10步成爲成功的創業者

This post is in partnership with Entrepreneur. The article below was originally published .

本文爲與《創業者》雜誌的合作內容。下文最初發表於。

Succeeding as an entrepreneur takes hard work and persistence because, unfortunately, there is no business-startup fairy who magically bestows success on small businesses and their owners.

成功的創業者需要付出努力和毅力，因爲非常不幸的是，世上並沒有創業小精靈，能夠神奇般地將成功賜予小公司和他們的老闆。

Most successful entrepreneurs follow comparable patterns and share similar basic characteristics. Hundreds of online articles and published books claim to know the secret of success in business, but for the most part, they boil down to the same major points.

大多數成功的創業者都遵循類似的模式，並且具備類似的基本特質。無數在線文章和圖書宣稱掌握了商業成功的祕訣，但事實上其中大多數都可以歸結爲幾個相同的要點。

Passion, perseverance and a positive attitude tend to set successful entrepreneurs apart. Cultivating these attributes requires an innate skill set and some tips to get started.

激情、毅力和積極的心態，是創業成功的關鍵。培養這些特質要有天賦和一些小技巧。

So here are the main items to take into consideration if you’re trying to develop a business platform. These elements constitute will support a smart strategy for any new enterprise:

下面是開發一個商業平臺時需要考慮的主要元素。這些元素可以幫助任何新公司制定明智的策略：

1. Love what you do.

1. 熱愛自己的事業。

Passion is key to keeping a business strategy moving. Half-heartedness in an entrepreneurial endeavor will chip away at your drive to succeed. Perseverance is the one thing that’s guaranteed to move anything over time, whether it’s a person, a job or an entire company. Abraham Lincoln failed at most of his efforts until late in his life, but he never gave up.

激情是保持公司策略順利運行的關鍵所在。在創業過程中三心二意，將讓你失去成功的動力。從長遠來看，堅持不懈是推動一切事物發展的唯一保證，不論是個人生活、工作還是運營一家公司。直到晚年，亞伯拉罕o林肯的大多數努力都以失敗告終，但他從未放棄。

2. Take baby steps.

2. 慢慢來。

Jumping all in is rarely ever successful. There are success stories about people who invested everything once and came out winners after six months or a couple years, but those are rare. Risk management is an essential factor in any startup, and balance is vital. You can absorb losses more easily if you take smaller risks in the beginning. Those will provide essential and productive lessons.

一次投入全部很少能夠成功。雖然確實有人傾其所有，在六個月或一兩年之後成爲贏家，但這只是個案。對於任何初創公司來說，風險管理都是一個重要元素，賬目平衡至關重要。如果你在最開始承擔的風險更少，你就更容易消化損失。而這些損失將是必不可少的、富有價值的教訓。

3. Learn from others.

3. 向他人學習。

Successful entrepreneurs often worked for others in their field of choice before striking out on their own. Spending a few years in the industry under an excellent mentor will provide a good launching pad. Learn from your predecessors’ mistakes and brainstorm about how to improve upon their model. Find someone willing to teach, and think about starting your business elsewhere when you leave.

成功的創業者在自己創業之前，通常都曾在同一領域的其他公司工作過。在業內工作數年時間，並且找一位優秀的導師，將爲你的創業成功奠定堅實的基礎。從前輩的錯誤中總結經驗教訓，思考如何改進他們的模式。找到願意指導你的人，然後再考慮自立門戶。

4. Learn how to self-promote.

4. 學會自我推銷。

Confidence and a good elevator speech can take any pitch to the next level. The first marketing any company experiences comes from its founder. Spend time learning how to share your vision without coming across as “salesy.” Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale, but remember: the client is always the focus.

自信和出色的“電梯演說”可以提高推銷的水平。任何一家公司最早的市場營銷經驗都來自它的創始人。因此，花時間學習如何分享你的願景，但不要給人留下“你只是想賣東西”的印象。不要害怕尋求銷售機會，但你應該牢牢記住：永遠以客戶爲中心。

5. Constantly take action.

5. 持續行動

Entrepreneurs are movers and shakers. They can’t afford to analyze every detail or they’d never get anywhere. There is no place for procrastination in a startup. It’s a 24/7, no-vacation-or-sick-days kind of job that demands constant forward momentum. Make a brief assessment at every step and move on it. Trust your instincts.

