How to Start a Business Before Age 25 25歲前創業要訣

晉旭生

By the age of 24， Richard Zelson already knew the ins and outs1 of running his own business. In 2013， the young entrepreneur launched MyStream， a mobile device app that allows users to listen to music simultaneously with the people around them.

We asked Zelson for his top tips for starting a business under the age of 25.

1. Choose the right jobs out of school.

While Zelson wanted an investment banking job， the one he landed instead—at a small real estate firm—helped set up his career for success， because it gave him a necessary foundation for an eventual journey into entrepreneurship.

“This turned out to be one of the best opportunities of my life，” Zelson said. “I was able to learn the ins and outs of running a small business， and that hands-on experience directly helped me turn my idea into a functioning product and ongoing business.”

2. Make sure everyones interests align.

As an economics major， Zelson said it was critical for him to create a team environment with an open communication structure where everyones interests were aligned.

“This way， everyone can work on their own tasks in a parallel path with the same end goal in mind—to support the success of the company，” he said.

3. Realize that being a part of something is better than being all of nothing.

Zelson said its important to be prepared to take an offer that is less than ideal in order to at least get the ball rolling2， because “the experience you can gain ... for any future ideas that you may have” is worthwhile. “There is a lot to learn about running a business that you cannot know until you try.”

4. Do your due diligence3 on the business idea.

Zelson believes it is critical for young entrepreneurs to know everything there is to know about their product and the industry before going to investors.

“You need to have thought of every possible question that may be asked， and have a good answer for each. This goes for both the business idea and the people involved.”

5. Surround yourself with people who are good at what they do.

It is necessary to assemble a team that has strengths in areas where you may struggle. Zelson said the success of a company hinges on the abilities and professionalism of the team as a whole.

“At the end of the day， you are only as good as the people you work with. If you create a weak team， then you will have a weak product， but if you have a great team， then your potential is unlimited.”

Beyond these fundamentals， here are some additional tips for young entrepreneurs.

6. Trust your instincts.

Possibly the most important—and hardest—component of great success for young entrepreneurs is a great idea. Keeping an eye out for and recognizing that brilliant innovation when it comes along is key. One of the most successful teen impresarios4， Nick DAloisio， created and sold an app to Yahoo that Yahoo just wanted to own， not use. Yahoo wanted Summly5 for its algorithm6， and DAloisio only had to tag along7 for 18 months—not bad for the then-17-year-old， who netted over $10 million.

One of the most famous young entrepreneurs is Mark Zuckerberg， but many people dont know that well before his time at Harvard， he invented a messaging system for his fathers dental office called Zucknet. His biography outlines his early programming work as a Harvard freshman. Even while engaged in academic work， he created two computer programs and then a third project that led up to Facebook （he dropped out of college after his sophomore year to work on the Facebook launch full time）.

Like Zuckerberg， many young entrepreneurs are motivated by more than money. They may be pursuing a vision to make the world a better place through their work or philanthropy. A report by Fidelity Charitable indicated that giving by households headed by entrepreneurs is more than four times that of non-entrepreneurs.

7. Put in the hard work.

On the other hand， some young people seem to succeed through hard work and perseverance more than inspiration. According to a story about kidpreneurs on Investopedia， “Cameron Johnson got his start at the age of 9， making invitations for his parents holiday party. Two years later， Johnson had made thousands of dollars selling cards through his company he called Cheers and Tears. At age 12， he paid $100 for his sisters 30 Beanie Babies and sold them on eBay for 10 times what he paid. He then purchased the dolls directly from the manufacturer and made a $50，000 profit in less than a year. He used that money to start an internet business that brought in $3，000 per month in advertising revenue. By the time he was 15， he had formed other businesses with total revenues of $300，000 to $400，000 per month.”

For entrepreneurs of any age， an important tip is to take risks， believe in yourself， be flexible， and go for broke. The founder of Mos Bows8 gives this advice： “Figure out what you like doing， then find out how you can make money doing it， then just let your passion drive your business.” Sounds like great advice， especially coming from then-9-year-old Moziah， a Memphis-based kidpreneur who has not only made a deal on Shark Tank9 but continues to sell his product on Shopify10 as well.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?■

24歲時，理查德·澤爾森就已經對經營自己企業的訣竅了如指掌。2013年，這位年輕的創業者發布了一款移動設備應用程序MyStream，讓使用者可以和周圍的人共享音樂。

我們請教了澤爾森不到25歲就創辦企業的要訣。

1. 選擇合適的校外工作。

澤爾森本想找一份投資銀行的工作，卻只在一家小型房地產公司謀到一個職位。不過這份工作為他最終進入企業界打下了必要的基礎，助他邁向事業成功。

“這是我人生中最好的機遇之一。”澤爾森說。“我得以學習經營一家小企業的方方面面。這種實踐經驗直接幫我把自己的創意轉變成了有用的產品和不斷發展的業務。”

