Jamie: The most memorable piece of advice is to “start small and grow big; start big and go bust.” And I think we used it in particular because we started really, really small; we started from the bedroom of my student house, and a lot of people, when they start out in business, they think maybe there’s a 9)stigma attached to starting really small from the garage or, you know, from home, but I say start as small as you can, minimize the risk until you make the decision to actually 10)take the plunge and go for it, in which case you wanna rocket your growth as quickly as possible.
Interviewer: If you can, can you give us your Top 3 tips for sort of a budding entrepreneur that maybe has that small idea?
Jamie: Yeah, sure. No.1, test it; No.2, go for it; and No.3, measure it; and, if I’m allowed a No.4, if you can’t measure it, don’t do it.
采访者:在你获得的建议中,哪一样是最值得你牢记的呢?
杰米:记得最深的建议是“始于小而见长,始于大而见灭”。我觉得我们把这个建议发挥得特别好,因为我们的起点真的很小很小;我们的第一步是从我学生公寓的卧室里迈出的,很多人,当他们创业时,他们觉得,以车库或者,你知道,自己的家作为起点也许是一个耻辱,但我要说的是,从小开始,量力而行,将风险降到最低,直至你下定决心要放手一搏,并全力以赴去实现目标,因为这样,你才能尽快地让自己快速壮大。
采访者:可以的话,你能给有初步想法的未来企业家说说创业的三个最重要的提示是什么吗?
杰米:当然可以。第一,测试可行性;第二,全力以赴实现目标;第三,评估衡量;要是容许我说第四点的话,那就是,如果你衡量不来的话,就不要做了。
翻译:Terry
More Entrepreneurs from Forbes
《福布斯》推举的创业达人
Catherine Cook财富指数:★★★★☆ 达人指数:★★★★☆
In 2005, Catherine Cook, 15, and her brother Dave, 17, were flipping through their high school yearbook and came up with the idea to develop a free interactive version online—MyYearbook. By 2006 MyYearbook had raised $4.1 million from the likes of U.S. Venture Partners and First Round Capital. The business attracted advertisers such as Disney and ABC, grew to three million members worldwide and raked in annual sales in the “seven figures,” says Catherine.
Ashley Qualls财富指数:★★★☆☆ 达人指数: ★★★☆☆
Conceived by 14-year-old Detroit[底特律] native Ashley Qualls as a personal portfolio with pictures and graphics, the ad-supported site evolved to offer free MySpace layouts and tutorials for teens who wanted to learn how to do their own graphic designs and coding. Whateverlife.com, which Qualls owns outright[完全地], claims to nab 7 million unique visitors a month.
Adam Hildreth财富指数:★★★★☆ 达人指数: ★★★★☆
In 1999, Adam Hildreth of West Yorkshire, England, entered the business world at the age of 14 by starting this social networking outfit. Hildreth served as managing director of the agency for almost four years, leading Dubit to become the most visited teen Web site in the U.K. Five years later the BBC named Hildreth, then 19, one of the U.K.’s 20 richest teens, with an estimated net worth of £2 million.
Michael Furdyk财富指数:★★★☆☆ 达人指数: ★★★★☆
In 1996, Michael Furdyk, 16, started MyDesktop.com, an online computer magazine, in the basement of his parents’ home in suburban Toronto. His site was filled with tips and advice Furdyk gleaned[收拾] in online chat rooms, where he came across fellow teenager Michael Hayman. In 1999, Furdyk, Hayman and a third partner sold it to Internet.com for “over $1 million,” says Furdyk.
Fraser Doherty财富指数: ★★★☆☆ 达人指数: ★★★☆☆
In 2002 at the age of 14, Fraser Doherty started making jams in his parents’ kitchen in Edinburgh, Scotland. By age 16, Doherty left school to work on his jams full time. SuperJam’s revenue hit $1.2 million in 2009.
Ephren Taylor财富指数:★☆☆☆☆ 达人指数: ★★★☆☆
Ephren Taylor began his first business at the age of 12, making videogames for his Super Nintendo console. Every day after school he trekked[跋涉] to the local Borders in Overland Park, Kan., to read How To Make A Video Game In 21 Days by Andre LaMothe. A few months later he had coded his first game. Its premise[假设,前提] was to shoot bad guys who were trying to kidnap the president. He sold about 30 copies to his friends for $10 a pop.
Cameron Johnson 财富指数:★★★☆ ☆ 达人指数: ★★★★☆
Cameron Johnson launched his first business, Cheers and Tears, at the age of 9. Using Photoshop in his Virginia home, Johnson began making greeting cards for his parents’ holiday party, but soon received orders from their friends and colleagues as well. Within a few years, Johnson began using the money he’d earned from selling greeting cards to buy Ty Beanie Babies from the company at wholesale pric