2005年的時(shí)候,我還在Salesforce公司工作,當(dāng)時(shí)我完全想象不到,再有不到兩年,我就會(huì)創(chuàng)辦自己的公司了。以前我經(jīng)常會(huì)想象,經(jīng)營一份自己的事業(yè)會(huì)是什么樣。我從很年輕的時(shí)候就向往創(chuàng)業(yè)。晉身為Salesforce公司領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層,參與該公司創(chuàng)新歷程的經(jīng)歷,令我更加堅(jiān)定這一夢想。找到創(chuàng)業(yè)伙伴萊姆之后,我的信心又有了重大的提升。實(shí)話實(shí)說,我在經(jīng)營企業(yè)的方方面面都學(xué)到了很多東西,但正是我開始創(chuàng)辦BrightEdge時(shí)面臨的環(huán)境,以及我們是如何走到今天這一步的歷程,教會(huì)了我?guī)讉€(gè)最重要的職業(yè)生涯經(jīng)驗(yàn)。我沒法僅僅選擇一條來說,以下是三條最重要的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。 永遠(yuǎn)沒有“正確”的時(shí)機(jī) 在我正式創(chuàng)辦BrightEdge之前,我的大女兒剛剛出生。沒錯(cuò),她是在我辭職創(chuàng)業(yè)前出生的。你可以說我是個(gè)瘋子,但正是她的出生,促使我想要運(yùn)用我的創(chuàng)造力去做一些更重要的事。但當(dāng)時(shí)也有一些實(shí)際問題需要考慮——比如剛出生的女兒需要照顧。很多親友(包括我自己)都認(rèn)為,剛生娃的時(shí)候并不是一個(gè)理想的創(chuàng)業(yè)時(shí)機(jī)。如果你毅然和合伙人擠在出租屋里,在餐桌上討論公司業(yè)務(wù),你肯定會(huì)說時(shí)機(jī)選得太糟了。但時(shí)機(jī)就是這么回事——要承擔(dān)大的風(fēng)險(xiǎn),就永遠(yuǎn)沒有正確的時(shí)機(jī)。用生活壓力作借口非常容易,但如果你老這么做,就永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)成事。你的意志力、專注力和決斷力可能要比自己想象得大得多,它的作用要超過所謂的時(shí)機(jī)。 吃得苦中苦,方為人上人 或許有些時(shí)候,你就是想休息一陣子——這是一種自然的傾向。但在創(chuàng)業(yè)的過程中(甚至僅僅是為一家創(chuàng)業(yè)公司工作),你必須毫無保留的投入。2007年公司剛一成立,我就真切感受到了創(chuàng)業(yè)需要付出多少能量、心血和默默工作。我和萊姆當(dāng)時(shí)需要決定怎樣為我們的目標(biāo)客戶創(chuàng)建最好的產(chǎn)品,為此我們花了幾個(gè)月的時(shí)候檢索整個(gè)網(wǎng)絡(luò)——記住,是整個(gè)網(wǎng)絡(luò)。那是一項(xiàng)非常耗時(shí)和無聊的工作,但我們知道,它對公司未來的成功非常重要?,F(xiàn)在每到周六,我和萊姆仍然會(huì)繼續(xù)工作——只有我們兩個(gè)人,以確保我們始終都保持著同樣的目標(biāo)。我是不是也想做其它事情呢?當(dāng)然有時(shí)也想。不過如果公司的最終成功意味著我必須要做出某些犧牲,或者必須要付出額外的時(shí)間,那么我愿意做出這些犧牲。 樂于接受改變 十年前,我在Salesforce的工作是負(fù)責(zé)開發(fā)和管理產(chǎn)品。如今,我已經(jīng)是一家公司的老板,而我們的主要目標(biāo)是改變整個(gè)內(nèi)容營銷行業(yè)。這段創(chuàng)業(yè)歷程并不是一個(gè)漸變式改變,而是一次突然的變化,就像人生中很多其它的重大變故一樣。如果我當(dāng)時(shí)不冒險(xiǎn)離開Salesforce去追逐一個(gè)興趣——而且這個(gè)興趣如今已經(jīng)變成一種激情——那么我就永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)有今天的成就。所以我的最后一個(gè)建議是,當(dāng)人生的那些劇變和離別到來的時(shí)候,歡迎它們。密切關(guān)注你的興趣在哪里,在感覺對的時(shí)候,勇于追逐它們。你不知道它們會(huì)把你帶到何方。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)) 譯者:樸成奎 審校:任文科 ? |
When I worked at Salesforce back in 2005, I had no idea that in just two short years I’d be heading up my very own company. I often thought about what it would be like to run my own business; I enjoyed entrepreneurship from a young age, and being part of the innovation and leadership team at Salesforce only reinforced this dream. So I found an incredible co-founder, Lem, and took a major leap of faith. I’ll be honest: I’ve learned a lot about the different facets involved in running a company. But it was the circumstances at which I arrived at BrightEdge — and how we got to where we are today — that have taught me the biggest lessons about my career. Because there’s no way I can pick only one, here are the three most important: There’s never a “right” time Before I committed to starting BrightEdge, my oldest daughter was born. That’s right: before. Call me crazy, but it was her presence in the world that made me want to exercise my creativity and commit to doing something bigger. But, there were also some practical matters to consider — like having just had her. Many folks (including myself) will tell you that launching a company with a newborn at home isn’t exactly ideal timing. Throw in inviting your co-founder to move in with you while you run your business from your condo’s kitchen table, and you could say the timing was downright terrible. But that’s the thing with timing — it’s never the right time to take a big risk. It’s so easy to make excuses with what life throws your way, but if you always do that you’ll never get anything done. You have a lot more willpower, focus and determination in you than you probably realize, and that trumps timing any day. To get ahead, you’ll have to work —hard It’s a natural tendency — some days, you just want a break. But when it comes to starting a company (or even just working at one), you have to be ruthlessly committed. I learned firsthand how much energy, commitment and just plain hard work it takes when we first launched back in 2007. Lem and I were determining how to create the best product for our goals, and we spent several months indexing the entire web. All of it. It was time-consuming and tedious, but we knew it was essential for the future of our company. Now, Lem and I work Saturdays — just the two of us, to make sure we’re always tracking back to the same goals. Are there other things I’d rather be doing? Sure, sometimes. But if the ultimate success of my company means making some sacrifices and putting in extra time, then I’m willing to do that. Be open to change Ten years ago, I worked to develop and manage products at Salesforce. Today, I’m the head of a company where our chief goal is to change the content marketing industry. This wasn’t a gradual change, either; rather, it happened all at once, as many of life’s big changes do. I would never be where I am today if I didn’t take the risk of leaving Salesforce to chase an interest that has become a passion. So my last piece of advice would be to welcome those sharp turns and big departures as they come. Pay close attention to where your interests lie, and pursue them when it feels right. You never know where they might lead. |