1、 创业之病 “无可救药” 收藏英国时报Is being an entrepreneur a medical condition? Mark Constantine, co-founder of Lush, the cosmetics empire, seems to think so. I met him while chairing a panel of retail entrepreneurs at a conference last week, and have wondered about his semi-serious remark to that effect since. Is
2、 the urge to start and run companies really a pathological affliction?做一名企业家是一种病态吗? 马克 康斯坦泰恩, 化妆品帝国 Lush 的联合创始人似乎赞同这种说法. 我上周在一个会议上和他碰面,当时我是零售企业家协会的主席. 他在会议上就曾半开玩笑地说过类似的话, 这让我思考良多. 难道创业以及经营企业的欲望真的是一种病态吗?Unquestionably if you catch the bug it is incurable. Once someone has enjoyed the soaring highs of
3、 creating a new venture (and despite the inevitable lows), they can never revert to working for others. For them, life would be too boring.毫无疑问, 如果你真的得了这种病, 那真的无可救药了 . 一旦一个人尝到创业大展宏图的滋味(尽管也有可能跌落到低谷), 那么他就不可能再重新替别人打工了, 因为对他来讲, 打工的生活太枯燥了.Among entrepreneurs I know, the hunger to experiment and go for i
4、t cannot be satisfied except temporarily restlessness enters the soul, a longing to seize opportunities and improve the order of things.在我认识的企业家当中, 他们都极其渴望试验自己的想法并且为之努力, 除了暂时性的满意以外, 永远不会感到满足, 因为他们的灵魂早已变得躁动不安, 总是渴望抓住机会, 实现龙门一跃.What are the symptoms of this illness? The authorities characterise “risky
5、 behaviour” as negative. For entrepreneurs, taking risks is what we do for a living. The excitement of a start-up is part of the attraction. Every time you take on a loan, open a store, trial a new product, hire a member of staff you are taking the chance that the initiative could fail, and your bus
6、iness might end up bankrupt. But the desire for gain outweighs the fear of loss a classic feature of the syndrome.这种病的症状都有哪些呢? 政府认为 “高风险行为” 是不好的. 然而对企业家来说, 承担风险则是谋生的手段. 创业带来的兴奋正是它的吸引力的一部分. 每次当你贷款, 开店, 测试新产品, 雇员, 你都有可能失败 , 你的公司也有可能以破产告终. 但是 , 你对收获的欲望远大于对损失的恐惧 . 这就是这种病最常见的症状了.Entrepreneurs are obsessi
7、ve about their projects. The fashionable, softer word for this is passionate, but I prefer the former. It better expresses the relentless journey taken by every founder, the almost compulsive need to see an idea through to its proper conclusion. An unwillingness to accept defeat is an absolute hallm
8、ark of the species.企业家都极其执着于他们的计划. 用一个潮流点的而且更温和的词说, 是 “热情”, 但是我却更喜欢前者, 因为它更好地表达了每一个创业家在其选择的征途上永不放弃的精神. 不愿向失败屈服是这类人的本质特征 .Certain entrepreneurs are megalomaniacs, and have a terrifying lust for power. But most are not interested in ruling others they simply dont want to take orders from someone else.
9、 Quite often this is their chief motivation: not the desire to get rich but the search for freedom.当然, 有些企业家相当自负, 而且对权力有着极其强烈的欲望 . 但是大多数企业家对控制别人没有兴趣. 他们只是不想被人命令罢了. 很多时候这才是他们的主要动力: 非以寻富, 只觅自由.Like a disease, entrepreneurship is infectious. The more young people are exposed to it, the more they will e
10、mbrace it as a lifestyle and philosophy. In countries such as Thailand, which has a high rate of self-employment, citizens grow up with role models all around who demonstrate initiative and independence.如同传染病一样, 创业精神是会传染的 . 对年轻人来讲 , 他们越是接触这种理念, 他们就越会把它当成是生活的方式以及理念. 在一些国家, 如创业率非常高的泰国, 人们在成长的过程中在身边看到很
11、多真实的创业楷模, 这些创业楷模向人们展示了他们的主动性与独立性.Rebelling against the status quo is another common trait of “entrepreneuritis”. If all their ideas were orthodox, where would the great innovations come from? Originality, perhaps eccentricity, and a willingness to swim against the tide mark out the business-builder.
12、不安于现状是创业家们的同共特点. 如果他们的想法都是传统守旧的, 那么创新又从何而来? 创新(有时可能被称之为 “怪异 ”), 以及 “逆流而行” 的意愿, 是创业家的显著特征.Being an entrepreneur can be bad for your physical health long hours, plenty of stress but overall I dont believe that entrepreneurs die younger than average. Most would say that the compensations of living life
13、 on your own terms, and doing what you love, outweigh the downsides, and make for a more contented existence.但是, 身居企业家之位可能会对你的健康不利, 因为你需要长时间地工作以及要承受很大的压力. 但是总的来讲, 我并不觉得企业家就会比平常人寿命短. 很多人会说, (哪怕企业家死得早,) 只要可以过自己想要的生活, 做自己喜欢做的事, 这就已经远远超过了身为一名企业家的种种不利条件, 可以让人对生活充满满足感.An old partner of mine believes entre
14、preneurs share many characteristics with psychopaths extremely selfish, loners who are content to sacrifice anything for their objectives. I think a more relevant comparison would be with sociopaths and certainly, I have dealt with entrepreneurs who are insecure, impulsive, domineering, full of gran
15、diose plans and with a constant need for stimulation. Fortunately, such examples have been rare in my experience. And unlike those who suffer from genuine mental illness, entrepreneurs tend to be practical, confident and extrovert.我的一个老朋友认为, 企业家与精神病人有许多相同之处极端自私以及孤独, 为达目的甘愿牺牲任何东西. 而在我看来, 把他们与反社会者进行对比
16、会更恰当. 当然 , 我也和一些缺乏安全感 , 冲动, 自负 , 夸夸其谈以及总是需要刺激的企业家接触过. 不过幸运的是 , 这样的企业家我接触得并不多 . 与那些真正的精神病患者不同, 企业家一般都是非常实际 , 自信以及外向的.The thought that entrepreneurs have a special sickness stems from the notion that they do not conform to the norm and, therefore, there must be something wrong with them. Unquestionabl
17、y, some inventor-entrepreneurs are treated as mad because their schemes are too radical for the mainstream. But, more often, we embrace entrepreneurs, knowing that their zest is the engine that creates jobs and wealth.认为企业家有某种特殊疾病的观点源自于很多人认为, 企业家都不循规蹈矩, 因为此他们一定有病. 毫无疑问 , 有些发明家兼企业家被当成疯子 , 因为他们的构想与主流相
18、距甚远. 但是更多的时候, 我们却尊敬企业家 , 因为我们知道他们的热情就像一部引擎, 推动他们创造就业与财富 .Yet we do not know enough about the “disorder” itself to cultivate it in a more systematic way. Economists, who should be the great experts, have by and large wholly failed to really comprehend the nature and motivations of entrepreneurs. It is a great failing of their profession, which they should rectify with more and better research.但是, 我们却对如何系统地培养这种 “病态” 知之甚少 . 经济学家, 我们公认的专家, 总的来讲却无法真正地领会到企业家的本质与动机. 这对他们的职业来说是一个重大的失败. 因此他们应当做更多更好的研究, 来纠正这个错误.
