創業前先想明白這七個問題吧
Starting a business is like building a boat from scratch and setting sail. Unless you build boats for a living, expect things to go wrong very quickly.
開始做生意就像從零開始建造一艘船到它開始航行。除非你以製造船謀生，（否則）你不會希望它很快就出問題
To continue the metaphor: The problem with many would-be entrepreneurs is that they only have experience on the open water. They know how to sail, navigate and survive at sea. They’re sailors, but they don't have the skills to build their ship. They just have sailing skills.
繼續這個比喻：許多想成爲企業家的人的問題是他們只有在開放水域的經驗。他們知道怎麼航行，駕駛和如何在海上生存。他們是航海家，但是他們沒有建造自己船的能力，他們只有航行的技能。
I didn’t make the decision on a whim to start my company after I was fired from my last full-time job. I was already in the right industry, had learned from some of the best minds in the business and was freelancing on the side. In other words, I had a good sense of how to build a boat and captain my own ship
我不是在離開我的專職工作後一時興起想創立自己的公司。我在合適的行業裏待過，向一些商業精英學習過並且空閒時當過自由職業者。也就是說，我知道怎麼去建造船並且指揮我的船。
If you too want to start your own business but have experience working only under a manager, you need to do some serious soul-searching and self-assessment. Ask yourself these six questions before you start：
如果你很想自己創業但是隻有在經理手下工作過的經驗，你需要一些嚴肅的自我詢問和自我評估。在你開始（創業）前，問你自己六個問題：
1. 'Could I survive, financially and psychologically, poorer than I am now?'
如果我比現在更窮，我在精神和財務方面能否撐過去？
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 543,000 small businesses are started in the United States every single month. Yet, somehow, more businesses shut down than start up each month. Those aren’t exactly great odds for a newly minted entrepreneur.
美國人口普查局的資料顯示，在美國，每月有超過543000個小公司成立，然而，每月總有更多的公司倒閉。這對於新手來說並不稀奇。
Unless you’re some transcendent genius, chances are you’re going to fail at your first business. And that’s totally normal -- more than 543,000 other business owners will be in the same boat. Even if you do “succeed,” you may end up making less than you do with your current full-time job.
除非你是卓越的天才，你在你的第一次生意中將會失敗。那是十分正常的——超過543000個其他創業者和你的情況一致。即便你真的成功了，你可能最終會比你現在的專職工作掙得更少。
Countless success stories, including J.K. Rowling’s, began with a life of modest means. Can you live at a level even lower than you do now?
無數成功的故事，包括J.K羅琳，都是以很少的財富開始的。你能過比現在更低層次的生活嗎？
2. 'Could I work on something alone, and without encouragement?'
我可以在沒有鼓勵的情況下單獨做一件事嗎？
It’s certainly fun and games thinking about a great business idea -- but executing it is another story entirely. As Freelancers Union founder Sara Horowitz discovered when she created a health plan for freelancers, remote work can be very lonely. “You work with coal miners and you learn everything there is about black lung . . . You work with freelancers, and you learn about depression," Horowitz has said.
想出一個好的商業點子無疑是有趣新奇的，但是執行它又是一個完全不同的概念。自由職業者聯盟創始人薩拉•霍羅維茨在她給自由職業者創立健康計劃時發現，遠程工作非常孤獨。“你和煤炭工作者一起工作，在那裏所有你學到的是黑色的肺部……你和自由職業者一起工作，你學會壓抑”霍羅維茨說。
Freelancers have been found to have poorer mental health and higher stress than their full-time friends. This isn’t that surprising when you consider all the risks associated with starting your own business. Sure, you get to control your schedule and be your own boss. But you also have to work longer hours, usually in isolation, and potentially make less than your full-time friends.
自由職業者被發現比專職工作者精神健康更差和有更高的壓力。當你考慮你創業時所有所有的風險，（你會發現）這一點都不驚人。當然，你可以自主安排你的行程，當你自己的老闆，但是你通常要獨立工作更長的時間並且很有可能比你專職工作時掙得更少。
One Dutch study found that freelance workers have a hard time separating work from home, and are more likely to become workaholics. Can you see yourself working that much?
One Dutch研究表明，自由職業者難以將工作家庭分開，而且更有可能成爲工作狂。你能忍受自己工作那麼久嗎?
3. 'Do I want to learn marketing, sales, accounting, etc.?'
“我想不想學銷售，營銷，會計等等”
When I started Tailored Ink, I quickly realized there were several skills I didn’t have that I would need to learn very quickly. If you’ve only done design, for example, that’s not nearly enough to run your own design agency. Instead, most business owners will agree that you need to learn the following five core business skills to be successful:
當我創立Tailored Ink 後，我很快意識到我有幾個需要馬上去學習的技能。如果你只會設計，那你不足以管理你的設計部門。相反地，大多數創業者會贊成如果你想成功的話，你需要學習以下五個基本的核心技能：
Sales: so you don’t starve
銷售技能：那樣你纔不會捱餓
Marketing: so you can sell more
營銷技能：那麼你可以賣出更多（產品）
Management: so you won’t be alone
管理：那樣你就不會孤獨
Planning: so you can scale and stay competitive
計劃：那麼你可以衡量並且保持競爭力
Adaptability: in case your plan doesn’t pan out
適應力：以防你的計劃被淘汰
Of these five core skills, sales is by far the most important
這五個核心技能，銷售是最重要的
4. 'When it comes down to it, am I an overachiever?'
