography?

    7. Can I get a speaker slot so as not to have to pay for attendance and gain visibility?

    8. Could I send my partner or an employee in my stead?

    9. What other events am I sacrificing by attending this one?

    10. Do I really have to go to this event or am I just going to get away from the office and see that wonderful city where it's taking place (and my wife or husband wanted to come along)?

    Bonus question: Am I endangering my relationship or marriage by leaving said husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend at home to see someone else while away?

    Be honest to yourself. If 10. and the bonus question threw you off, forget the other questions and rethink this whole startup thing as well as your relationships.

    Paul Jozefak runs the Liquid Labs incubator in Germany, and previously ran European activities for SAP Ventures. This post originally appeared on his blog.