創業前應該自問的20個問題大綱

This story is published in partnership with Entrepreneur. This story originally appeared at

本文爲與《創業者》雜誌的合作內容。下文最初發表於網站。

Do you have a million-dollar idea in your head, just waiting to be acted upon? Or will it be a complete bust — an idea with no actual potential for return?

你腦子裏有一個好點子，它價值萬金，就等着你動手大幹一場了？抑或它只是個空想，實際上完全賺不回錢來？

This question is one that stops many would-be entrepreneurs in their tracks before they even take the chance and launch their potential business ventures. Fortunately, it is possible to make a more educated guess on your idea’s likelihood of success or failure by taking the time to validate your idea before moving forward with it.

這個問題撂倒了很多想創業的人，在冒把險成立個公司前停下了腳步。幸好，在把你的想法付諸行動之前，你大可以拿出一段時間，先驗證下其成功或失敗的可能性，讓自己更有把握一些。

Here are 20 questions you can ask to validate your startup idea — before you commit significant time, money or other resources to its launch:

以下，就是20個你應該捫心自問的問題。在投入大量時間、金錢和其他資源之前，來對你的創業點子進行一番驗證：

1. What problem are you solving?

1. 你要解決什麼問題？

If you can’t clearly state the problem your product or service solves, you probably don’t have a successful idea.

如果你無法明確說出自己的產品或服務能解決的問題，你的點子可能根本就不靠譜。

2. How have others attempted to solve this problem before, and why did their solutions succeed or fail?

2. 此前其他人是如何試圖解決這個問題的？他們的解決方案成功或失敗的原因是什麼？

There’s a lot you can learn from those who have gone before you.

你可以從先行者那裏學到很多。

3. How many specific benefits for your product or idea can you list?

3. 你能爲自己的產品或創意列出多少個具體的優點？

The more you can think of, the more likely it is that you’re meeting a real need and can be successful.

你能想出來的優點越多，便越有可能表明你的產品真正滿足了一種需求，成功的機率也就越大。

4. Can you state, in clear language, the key features of your product or service?

4. 你能否用清晰的語言說明該產品或服務的主要特性？

Not being able to easily describe the key features of your idea is a warning sign that the idea isn’t well thought out yet.

如果你無法用簡單的語言描述這些主要特性，這可能意味着你的想法尚不成熟。

5. Does your idea already exist in the same way you were going to create it?

5. 是否有人已先你一步，把這個點子做出來了？

If a similar solution exists, how will yours be different? If you don’t have any clear differentiating benefits or features, you likely need a new idea.

如果已經存在類似的解決方案，你如何實現差異化？如果你沒有任何明確的、差異化的優點或特性，你可能需要換個新點子。

6. Who are your potential competitors?

6. 你的潛在競爭對手有哪些？

Having competitors isn’t a bad thing — it means a market exists. However, knowing what you’ll face if you launch is important, as an overcrowded marketplace or one where consumers have a strong affinity for the dominant brand may be more difficult to break into.

有競爭對手不是壞事——這意味着這個市場確實存在。儘管如此，如果一個市場的競爭過於激烈，或者主導品牌在消費者中建立了強烈的親和力，這樣的市場將很難進入，因此，瞭解你創業後要面對的一切非常重要。

7. What key features does my product or service have that others will have a hard time copying?

7. 我的產品和服務有哪些關鍵特性是別人很難複製的？

Before you go into business, you need to be very clear about what sets you apart from competitors.

在開始創業前，你需要非常清楚自己與競爭對手的區別所在。

8. Have you done a SWOT analysis?

8. 你是否做過SWOT分析？

This framework helps you to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that your idea has, giving you a better idea of the overall likelihood for success.

這個框架可以幫助你瞭解自己想法中的優勢、不足、機會和威脅，讓你對成功的可能性有更清晰的認識。

9. Do you have access to the various resources you need to launch a business?

9. 你是否有渠道獲得創業所需的各種資源？

While you don’t need to be rich to launch a business, you will need some combination of time and money, depending on the scope of your idea. If you have no way to access everything you need, you’re better off waiting to launch your company until your situation is different.

雖然創業者不一定要很有錢，但你肯定需要投入一定量的時間和資金，多少則根據你想創業的方向而定。如果你沒有渠道去獲得所需的資源，最好等到情況有好轉了再考慮創業。

10. Do you have a mentor or industry advisor that you can call on?

10. 你是否有一位導師或行業顧問可以徵求建議？

Certainly, you can go it alone if you have to, but when you start a new business, having the advice of others in a similar business space can prevent unnecessary expenditures or missteps.