創業者都是行動者和顛覆者。他們不能去分析每一個細節，否則他們將寸步難行。初創公司沒有拖延的資本。創業是一個全天候、無休假的職業，創業者必須具備持久不變的前進動力。邁出每一步的時候進行簡單的評估，然後繼續前進。相信自己的直覺。

6. Make a plan.

6. 制定計劃。

Read about successful businesses. Take in the wealth of knowledge that’s been provided by successful entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs and the personalities from Shark Tank. A successful business plan does not have to be a book. A 10-page plan is digestible yet long enough to include everything you need to start.

閱讀成功的商業案例。吸收史蒂夫o喬布斯等成功創業者以及《創智贏家》（Shark Tank）提供的知識財富。一份成功的商業計劃書不需要長篇累牘。10頁紙的商業計劃書既便於理解，又足以包含你要開始實施的所有內容。

7. build a reputation.

7. 建立聲譽。

According to Brandi Bennett at ,maintaining a blog on a well-hosted website, or volunteering your time and skills, shows instead of tells the community, and thereby builds expertise and trust.

主機運營商公司的布蘭迪o班奈特認爲，在一家可靠的網站上堅持寫博客，或者做一名志願者，貢獻出你的時間和技能。不要去告訴別人你是誰，而應該通過實際行動去展示你自己，這樣做可以積累專業知識以及個人信譽。

8. It’s never too late to start.

8. 不論何時開始都不算晚。

Many successful entrepreneurs started later in life. J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter author), Julia Child (chef), and Sam Walton (Wal-Mart) all started their wildly successful brands after they were comfortably along in their lives. Having the experience that comes with age can give you a unique outlook on your business. Life experiences bring depth that the most educated young adult, by his or her nature, is less able to foresee.

許多成功的創業者都是在中年之後纔開始創業。《哈利波特》的作者JoKo羅琳、大廚茱莉亞o查爾德和沃爾瑪超市創始人山姆o沃爾頓，都是在經過多年的舒適生活之後，才創建了自己的品牌，並大獲成功。隨着年齡增長，經驗更加豐富，你會對自己的事業產生一種獨特的看法。生活經驗所帶來的睿智，是大多數受過教育的年輕人難以預見的。

9. Build your “A team”.

9. 組建自己的“一流團隊”。

Finding the skill sets and attitudes that support the culture of the brand you want to promote will foster innovation and enhance your reputation. Include folks from outside the company for the people you rely on. That will start a free marketing chain reaction that can build confidence and revenue.

根據你希望推廣的品牌文化，尋找能夠爲其提供支持的技能和態度，可以促進公司的創新，增強公司的信譽。從外部尋找幫手，幫助你的團隊進步。 這將開啓一個免費的營銷連鎖反應，爲你樹立自信並增加收入。

10. Be mindful of your attitude.

10. 注意自己的心態。

The attitude of the founder will set the tone for the business. Negativity, laziness and entitlement waste time and money while they tarnish your reputation. Success largely depends on making mistakes and accepting blame in stride. Owning up to and facing challenges head-on is what makes a mere business owner a leader.

創始人的心態將爲公司定下基調。消極、懶惰和理所應當的心態，不僅浪費時間和金錢，還會損害你的信譽。成功很大程度上取決於能否在犯錯後從容地接受批評。直面挑戰可以讓一位普通的公司老闆變成真正的領導者。

Starting a business can wreak havoc on the owner’s personal life. While all the above tips are necessary for success, taking care of yourself mentally and physically is also imperative. Exercise, sleep and diet play a central role in ensuring you implement these policies successfully. All of them drive attitude, motivation and relationships.

創業會對創業者的個人生活造成嚴重影響。雖然上面的建議對創業成功至關重要，但從精神和身體上照顧好自己同樣是必要的。鍛鍊、睡眠和飲食是確保你成功執行這些策略的關鍵要素。這些要素能夠幫助你調整心態，獲得動力，拓展人際關係。

Successful CEOs tend to follow a structured, daily schedule of rising early, exercising, having snacks on hand for fuel and socializing many evenings of the week.

成功的CEO都保持着都極有規律的生活，他們每天早起，鍛鍊身體，身邊會放一些點心補充能量，每週拿出幾個晚上進行社交。

Striking a balance may take a while, but working toward this list as a goal for starting your company will make the difference. How an owner feels about progress and how quickly a business can be up and running — and feeding that bottom line — will swiftly feel the impact.

你或許要很長時間才能實現工作與生活的平衡，但努力遵守這個清單，並將其作爲創業的目標，將會產生不一樣的效果。創業者如何看待所取得的進步？以及一家公司多快才能實現正常運營和實現收支平衡？遵循這些建議，你很快就能找到答案。