2. 確保所有人的利益一致。

澤爾森修讀經濟學專業，他認為關鍵是要創建一個具有開放交流機制的團隊環境，讓大家的利益保持一致。

“這樣的話，每個人都各負其責，各司其職，為心中共同的終極目標——公司事業的成功而助力。”他說。

3. 樹立“有總比沒有好”的意識。

澤爾森說，重要的是要準備接受一份不夠理想的工作，至少開始做點什么，因為“你能從中獲得的經驗……對任何將來可能會有的創意”都是有價值的。“關于企業經營有很多需要學的，不試著做就無法了解。”

4. 全方位了解商業創意。

澤爾森認為年輕的創業者在面見投資者前，須盡可能充分地了解自己的產品和行業，這一點至關重要。

“每一個可能會被問及的問題你都要考慮到，并對每個問題都做好充分準備。無論對商業創意還是工作團隊，都要做好答問預案。”

5. 團隊成員要精通各自業務。

有必要組建一支能彌補你自身短處的團隊。澤爾森認為，一個公司的成功與否取決于團隊的整體能力和專業水平。

“說到底，團隊實力決定了企業的潛力。如果你組建的團隊弱，那你的產品競爭力就弱;但如果你的團隊強大，那你將擁有無限潛力。”

除了這幾個要點，這里還有一些建議送給年輕的創業者。

6. 相信自己的直覺。

對年輕的創業者而言，要取得巨大成功，最重要也最難的，或許就是有個好創意。時刻留意并及時識別絕妙的新想法是關鍵一步。尼克·達洛伊西奧是最成功的少年創業者之一，他開發出一款應用程序并出售給雅虎。對于這款應用，雅虎只是看中了所有權，并沒想投入使用。雅虎想要的是Summly背后的算法，而達洛伊西奧只需在雅虎工作一年半——這對當時17歲的達洛伊西奧來說也算不錯，他凈賺了一千多萬美元。

馬克·扎克伯格是最知名的年輕企業家之一，但很多人不知道的是早在赴哈佛求學之前，他就為父親的牙科診所開發了一套消息傳送系統Zucknet。他的傳記中概述了他在哈佛讀一年級時做的早期編程工作。即便當時忙于學業，他依然開發了兩款計算機程序，接著開發的第三個項目后來發展成了臉書（二年級后他從哈佛輟學，全力投入臉書的開發）。

同扎克伯格一樣，許多年輕創業者的創業動機都不僅僅限于金錢。他們或許在追求一種理想，想要通過自己的工作或慈善事業讓世界變得更美好。富達慈善基金會的一份報告顯示，企業家家庭的捐贈是非企業家家庭的四倍多。

7. 付出艱辛努力。

另一方面，有些年輕人則似乎更多是依靠勤奮和堅守而非靈感獲得成功。投資百科網上一篇有關創業少年的報道寫道：“卡梅倫·約翰遜9歲開始創業，為父母的假日聚會制作請柬。兩年后，約翰遜通過自己的公司出售賀卡賺得了數千美元，公司名為Cheers and Tears（歡呼與淚水）。12歲時，他花100美元買下妹妹的30個豆豆娃，然后在易貝上以買入價的10倍賣出。隨后，他直接從制造商那里購得玩偶娃娃，在不到一年的時間里獲得5萬美元利潤。他用這筆收入創立了一家互聯網企業，每月帶來的廣告收入達3000美元。到15歲時，他已另外成立了多家公司，這些公司的月收入總計三四十萬美元。”

對任何年齡的企業家而言，重要的是要勇于冒險、相信自己、靈活變通、全力以赴。莫氏領結的創始人給出的建議是：“搞清楚你喜歡做什么，然后弄明白怎樣通過做自己喜歡的事來賺錢，然后就讓你的熱情來驅動你的事業吧。”這個建議聽起來很不錯，尤其這建議來自當時只有9歲的少年創業者莫西亞，他的公司設在孟菲斯。莫西亞不僅在真人秀節目《創智贏家》上達成了一筆交易，而且還將繼續在電商平臺Shopify上售賣自己的產品。? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?□

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）

1 ins and outs底細;來龍去脈。

2 get the ball rolling啟動;著手干。? 3 due diligence（為保證自身、他人或財產安全而采取的）審慎行為;（與某公司有業務往來之前對其本身以及其財務狀況進行的）必要核計，必要了解。

4 impresario〈意〉（歌劇團、樂團等的）演出主辦人;經理。? 5一款新聞閱讀應用軟件。? ? 6 algorithm算法。? ?7 tag along〈非正式〉跟隨。

8由時尚界天才少年莫西亞·布里奇斯（Moziah Bridges）創立的領結品牌。? 9美國ABC電視臺的一個發明真人秀節目，節目上發明創業者展示其發明，說服嘉賓，獲取投資贊助。? 10一站式電商服務平臺，為電商賣家提供搭建網店的技術和模板，管理全渠道的營銷、售賣、支付、物流等服務。