Successful Entrepreneurs know the first step in anyone’s entrepreneurial journey starts with a great business idea. However, a good idea isn’t enough to turn a budding entrepreneur into a business owner.
创业第一步很重要，但是只有想法还不够
As we’ve seen from the likes of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, successful businesses aren’t born overnight and they require a lot of hard work before they become fruitful.
好的生意需要坚持才能成功
If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur and want to start a new business but don’t know where to start, don’t worry – you’re not alone. No matter what the motivation is to be your own boss, whether you’re tired of your job or want to follow your passions, you can start today.
无论你创业动机是什么，今天就开始吧！
Follow these tips to start your own business venture and jumpstart your entrepreneurial success.
1. Take a stand for yourself.
If you are dissatisfied with your current circumstances, admit that no one can fix them except for you. It doesn’t do any good to blame the economy, your boss, your spouse, or your family. Change can only occur when you make a conscious decision to make it happen.
不要抱怨环境，以前的环境那么好，成功的也只是少数，成功与环境无关，好的环境都容易成功，但是最后成功的也不多
2. Identify the right business for you.
Give yourself permission to explore. Be willing to look at different facets of yourself (your personality, social styles, age) and listen to your intuition(英/ˌɪntjuˈɪʃn/直觉). We tend to ignore intuition even though deep down we often know the truth. Ask yourself “What gives me energy even when I’m tired?”
How do you know what business is “right” for you? There are three common approaches to entrepreneurship:
怎么找到适合自己的创业项目？
Do what you know: Have you been laid off or want a change? Look at work you have done for others in the past and think about how you could package your skill set and offer them as your own services or products.
1做自己能做的—-比如如果你现在是给别人拍短视频的，你就给自己拍短视频，以前帮别人卖货的，现在就给自己卖货
Do what others do: Learn about other businesses that interest you. Once you have identified a successful business you like, emulate it.
2：看看别人在做什么
Solve a common problem: Is there a gap in the market? Is there a service or product you would like to bring to market? (Note: This is the highest risk of the three approaches.) Start with some market research, and if you choose to do this, make sure that you become a student and gain knowledge first before you spend any money. There are plenty of entrepreneurship courses you can seek out, or you can go all out and attend a business school with an MBA program.
3：自己找到一个能解决问题的方案：这有风险，因为你首先需要学习很多知识
3. Business planning improves your chances for success.
Most people don’t plan, but it will help you get to market faster. A business plan will help you gain clarity, focus, and confidence. A plan does not need to be more than one page. As you write down your goals, strategies, and action steps, your business model becomes real.
制定一个创业计划，整个计划可以不到一页纸，把你的计划写下来
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What am I building?
- 我在干什么
- Who will I serve?
- 我的目标客户是谁
- What is the promise I am making to my customers/clients and to myself?
- 我能为客户提供什么价值保证
- What are my objectives, strategies and action plans (steps) to achieve my goals?
- 怎么实现这些目标，具体的步骤是什么
4. Know your target audience before you spend a penny.
Before you spend money, find out if people will actually buy your products or services. This may be the most important thing you do. You can do this by validating your market. In other words, who, exactly, will buy your products or services other than your family or friends? (And don’t say. “Everyone in America will want my product.” Trust me – they won’t.) What is the size of your target market? Who are your customers? Is your product or service relevant to their everyday life? Why do they need it?
一定不能把目标客户确定为每个人—–因为创业者没有足够的实力去拿下来这个蛋糕，如果你确定为这么大的市场，除非具有独特的科技实力，否则你的对手一般都会是：几十个清华北大+几千几万个员工组成的大企业，从你确定目标的那一刻，你就注定输了。有人会说：抖音就张一鸣一个人搞出来的，张一鸣不是白手起家，他创业的时候已经有几百万了—-今日头条已经让他成为亿万富翁，可以说放在今天价值可能已经有几千万的资本积累。马斯克就更不是白手起家了，他的火箭不要钱？这是我的肺腑之言，如果你觉得好，请给点钱。这可以给你节省一辈子的钱。
There is industry research (行业研究资料—一般都是付费的)available that you can uncover for free. Read industry articles with computer science data (Google the relevant industry associations) and read Census data(人口普查资料) to learn more. However, the most important way to get this information is to ask your target market/customers directly and then listen.
5. Understand your personal finances and choose the right kind of money you need for your business.
As an entrepreneur, your personal life and business life are interconnected. You are likely to be your first – and possibly only – investor. Therefore, having a detailed understanding of your personal finances, and the ability to track them, is an essential first step before seeking outside funding or potential investors for your business. Since you may need to be your own angel investor, I recommend setting up your personal accounts in a money management system to simplify this process.
As you are creating your business plan, you will need to consider what type of business you are building – a lifestyle business (smaller amount of startup funds), a franchise (特许经营—加盟的那种)(moderate investment depending on the franchise), or a high-tech business(高科技创业) (will require significant capital investment). Depending on where you fall on the continuum, you will need a different amount of money to launch and grow your business, and it does matter what kind of money you accept.
我们千万不能去干高科技创业—–因为我们钱不够
6. Build a support network.
You’ve made an internal commitment to your small business. Now you need to cultivate a network of supporters, advisors, partners, allies, and vendors. If you, the founder, believe in your business, others will too.
我们现在需要找到合伙人了，或者愿意支持我们的人
Network locally, nationally, and via social networks. Join networks such as your local chamber of commerce(本地商业协会) or other relevant business administration groups. Here are some networking basics:
- When attending networking events, ask others what they do and think about how you can help them. The key is to listen more than tout yourself.
- 参加商业活动的时候多想想怎么帮组其他人，而不是总发表自己的意见—-发表自己的意见是好的，但多听一听能学到一些东西
- No matter what group you join, be generous, help others and make introductions without charging them.
- By becoming a generous leader, you will be the first person that comes to mind when someone you’ve helped needs your service or hears of someone else who needs your service.
- 如果你帮组别人，那么当别人需要产品的时候，你会是第一个被想起的——人心都是肉长的
7. Sell by creating value.
Even though we purchase products and services every day, people don’t want to be “sold.” Focus on serving others. The more people you serve, the more cash flow you’ll see. To get into the entrepreneurial mindset when considering your customers or clients, ask yourself:
- What can I give them?
- How can I help make them become successful in their own pursuits?
This approach can help lead you to new ways to hone your product or service and deliver more value, which your customers will appreciate.
8. Get the word out.
Be willing to say who you are and what you do with conviction and without apology. Embrace and use the most effective online tools (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn) available to broadcast your news. Use social networks as “pointer” sites; i.e., to point to anything you think will be of interest to your fans and followers.
Even though social networks are essential today (you must use them!), don’t underestimate the power of other methods to get the word out: word-of-mouth marketing, website and internet marketing tools, public relations, blog posts, columns and articles, speeches, email, newsletters, and the old-fashioned but still essential telephone.
If you take these steps, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a successful entrepreneur. It’s important to remember that you are not alone. If you want to “be your own boss” but still feel stuck, reach out and connect with other entrepreneurs in a variety of ways. You may be surprised by the invaluable contacts that are right at your fingertips.
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