Fanhattan首席执行官：勇敢追求自己的理想

    一年一度的《财富》杂志头脑风暴技术大会（Brainstorm Tech conference）云集了技术创新行业最优秀、最出色的人才。《财富》杂志会定期地采访不同的参会嘉宾，分享他们在业务、技术和创业方面的真知灼见。我们询问了Fanhattan首席执行官吉利斯•拜恩罗萨10个问题，内容涉及其业余生活、他所获得过的最佳建议和适用于青年创业家的行业秘诀。以下是他的回答：

1. 你获得过的最佳建议是什么？

    “即使遇到再大的困难，也不要止步不前。”其实这并不算是我所获得的建议（温斯顿•丘吉尔的名言），但他说的一点都没错。

2. 你最近读的书叫什么名字？

    布雷克•斯耐德写的《拯救猫咪》（Save the Cat）讲的是好莱坞的剧本创作。可能听起来有点奇怪，但是我想了解好莱坞的精英们编故事的奥秘。无论是组建团队还是打造合作关系或是笼络投资商，身为企业家，我的很大一部分工作都要求我拥有高超的讲故事技巧。

3. 对于即将进入残酷的就业市场的年轻人，你有什么忠告？

    即便就业市场让你感到不知所措，也应该追求自己所热爱的工作。即便你目前的工作得不到别人认可，也要放手去做。迟早是会得到认可的。

4. 你错过的最大的机遇是什么？

    我在职业生涯的早期，曾经因为困难就停止了继续前行。因为跟一家更大的公司打官司，我关闭了我的第一家公司。我太早就放弃了。法国人用另一种眼光看待打官司这件事情……怎么说好呢，它更多地被当作是人身攻击。如今，我才知道这实际上是我步入正轨的信号，而且我本应继续坚持下去的。

5. 你的消遣活动有哪些？

    风筝冲浪。一到水上，我便会全身心地投入。这项运动让人没有闲暇的精力去想工作上的事情。能做到这一点的运动不多。这项运动非常激烈。

6. 你最钦佩哪位商业人士或技术专家？为什么？

    1984年，也就是远在Mac电脑流行之前，我购买了苹果的Apple II个人电脑。从那时开始，我便迷上了乔布斯。最近，我将杰夫•贝佐斯视为创始人的楷模，因为他一直统领着公司。创始人会让公司不断地标新立异，进行大胆地尝试，而不是仅仅守着自己的专长一成不变。

7. 哪些企业是你崇拜的对象？为什么？

    Sonos是我的崇拜对象。当初 ，这家公司进入满是苹果iPod和Bose音箱的市场时，人们都说它疯了。要挤进这个市场并获得成功看起来似乎是不可能的事，但他们做到了。我十分钦佩它的执行策略。

    Fortune's annual Brainstorm Tech conference brings together the best and brightest minds in tech innovation. Fortune periodically turns the spotlight on a different conference attendee to offer his or her own personal insight into business, tech, and entrepreneurship. We asked Fanhattan CEO Gilles BianRosa to answer 10 questions about life outside of work, the best advice he ever received, and industry tips for young entrepreneurs. His responses follow.

1. What is the best advice you ever received?

    "When you're going through hell, keep going." Not exactly advice I received (coming from Winston Churchill), but totally true.

2. What was the last book you read?

    Save the Cat by Blake Snyder -- a book about screenwriting in Hollywood. Might seem like an odd choice, but I was trying to figure out how the best minds in Hollywood craft stories. So much of what I do as an entrepreneur requires great storytelling -- from rallying a team to building partnerships to securing investors.

3. What would you say to a group of young people looking to enter the tough job market?

    Follow your passion even if it looks like you're all over the place. Go for it even if it doesn't make sense now. It will later.

4. What was your biggest missed opportunity?

    Earlier in my career, I didn't keep going when I entered a patch of hell. I gave up too early and folded my first company over a lawsuit by a much larger company. In France a lawsuit is perceived in a different way ... not sure how to explain it, but it's seen more as a personal attack. Today I know it was actually a sign that I was on the right track and I should have kept going.

5. What do you do for fun?

    Kite surfing. I get totally absorbed when I'm on the water. It requires so much attention that you can't think about work. It's one of the few sports that does that. It's intense.

6. What business or technology person do you admire most? Why?

    I admired Steve Jobs since 1984 when I bought an Apple II, long before a Mac was cool. More recently, I've looked up to Jeff Bezos as an example of a founder who stayed at the helm of his company. Founders keep the business doing crazy things and making bold pivots rather than just dialing up what they already do well.

7. What other companies do you admire? Why?

    Sonos stands out for me. Here's a company that was told they were crazy to enter a world saturated with Apple iPods (AAPL) and Bose speakers. It seemed impossible to crack into that business and succeed -- yet they did. I'm in admiration of the execution.