創業之前要想清楚的三個問題

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

本文是與《創業者》雜誌（Entrepreneur）的合作內容。原文最初發表於網站。

Entrepreneurs are natural problem-solvers, which means that we always have ideas for new businesses popping into our heads. Having a lot of options is great, but sometimes it can be hard to focus on one when you are keen to move onto the next.

創業者是天生的問題解決者，這意味着我們的腦子裏會蹦出各種新的商業創意。有許多選擇當然是好事，但有時候，如果太過熱衷於進入新的領域，你可能很難專注於做一件事情。

At Virgin, when we’re thinking about starting a new business, we look into whether the new project meets a series of criteria before we invest any time or money into it. Here are three questions that will help you decide which idea to pursue.

當維珍集團（Virgin）考慮啓動一項新業務的時候，我們首先會在投入時間或資金之前確定新項目能否達到一系列標準。詢問以下三個問題，或許能幫助你選對創業目標。

1. Would you do this for fun?

1. 你能從中自得其樂嗎？

Starting your own business isn’t just a job — it’s a way of life. You’ll likely have to make personal sacrifices in order to ensure your startup’s success. This could mean taking a pay cut, since any money earned from your new business might have to be reinvested right back in, or you may find yourself stuck answering emails and dealing with customer problems late in the evening. With that in mind, it’s essential that you launch a startup in an industry or sector that you love — that’s our philosophy at Virgin.

創業不僅是一份工作，也是一種生活方式。爲了確保初創公司的成功，你可能要做出個人犧牲。這或許意味着減少收入，因爲新公司賺的錢可能必須重新投入到公司當中，或者你得熬夜回覆電子郵件，解決客戶的問題。因此，創業務必要選擇自己熱愛的行業——這也是維珍集團始終秉持的理念。

So it’s no surprise that our first business was Virgin Records. The people on our team were teenagers and really into music, which meant that we didn’t mind working late nights, or chatting with customers about new bands or working hard to sign up-and-coming artists to our record label – we would have been chatting about music and listening to new bands even if we weren’t doing it for a living. An analogy that occurred to me after we held our Necker Cup tennis tournament recently: Figuring out which idea you should develop is like juggling a lot of different types of balls in the air, because fairly quickly, you need to decide which ball is most important.

所以，我們的第一家公司是維珍唱片（Virgin Records）。團隊成員都是年輕人，非常喜愛音樂，這意味着我們不會在意工作到深夜，或與客戶談論新樂隊，或努力爲唱片公司簽下有前途的藝術家——我們會閒談音樂，聽新樂隊的音樂，儘管我們並非以此謀生。最近舉辦了內克爾杯（Necker Cup）網球公開賽之後，我想到了一個比喻：確定創業項目，就像同時拋接不同類型的球一樣，因爲你需要迅速決定哪一個球是最重要的。

Or consider a dog that loves to chase tennis balls. No matter what’s going on or what it’s doing, if you throw a tennis ball, the dog will chase it. What’s your tennis ball? What immediately captures your attention, no matter what you’re doing?

或者，想象一條喜歡追網球的狗。不論正在發生什麼或者它正在做什麼，你只要把網球扔出去，它就會去追。你的“網球”是什麼？什麼事情會立刻吸引你的注意力，不論你正在做什麼？

2. Does it make a positive difference in people’s lives?

2. 它是否會給人們的生活帶來積極的影響？

A focus on people and the planet, as well as profit, also helps our staff feel empowered. This means that our customers don’t come to us just to buy a product or service — they believe in our ideas. Build a likeminded community around a business, and customers will return, spread the word and support you during tough times. This strategy has helped plenty of startups to disrupt established industries over the last few years. One example is Gandy’s, which donates a percentage of their profits from sales of flip-flops to projects for orphans all over the world. Another is Toms, which donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that they sell.

專注於人類和這個星球，當然還有利潤，也可以幫助我們的員工更有力量。這意味着，我們的客戶不僅僅是購買一件產品或服務——他們相信我們的理念。圍繞一家公司建立一個志同道合的社區，當你面臨困難的時候，客戶們會回來替你宣傳，爲你提供支持。多年來，這種策略曾經幫助許多初創企業顛覆成熟的行業。以Gandy’s爲例，該公司將平底人字拖鞋的部分銷售利潤捐贈給全世界的孤兒項目。另外一個例子是Toms，該公司每賣出一雙鞋，便會爲有需要的兒童捐贈一雙鞋。

And this is why two of our newest companies are Virgin StartUp, which provides funding for entrepreneurs, and Virgin Racing’s Formula E Team, which is raising the profile of environmentally friendly transport by focusing on electric car technologies.

正是因爲這樣的原因，我們最新成立的兩家公司分別是致力於資助創業者的維珍孵化器(Virgin StartUp)，以及維珍電動方程式車隊（Virgin Racing’s Formula E Team），該車隊致力於通過使用電動汽車技術來提高這種環保交通方式的知名度。

3. Will it be profitable enough to sustain?

3. 公司賺的錢夠維持運轉嗎？

You also need to consider your finances when rifling through your options. Research shows that 8 out of 10 new businesses fail in the United States within the first 18 months, and the No. 1 killer of startups is a lack of cash flow. If your business doesn’t turn a profit, you will be unable to make the positive impact you’re striving for. It’s rare for a startup to make money immediately, so you need to make sure that you have enough saved, or that you have another income stream that can support you.

在尋找創業目標的時候，你還需要考慮財務因素。研究顯示，美國80%的新公司在前十八個月便遭遇失敗，其中最大的原因是現金流不足。如果你的公司不能帶來利潤，你就不可能獲得自己努力謀求的積極影響。能夠立刻賺到錢的初創公司寥寥無幾，所以你需要保證自己有足夠多的積蓄或其他收入，來充當你創業的堅強後盾。

If your favorite idea will take longer to turn a profit, it might be better to focus on one of your smaller ideas first. Afterward, you can use the smaller business’s success — and profit — as a springboard to launch a bigger project. But remember, starting a business for the sole purpose of making money usually ends in failure.

如果你最中意的商業創意需要更長時間才能產生利潤，更好的做法應該是先專注於較小的業務。之後，你可以利用小業務的成功及其產生的利潤，作爲啓動大項目的跳板。但要切記，純粹爲了賺錢進行創業，最後往往都以失敗告終。

So figure out what your tennis ball is, and work out how you can connect that passion to helping your community. Offer customers a reason to support your cause, then make sure your margins allow for some profit to keep that business afloat. Good luck, and remember to have fun along the way.

總之，確定自己的創業目標，然後弄清楚如何利用自己的創業激情，來幫助你的社區。爲客戶提供一個支持你事業的理由，並且確保公司的利潤足以令其生存下去。祝你好運，一定要享受創業的過程。（財富中文網）