THE TRUTH ABOUT RUNNING YOUR OWN SHOW

 
By Luke Johnson
Monday, May 21, 2007
 
 
There are a lot of misconceptions about those who build companies. The real lives of self-starters are quite different from the impression created in movies, novels or the news media. These fictions discourage some would-be entrepreneurs from giving it a go, and even influence policymakers. So let's debunk some of the most common falsehoods.

Entrepreneurs are motivated by money. In reality they create firms by accident, or because they want to prove themselves, or because they are bored, or have a passion - rather than because they want to get rich. Studies have shown that the short phrase that best sums up the drive of those who create new enterprises is "I'll show them". Money is a way of keeping score and providing capital for the next project - not the prime objective.

The idea is what matters. In fact, execution is everything. We all have brilliant concepts that never come to fruition because they are impractical, or because we are too lazy or distracted. Making it happen is what counts, and this is the difficult bit - which is why so many seemingly clever schemes fail.

Entrepreneurs are born not made. Most successful business owners do not start out very young. They gain experience working for others, and learn how to run an enterprise before venturing out on their own. Just as no one is genetically programmed to be a doctor or an architect, so entrepreneurs tend to find their calling by nurture rather than nature.

Start-ups are one-man bands. Most companies that do well are developed by teams. A prime mover often gets most of the attention - and possibly the rewards - but it is the winning combination of skills formed by a partnership of players that is the most likely formula for success.

Entrepreneurs are inventive geniuses. Very few inventors make it big in business. Rather, those who tend to strike gold are commercially-minded individuals who replicate an original

product and make it cheaper, market it better or watch the costs properly.

Entrepreneurs are mostly academic rejects with no qualifications. Today more and more business owners have university degrees or doctorates. Being an entrepreneur is now a respectable career choice, so more of the educated middle-class have taken the plunge.

Most new businesses fail. Actually the survival rates for companies have been rising in recent years. Only a small proportion of operating enterprises go bust each year - as opposed to inactive limited companies being wound up or struck off, which distorts the statistics. And companies usually fail because of management shortcomings, rather than external forces.

Entrepreneurs are loners. It takes people skills to build a company, and most entrepreneurs are extroverts who enjoy the company of others. They choose to work for themselves because they enjoy the independence, not because they want to hide away from colleagues.

Entrepreneurs have chaotic personal lives. The popular image of an entrepreneur is of someone who has sacrificed everything to make a fortune - including his marriage and family. Elsewhere they are portrayed as playboys with no domestic ties. The truth is that most have a settled home life and stable relationships. The support of a steady partner is needed to help the entrepreneur through the tough times.

Entrepreneurs are gamblers. Yes, they take financial risks, but most are good at judging the downside, and are more cautious in their ventures than it might appear to the uninformed. The vast majority of bankrupts are not entrepreneurs who failed: they are ordinary workers who borrowed too much.

Entrepreneurs are workaholics. While a founder needs to be committed, most work no more hours than ambitious corporate managers. And at least the self-employed can choose their own work patterns. Moreover, surveys show the most stressful aspects of life for staff in big companies are office politics and commuting, things entrepreneurs can largely avoid.

Entrepreneurship is neither as difficult nor as miserable as many people think. Bear this in mind next time you entertain the idea of running your own show.

“自己当老板”的11条误区

 
作者：卢克•约翰逊(Luke Johnson)为英国《金融时报》撰稿
2007年5月21日 星期一
 
 
人们对那些开公司的人存在着许多误解。亲手创业者的真实生活，与电影、小说或新闻媒体给人的印象大不相同。这些虚构的东西让一些可能成为企业家的人失去了起步的勇气，甚至还影响了决策者。那么，让我们来揭穿一些最常见的谬误吧。

企业家的动机是挣钱。实际上，企业家创立公司要么是出于偶然，要么是因为想证明自己，要么是出于无聊，要么是因为拥有激情——而不是因为他们想变得富有。研究表明，一句简单的话最能归纳新企业创立者的驱动力：“我要给他们看看。”金钱是一种衡量表现的方式，同时可以为下一个项目提供资金——但却不是首要目标。

想法最重要。实际上，执行才最关键。我们都有一些永远无法实现的奇思妙想，要么是因为这些想法不切实际，要么是因为我们太懒、或者注意力太分散。重要的是让想法付诸实施，而这很困难——这正是那么多看似更聪明的计划落空的原因所在。

企业家是天生的，不是培养出来的。大多数成功企业家并不是在很年轻时就起步的。他们通过为别人打工获得经验、学习如何运营一个企业，之后才开创自己的企业。正如没有人生来就是医生或建筑师一样，企业家往往是通过实践来找到自己的定位，而非天性使然。

初创企业是“一个人的乐队”。大多数表现出色的公司是由团队做起来的。主要行动者往往受到最多的关注（可能也得到最多的回报），不过，众人合作使各种技能成功结合，才最有可能是成功的关键。

企业家是创新天才。很少有发明家能把生意做大。更确切地说，那些容易致富的人是具有商业头脑的人，他们会复制一种原创产品，降低它的价格、更好地营销，或是适当地关注其成本。

企业家大都学习不好、拿不到资格证书。如今，越来越多的公司所有者拥有大学文凭或博士学位。现在，当一名企业家是个受尊敬的职业选择。所以，有更多受过教育的中产阶级都去做企业家。

大多数新公司会失败。实际上，近年来，公司的存活率一直在上升。每年只有一小部分在运营的企业会破产——这与不运转的有限公司破产或被淘汰是不同的，而这些有限公司使统计数字出现了扭曲。而且，公司破产通常是因为管理不善，而不是因为外部力量。

企业家是孤家寡人。创立公司需要人际交流技能，而且，大多数企业家是喜欢和别人相处的外向人士。他们选择为自己工作，是因为他们喜欢独立，而不是因为他们想躲开同事。

企业家个人生活一塌糊涂。企业家的流行形象，是为了财富牺牲一切的人——包括婚姻和家庭。还有些地方把他们描述为没有家庭关系的花花公子。事实上，大多数企业家拥有安定的家庭生活和稳固的关系。一位稳固伴侣的支持是必要的，这能帮助企业家度过艰难时期。

企业家是赌徒。确实，他们要冒财务风险。但是，大多数企业家都善于判断不利方面。他们在冒险时，比那些不知情的人所想象的更为谨慎。绝大部分破产者并不是失败的企业家，而是借债过多的普通工薪阶层。

企业家是工作狂。虽然创建者需要投入工作，但大多数人工作的时间不比雄心勃勃的公司经理人多。而且，给自己打工至少可以选择自己的工作模式。此外，调查显示，大公司员工生活中最紧张的方面是办公室政治和通勤，而企业家大多可以避免这些问题。

当一名企业家，既不像许多人想象的那么难，也不像大家所认为的那么惨。假若今后你有“秀秀自己”的想法，不妨想想我的这些话。