創業要趁早:爲什麼20多歲的人會成爲最成功的企業家?

When it comes to building a successful company, most investors and business advocates look for companies with an experienced management team. They want someone that has a “successful track record” with experience forming teams, writing business plans, building products, and managing a P&L.

說到要創立一家成功的企業，大多數的投資商和企業倡導人都會找一支有管理經驗的團隊。他們要找的是那種曾經有過很高成就，並且在團隊組織、撰寫商業計劃、產品建設以及成本和利潤控制方面都有經驗的人。

You can’t blame them. As with almost everything in life, practice makes perfect and experience provides learning lessons that allow for improvement and growth. While betting on experienced batters can certainly produce doubles, triples, and even home-runs; the grand slams of entrepreneurship come from the young and ill-experienced 20-somethings.

你不能怪他們這樣做，對於生活中的大多數事情來說，都是熟能生巧。有經驗就能使改進和增長成爲可能。一個有經驗的擊球手肯定能打出二壘打，三壘打甚至全壘打，而真正拿到大滿貫的人往往是那些年輕而又沒有經驗的年輕人。

Yes, I said it.

確實如此，我說過。

That’s not what you’re going to read in the textbooks. You won’t hear that from a venture capitalist. And, you certainly won’t hear that in your MBA classes.

這些東西你在課本上是讀不到的，你也不會聽一位風險資本家說起，更不會在你的工商管理課程上聽到。

I know, I know. Some of you will say that I am biased because I was a 20-Something young entrepreneur when I started Lendio, but let’s look at the facts:

我瞭解，我懂。你們當中會有人說我很偏見，因爲我在20多歲還很年輕的時候就創立了Lendio公司，但是讓我們一起來看看下面的這些事實：

(Some of the) Most Successful Entrepreneurs of our Time and Their (Age):

我們這個時代一些最成功的企業家以及他們的年齡：

1. Founders of Google: Sergey Brin (25) & Larry Page (25)

1. 谷歌公司創始人：塞吉·布林（25歲）；拉里·佩奇（25歲）

2. Founders of Apple: Steve Jobs (21) & Steve Wozniak (26)

2. 蘋果公司創始人：史蒂夫·喬布斯（21歲）；史蒂夫·沃茲尼亞克（26歲）

3. Founders of Microsoft: Bill Gates (20) & Paul Allen (22)

3. 微軟公司創始人：比爾·蓋茨（20歲）；保羅·艾倫（22歲）

4. Founder of Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg (20)

4. Facebook公司創始人：馬克·扎克博格（20歲）

5. Founder of Wal-Mart: Sam Walton (26)

5. 沃爾瑪創始人：薩姆·沃爾頓（26歲）

Anyone else recognize the pattern? Each one of the founders was between the ages of 20 and 26 when they founded what turned out to be one of the most successful companies of our lifetime.

大家有沒有注意到這些人的年齡結構呢？每位創始人的年齡都在20-26歲之間，而他們所創立的公司都在日後非常成功地影響了我們的一生。

20-Somethings Have Nothing to Lose

20多歲的人輸得起

One of the main reasons that young entrepreneurs can build incredibly successful companies is that they really don’t have anything to lose. Most of these entrepreneurs are used to living in a cheap college apartment and eating ramen noodles. At that age, the entrepreneur usually doesn’t have a mortgage, a car payment, or a built-up lifestyle to maintain.

那些年輕的企業家之所以能取得如此卓越的成就，一個主要原因就是他們真的不怕輸。他們大多數居住在廉價的大學公寓，吃着拉麪。在那個年齡，他們通常沒有債務，沒有汽車貸款，或者還沒有形成固定的生活方式。

On the contrary, a more experienced entrepreneur that is starting a company later in life has everything to lose. By this time in their career, they are used to a strong-paying salary. They live in a nice neighborhood with a comfortable car — maybe even a luxury car with a monthly payment attached. When his/her spouse thinks about starting a new company, he/she will also consider the stark reality of losing the comforts of life that they have worked hard to build up during their career. Suddenly, when thinking about all that he/she has to lose, the experienced entrepreneur’s plan to build a successful company include hedges, calculated moves, and conservatism.

相反，一個更有經驗的企業家要想晚些時候開始創立公司的話，那他就什麼都輸不起了。到他們那個時候，他們習慣了拿高薪，他們居住在高檔社區，開着豪華轎車，也許還是每月都有貸款的豪華汽車。當他/她的配偶想到要開新公司的時候，他們會想到他們即將要失去辛辛苦苦建立起來的事業。突然想到這些即將要失去的東西，企業家要建立一份成功的企業會遇到很多障礙，需要精打細算，保守經營等。

20-Somethings Can Swing for the Fences

20多歲的人可以孤注一擲

With nothing to lose, young entrepreneurs can look at solving problems with a completely different mindset. There is very little at risk. They aren’t required to hedge. And only the thing that crosses the entrepreneur’s mind is the drive to solve the identified problem in the best way possible. Fortunately, the young entrepreneur has the energy to consistently burn the midnight candle.

因爲他們不怕輸，所以年輕的企業家們可以用一種完全不同的心態去看待需要解決的問題。他們不需要冒很大的險。沒有必要處處小心。他們只需要有那種能以最佳方式處理好問題的頭腦。幸運的是，這些年輕的企業家有很多的精力可以徹夜去思考這些問題。

“I never took a day off in my twenties. Not one.” — Bill Gates

比爾·蓋茨說過：“我20幾歲的時候從來沒有請過假，一天都沒有。”

Finally, without having been in the workplace, the young entrepreneur has a fresh perspective untainted from the way-it-is-supposed-to-be mindset that is so prevalent in most boardrooms. Consequently, their solutions are new, innovative, and groundbreaking.

最後，那些沒有參加過工作的年輕企業家有着一些新鮮、有獨特視角的觀念，而不是那些會議室中普遍盛行的應有心態。結果是，他們的方法新穎，獨特，具有開創性。

If You’re a 20 Something…

如果你是一位正值20多歲的人...

Go for it.

那就去創業吧。

There will never be a better time in your life to live your dream of entrepreneurship. Swing for the fences with a goal to add your name to the prestigious list above. If you fail, it will have been one of the best learning experiences of your life.

這是你生命中實現創業夢想最佳的時間了。爲了讓你的名字也出現在上面的名單中，趕快設立目標奮鬥吧。倘若你失敗了，這也是你人生中最有價值的寶貴經驗。