當然，在不得已的情況下你也可以單槍匹馬，但在創建新公司的時候，來自相關行業的其他人的建議，可以幫助你避免一些不必要的開支和失誤。

11. Can you name somebody who would benefit from your product or service?

11. 你能否說出誰將從你的產品或服務中獲益？

This is the beginning of market research — who do you actually know that would use your idea? A general demographic isn’t enough, so take the time to hone in your target buyer personas.

這是市場研究的開始——你知道誰會成爲你的用戶嗎？籠統的調查結果並不足以說明問題，你必須花時間全力研究你的目標客戶。

12. What is the size of the market that will buy your product or service?

12. 可能會購買你產品或服務的市場規模有多大？

If you don’t know the size of the market, you have a lot of research ahead of you. Understanding how many people need your idea — and what they’re willing to pay for it — will help you determine whether your concept is viable.

如果你還不清楚市場的規模，就必須進行大量的調研。瞭解有多少人需要你的創意——以及他們願意花多少錢購買，這些調查結果將幫助你確定自己的想法是否可行。

13. Have you reached out to potential customers for feedback?

13. 你是否曾向潛在客戶尋求反饋？

Getting feedback before investing further money can help you avoid creating a product or service that nobody really wants.

在加大投資之前獲得反饋，可以幫你避免做出一款沒人真的想要的產品或服務。

14. Can you set up a landing page and encourage interested people to sign up for more information?

14. 你能否設計出一個登陸頁面，鼓勵有興趣的人註冊成用戶以瞭解更多信息？

This can be an easy and inexpensive way to test interest in a product or service. If a lot of people are interested, it’s a great sign that you’re on the right track!

用這種方式來測試消費者對一款產品或服務的興趣，簡單又花不了多少錢。如果有許多人對此感興趣，這表明你已經找對了方向！

15. What would it take to build a minimum viable product to test the market?

15. 生產一款可用於市場測試的最簡便可行產品的成本是多少？

One mistake many entrepreneurs make is thinking that they have to launch a finished concept right away. Consider starting small, gauging interest and iterating as you go.

許多創業者常犯的一個錯誤，就是認爲他們必須馬上將一個完整的成品推向市場。創業者應該考慮從小做起，測試消費者的興趣，並不斷完善更新。

16. Can you get paying customers from your target market to pre-order based on a blueprint or mockup?

16. 你能否讓目標市場的付費客戶，根據設計圖或實物模型便預訂產品?

Pre-orders are a solid sign of customer commitment. Someone saying they’re interested is one thing, but seeing people actually pony up their credit card information is a much stronger sign of potential success.

產品預訂是客戶承諾的可靠標誌。有人說，消費者感興趣是一回事，而下單訂購則是另外一回事。後者是更強有力的成功信號。

17. Can you produce the actual product yourself, or do you have a partner who can?

17. 你能否自己生產產品？或者這方面你有沒有一位可靠的合作方？

As you might expect, before launch, you need to know who’s actually going to produce the first set of products or services, as well as whether they can do so within your budget.

正如你所料想的那樣，在創業之前，你需要知道實際上將由誰生產第一批產品或服務，以及生產成本是否在你的預算範圍之內？

18. Do you have distributors or partners to help you scale your business?

18. 你有沒有可以幫你擴大業務規模的經銷商或合作伙伴？

Once you have paying customers, you’ll need to ramp up actual distribution to meet demand. Do you have access to the partners and/or money needed to do so?

找到付費客戶之後，你需要增加實際發貨量來滿足需求。你有沒有渠道找到合作伙伴以及所需的資金？

19. What will it take to break even or make a profit?

19. 如何才能實現收支平衡或盈利？

Some ideas take a lot of upfront investment, while others don’t. If yours does, it’s a good idea to plan for how you’ll handle your finances and daily needs while you’re waiting for your product or service to gain traction.

有些創意需要大量前期投資，有些則不需要。如果你的想法屬於前者，在等待自己的產品或服務獲得認可的同時，你最好制定一套方案，解決如何處理公司的財務與日常需求等問題。

20. How can investors in your idea make a profit?

20. 投資者如何從你的想法中獲利？

If you want others to come alongside your business and help you grow, you’ll have to know how they can benefit.

如果你希望在創業時，有人與你風雨同舟，幫助你成長，你必須知道如何讓他們從中獲益。

It may take some time to come up with answers to all these questions, but once you have them, you should have a better idea about how viable your idea is. If it passes these tests, go for it! If not, keep thinking — your next idea may be the one that changes the world.

要給出所有這些問題的答案，或許需要花上一些時間，但一旦你有了答案，也就能更清楚看出自己的想法是否可行。如果它通過了所有這些檢驗，那就放手去做吧！反之，請繼續思考——你的下一個點子或許就將改變世界。（財富中文網）