“追根究底，我是不是能力出衆?"
When I was younger, I spent a lot of time playing video games. In fact, I’m convinced mastering video games taught me soft skills essential to business success.
我年輕的時候，我用大量的時間玩計算機遊戲。事實上，我堅信掌握計算機遊戲教會了我做生意必要的軟能力。
Most importantly, playing thousands of hours of games helped me realize that I am fundamentally an overachiever. When I have my sights set on an achievable goal, I’ll doggedly pursue it before moving on to the next goal. It’s hard for me to live in the present and just enjoy what I’ve accomplished -- I’m always thinking of where I want to be next.
最重要的是，上千個小時的計算機遊戲讓我意識到我是一個徹底的的高成就者。當我把我的目光定在可實現的目標上的時候，在我追求下一個目標前，我堅定地追求它。對我來說，拘泥於現在和享受現在已經完成的成就是十分困難的——我總是想着下一步該做什麼。
I’m not saying that this is the best way to be, just that it’s part of my personality. And it’s helped me accomplish a lot within a short amount of time.
我不是說這是最好的方式，但是那是我性格的一部分。而且他幫助我在短時間裏成就了很多。
5. 'Can I comfortably delegate tasks to others?'
"我能安然地分配任務給其他人嗎"
This is something that doesn't come very naturally to me. When I became an entrepreneur, I had had experience tutoring, teaching and managing, but when it came time to delegate tasks that affected my earnings, I was much less enthusiastic.
這對我來說不是很自然的事。當我成爲企業家的時候，我已經有了教導，教學和管理的經驗，但是到了來分配影響我利潤任務的時候，我就那麼熱衷了。
As an introvert, I find it very easy to be self-reliant. And, unlike extroverts, I draw energy from being alone; I’ve spent most of my life being proudly independent.
性格內向的人很容易自我依賴，並且，不像性格外向的人，獨處給我能量，我對於我生命的大部分都是獨立的很自豪。
But that only works if you’re a small-scale solo freelancer -- not if you’re running a serious, growing business. At some point, you’re going to have to delegate. And that means finding, training and trusting in people whom you won’t be able to keep tabs on all the time.
但是那個只在你是一個小型的單獨自由主義者時有用——在你經營一個正式的，正在增長的公司是無用的。在一些情況下，你必須分配任務，那就意味着你必須尋找，培訓，相信一個你不能時刻監視的人。
6. 'Would I be a good mentor?'
“我能成爲一個好的導師嗎"
You can’t delegate effectively without knowing how to manage effectively. And, despite what many business coaches would have you believe, management isn’t just knowledge-based. In the words of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, “You manage things; you lead people.”
（如果）你不能很好的管理，你不能有效的分配。並且，無論你的商業家庭老師讓你相信什麼，管理都不單單的是以知識爲基礎的。用海軍將領格雷斯•默裏•霍珀的話就是：“你管理事情，你領導人”
Even if you have an MBA and understand how to manage on a logistical level, you could be driving away top talent. It’s not enough to know how to manage, you need to want to manage, too. And that means being a mentor.
即使你有工商管理學的學位證並且理解怎麼在理論上管理人，你也可能流失高才能的人，知道怎麼管理是不夠的，你還需要想要管理。那就意味着成爲一個導師。
Does the very thought of managing others make you cringe, or does it excite you? Do you take the time to explain things when a colleague asks a simple question, or do you get annoyed? Do you care about your coworkers and what’s happening in their personal lives?
管理人的想法正好使你畏縮還是讓你興奮？當你同事問你一個很簡單的問題時，你會花費大量的時間來向他解釋還是很惱怒？你關心你的同事和他們的個人生活嗎？
7. 'Do I still want to build that boat?'
“我仍然想要建造自己的小船嗎”
When you really think about it, the first person who decided to tie together strips of wood and head out into deep water must have been a little crazy. The innovators of today, like Elon Musk, are just as crazy, in their own way. They have a healthy appetite for both risk and failure.
當你認真思考它，決定把木頭綁在一起並且朝深水的人必要有一點瘋狂。今天的創新者，像Elon Musk 就是以他們自己的方式瘋狂着。他們對風險和失敗有着合適的容忍度。
You don’t need to be as bold to start your own business -- there are plenty of boat-building manuals and playbooks out there that you can follow. Maybe you’re building the kind of boat that other people have built before you. That’s absolutely fine! It’s what I did, too.
在你開始創業時，你不需要一無所有——這有許多你可以參考的造船的指導手冊，也許你在建造前人已經造出來的船了。那真是太好了，我就是那樣的。
But you do need to be honest with yourself about the skills you have and the skills you have yet to learn. It’s best to figure all that out before you hit stormy weather.
但是你必須坦誠的面對你已經掌握的技能和必須去學的技能。在你經歷暴烈天氣前你必須把這些都弄明白。
