虽然有很多人试图定义初创型企业，但这并不容易。尽管如此，我们大多数人还是会在遇到初创公司时把它们认出来（或者，至少至少，识别出带有“初创”特质的公司）。不信？看看HBO就知道了，它打造了一部非常成功的初创题材电视剧，而且我们都发现了其中的笑点。

虽然很难下定义，但有些迹象会在不经意间表明你正在经营一家初创公司，还有些迹象则表明你已经越过了这个阶段。

以下几种情况说明贵公司已经摆脱了公认（可能是定义不准确）的“初创状态”阶段。

1. 收购其他初创公司。

优步和Pinterest都成立了六年，它们曾经是不折不扣的“初创公司”。如今，它们开始收购其他初创型企业，以便为自己的持续增长增添动力。如果贵公司根基稳固而且生存的时间长到足以收购其他被视为“初创”的公司，它就很可能已经度过了这个“初创”阶段。

2. 你已经走过了高风险阶段。

投资百科网站Investopedia把“风险”定义为“可能失去部分或全部原始投资”的机会。虽然冒险是创业期间实现增长的一种核心手段，但创业者大量冒险的情况都发生在企业发展初期，而不是更为成熟的阶段。如果贵公司不再需要风投公司数额较大的投资，也不再借助个人资金来维持运营，它就可能已经摆脱了初创的定义。

3. 员工超过30人（左右）。

如果员工人数已经是创立之初的两倍或三倍，贵公司可能就不再是初创企业了。如果贵公司有了多个子办事处、分支机构或者公司总部，也是如此。应该说，从2012年起就不能再把Instagram当做初创企业，因为Facebook在这一年收购了这家有13名成员的公司，随后迅速扩大了它的员工规模。

4. 可以承担员工（及本人）的高薪。

银行里存有准备金，员工有福利，公司也在盈利。由于可以跟所有员工分享的盈利颇多，营业额增速可能放慢。把个人财务跟公司财务区分开来的习惯也已经保持了几年。你知道自己价值几何，并给予自己相应的酬劳，而不是拿低薪，以便为公司多保留一笔资金。

5. 公司使命非常明确。

愿景的定义是“一份书面声明，内容是一个组织的核心目标和重点，通常会长期保持不变”。如果脱离了初创阶段，贵公司就可能有了非常明确的愿景，你也不再用“发展”或“变化”来描述它。甚至，你已经把愿景写在了墙上。此外，鉴于已经有了清晰的愿景，贵公司要展开的工作会直接体现出愿景的内容。

6. 不再需要给陌生打电话。

会有人给你介绍更多的客户（进而带来更多的业务），特别是对行业有影响的公司，它们已经和你的品牌建立了联系。通过电话推销来发掘新客户的情况可能变少，更多的是新客户主动找上门来。每周都会有几个人给我打电话，希望聘请我们的营销公司，原因就在于我们当前的工作在市场上建立的声誉。我也会接到公司打来的电话，让我向他们推荐我们信得过的客户。如果处于这样的状态，你可能得指导贵公司的业务开发团队把重心放在维护现有的重要客户名单上，而不是去争取新的资源。

7. 公司品牌产生了影响力。

在为公司做推广时，你不再需要介绍自己有哪些客户。此前跟你合作的品牌的重要性已经比不上贵公司的品牌，因为你的品牌已经在市场上得到了认可。以知名营销和公关机构Ogilvy & Mather为例，它在全世界163座城市设有450个办事处。他们不必为了争取业务而介绍自己在60多年的从业经历中都和谁合作过。相反，知名品牌都认可这家公司，而且都希望跟他们合作。（财富中文网）

作者Mark Fitzpatrick是房地产咨询机构RUHM Luxury Marketing创始人兼首席执行官。

译者：Charlie

审校：詹妮

It’s hard to define a startup, though many have tried. Yet, most of us still tend to recognize startups when we come across them. (Or, at the very least, we recognize companies who retain that “startup” quality.) Not convinced? Just tune in to HBO, which has created an entire successful TV show around the topic, and we all get the humor.

Though the definition is hard to nail down, there are telltale signs you’re running a startup — and signs you’ve transcended that designation.

Here are a few indications your company is moving on from the recognized (if ill-defined) stage of “startup status.”

1. You’re acquiring other startups.

There was once a time when Uber and Pinterest, both six years old, were squarely “startup.” Today, they’re acquiring other startups to add to their ever-evolving growth. If your well-established company has existed long enough to acquire other companies deemed “startups,” you’ve likely progressed past the term.

2. You’ve made it through the high-risk stage.

Investopedia refers to a “risk” as an opportunity that comes with “the possibility of losing some or all of the original investment.” While risk-taking is an essential means to growth in entrepreneurship, it’s a game entrepreneurs play heavily in the nascent stages of business, as opposed to in the more mature stages. When your company no longer seeks relatively large investment dollars from venture capital firms and you’re no longer sacrificing your personal capital to stay afloat, you’ve probably outgrown the startup designation.

3. You have more than 30 (or so) employees.

If your workforce has doubled or tripled since its inception, you’re probably not a startup anymore. Ditto if you have multiple satellite offices, bureaus or company headquarters. Instagram arguably lost its startup status in 2012, when Facebook acquired its company of 13 employees, subsequently growing its workforce exponentially.

4. You can afford to pay your employees (and yourself) well.

Reserves are in the bank, your employees have benefits, and you are profitable. Because your business brings home a pretty hefty penny to share with every employee, turnover has likely slowed. Keeping your personal and professional finances separate is a habit you’ve practiced for a few years. You know what you’re worth, and you pay yourself that amount instead of cheaping out to save money to line another pocket of the business.

5. Your mission is rock solid.

A mission statement is defined as “a written declaration of an organization’s core purpose and focus that normally remains unchanged over time.” If you’ve made it out of the startup stage, your mission is likely rock solid at this point, and you’ve stopped using terms such as “evolution” or “in flux” to describe it. Heck, maybe you’ve painted it on your wall. What’s more, now that you’ve established such a clear mission, the work your company puts forward is a direct reflection of that mission statement.

6. You’ve evolved beyond cold calling.

You’re receiving more leads (and more subsequent business) from referrals, especially movers and shakers in the industry who have existing relationships with your company’s brand. New client relationships are likely also being established less from cold calls and more from organic inquiries. I receive several calls weekly from individuals looking to hire our marketing firm due to the reputation our current work has built in the marketplace. I also receive calls from companies who have asked for a referral from one of our current trusted clients. If you’re at this stage, you’re likely coaching your business development team to focus on nurturing the lead list you already have, rather than adding more names to it.

7. Your brand speaks for itself.

You no longer need to sell your company by presenting your book of clients to prospects. The brands you’ve previously worked with are no longer as important as your company’s own brand, which has gained recognition of its own in the marketplace. Consider Ogilvy & Mather, an established marketing and communications agency with 450 offices and in 163 cities worldwide. They don’t need to sell prospects on who they’ve worked with over the 60-plus years they’ve been in business. Instead, famous brands recognize their name and want to partner with them instead.